Chapter Text
Things had never been the same for Bakugou ever since the sludge villain incident.
If only he had known such a disastrous event would happen, he wouldn't have kicked that stupid soda bottle.
That day, he really thought he would die.
While being suffocated by the large amounts of slime, there was a blue round ball floating near them.
'What is that thing...?' He thought, stunned at the sight of an unknown object that suddenly appeared out of thin air.
Before he could even react, it went to his face and exploded, turning into blue gas. Out of fear, he used his explosions to break out from the slime.
He was able to free his head and gasp for air. However, he inhaled the blue gas which came from the unknown object that exploded on his face.
He panicked and tried to cough it out. But before he could even do so, strange visions started flooding through his mind. He couldn't explain it much through words, but those visions felt like a movie, but in fast forward. There were random scenes that flashed through his mind, it was all about Midoriya, UA, and he himself included in it. It made Bakugou confused, because he doesn't recall these events happening in his entire life. He didn't go to UA yet, so why does these visions show their experiences in the academy?
Once it was over, he was snapped back to reality.
'...The fuck was that!?!?' He thought, confused.
Before he could even question any further about it, he realized that he was still trapped by the Sludge villain. Just when his head was finally free from all the slime, he still got dragged back in, causing him to suffocate again. This time he couldn't break his free, like back then. The grip on him was much stronger than before. It was painful, any longer he might really die for real.
He watched the heroes around him, they weren't doing anything. The crowd was also watching him in such a horrible state, it was humiliating.
'Shit....no one is doing anything!'
'What the fuck's wrong with them!? At this rate..., I might....'
Bakugou caught the sight of a certain familiar green hair within the crowd. The moment he saw Deku in his vision, a scene flashed in his mind where the nerd tried to save him. He doesn't know why, but for some reason, his brain was telling him to look at him.
He doesn't really understand what these flashbacks were trying to imply, but something in his gut tells him he won't like it.
He decided to refuse what it is trying to tell him and handle this situation by himself—but like a string in a puppet, his body just moved on its own. He doesn't know why, but it felt like something was controlling him to do that.
His eyes widened when he saw thin strings surrounding them. He wondered if this was a quirk that belonged from one of the heroes, who're to save him right now. But all of those thoughts were disregarded when he realized that wasn't the case.
It turns out, those strings were connected to him－these things were all attached around his body.
What happened next caused him horror when he realized its intentions.
He resisted the urge, but he failed. Without consent, he was forced to look at Deku and make an expression that pleads for help.
Bakugou's mind screamed, Stop!!!!
A flood of emotions seeped into him, all of them were mixed with anger, humiliation, and fear.
At that moment, Deku rushed towards him as predicted. Despite the other heroes calling out for him to stop, the nerd still continued to run.
Bakugou felt the strings move and disconnect from his body. They all went up and vanished into thin air.
When those strings disappeared, it felt like he had control of his own body again.
Bakugou closed his eyes, anger rising within him. He didn't even bother questioning what happened earlier, especially those visions he saw.
Pathetic.
Bakugou's so pathetic. Why did he do that? Why did he ask a quirkless kid for help? Just because he saw that vision a few seconds ago, it was already enough for him to ask for his help? What if what he saw was wrong!? What is he going to do then? What's wrong with him? He shouldn't have done that, was he really that weak to do such a thing?
"That kid..." The villain looked at the boy with recognition.
"Deku..." Bakugou let out a strangled voice.
Midoriya threw his back towards the villain's eye, which helped Bakugou be able to breathe air.
"Kacchan!" He called out to the blonde.
"What are you doing here!?" Bakugou asked with vitriol in his tone.
"I don't know! My legs just moved on it's own!" Midoriya explained, this somehow annoyed Bakugou.
'Stupid fucking nerd! Now we're both going to die!!!'
Despite having those thoughts, he doesn't understand why something tells him that they will surely survive in the end.
Suddenly a sharp pain pierced through Bakugou's head, which caused him to wince. His vision suddenly darkened. Because of this, it was already enough for him to know that he was about to lose consciousness.
'Shit! Not now!!! Fuck!' He cursed in his thoughts.
Bakugou tried to stay awake. Unfortunately, his body didn't listen to him. It didn't take long, everything around him suddenly turned black.
In his vision, everything was suddenly replaced with strange images going through his head. This time, the things that were being shown to him were much weirder. He saw mangas, figurines, merchandise, and animations that were eerily about Midoriya, All Might, and other people he hadn't seen before. But mostly were focused on Midoriya.
Bakugou doesn't understand why, but these visions seem to be telling him that they are fictional characters.
Before the visions could even go any further, he was woken up by multiple voices.
"...kay..?"
"..Guys, I think we need to take him to the hospital!"
"No, wait...! Look, he's waking up!"
"Thank goodness!"
"Kacchan!!"
"Hey kid, how are you feeling?"
"Do you feel any pain at the moment?"
Bakugou grunted, slowly opening his eyes only to see a group of heroes and Deku looking at him with concern.
Of course, this annoyed him greatly. All of these people surrounding him restrict his ability to breathe fresh air, so he yelled at them. "Shut up! Get away from me!!!" He sat up, growling at them. "You're making it hard for me to fucking breathe!"
All of them got the message and quickly backed away.
Bakugou looked around, trying to process the situation. Then he saw All Might being bombarded by other reporters.
'He wasn't here before....Was he the one who saved me?' he thought.
All Might.
This word echoed in his mind. Once again, a flashback was triggered. He recalled the man saving them earlier with one punch.
"S-Sorry Kacchan! I just wanted to make sure you're okay so...." Midoriya apologized, averting his gaze due to fear.
Bakugou, who now snapped back to reality, gave him a death glare. "Shut up, Deku! I don't need your damn help!"
Once he was able to have his own space, he sat down on the ground because he felt exhausted. He was still feeling overwhelmed from the visions he saw earlier.
He looked up at Death Arms and asked, "Earlier..., did you see a blue round ball floating near the villain?"
Midoriya and the other heroes glanced at each other, showing their confusion.
"I didn't see anything so far. I was near you, so I'm definitely confident that there is none." Death Arms confirmed.
"Me too, I haven't seen this blue round thing you're talking about..." Kamui Woods added, also supporting the man's statement.
"Well, I was far away then. I wasn't able to get a close look, so I can't say for sure..." Mt. Lady said, placing a hand on her chin.
Bakugou's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Those words weren't enough to convince him, so he looked at Midoriya who now flinched in panic.
"I-I also didn't see it!" Midoriya answered, understanding that Bakugou was also asking him the same question. "Also, I wasn't also close enough, so I'm not sure..."
Upon hearing this, Bakugou frowned. 'That's impossible...I saw it clearly with my own eyes...' he thought, purely in disbelief.
He was definitely sure of what he saw. That thing even came up to him and exploded right on his face. It even gave him these visions and it was already enough for him to feel disturbed.
And what bothers him even more was the strings.
"...The strings..." He muttered. He didn't realize that he said that out loud. It was enough for everyone to hear that clearly.
"Pardon?" Midoriya looked at him, confused but at the same time there is fear in his eyes.
Bakugou looked at him with an eerily calm expression. "Deku. You were the nearest one to me...did you see it? Those orange strings..." He went towards the boy, who's now taking a step back. "There were many of them, so there's no fucking way you didn't see it unless you're blind!" He exclaimed, hiding his fear with a snarl.
The scary aura that he was emitting made Midoriya to tremble in fear.
"I saw nothing, Kacchan!! I-I swear! I would tell you if I really did see something!" Midoriya said truthfully, raising both of his hands.
Bakugou's eyes narrowed, scanning him carefully. Upon seeing the boy's expression, it was already clear enough that the nerd wasn't lying.
He clicked his tongue and took a step back. "Forget it. This is bullshit." He snapped, about to turn around and leave. Unfortunately for him, he was suddenly surrounded by other heroes and they threw a lot of praise towards him.
He, on the other hand, felt nothing to those words. He just glared angrily at Midoriya, who's now being scolded by the other heroes.
"You are so tough and what a quirk! Please come to our company when you become a pro. You'll be a great sidekick! I guarantee it!" The hero beside him praised.
Bakugou didn't know why, but something inside him wanted to scoff upon hearing those words.
Normally, he would enjoy hearing such praises. But this was different. Instead of his mood lightening up, it only became much worse. Maybe it's because these heroes just stood there and watched him being suffocated by the Sludge man. Their excuses about 'waiting for back up' made him irritated. If he got stuck much longer, he would've been a goner.
Bakugou gritted his teeth in anger. 'They're heroes with quirks, but all of them were cowardly and incompetent enough to step in. On the other hand, Deku stepped in despite being quirkless.' The thought of it made his blood boil. 'Quirkless!!!' He boomed in his thoughts, acting all repulsed by that one specific word. 'And that idiot still charged without hesitation. And I....tch... fucking dammit!!!'
He then focused his gaze on Midoriya.
Despite being commended by the heroes, he doesn't feel happy at all. All he felt was anger, frustration, and insecurity.
'This guy, just why does he want to be a hero anyway? Why..., why is it that out of all people... he was the one who tried to save me?!'
He clenched his fists, looking at Midoriya with contempt.
'Was he looking down on me? Thinking that I couldn't handle that damn villain?!'
He began to shake in fury.
At that moment, he looked like he was about to blow a gasket.
A couple of minutes later, once they were both free to go home, he immediately ran after Midoriya.
"Deku!" He called out, making the boy turn around and face him.
Bakugou paused, trying to catch his breath from all the running. He then faced Midoriya with an angry expression.
"I didn't ask for your help and you didn't save me." He growled. "You know, I could have saved myself! You think I owe you? Don't you dare look down on me, you quirkless!"
After voicing out those words, Bakugou clicked his tongue and turned around, still muttering out curses.
Whatever weird shenanigans that happened today had been overwhelming for him.
Not only that, what frustrates him even more is that...
...he doesn't even know what the fuck is going on with this world.
There's something up here.
And something tells him that he's better off forgetting what he saw.
+
It had been weeks since Bakugou passed the entrance exams and became a student in UA.
He thought that everything would be fine as long as he forgot those strange visions.
Boy, he was wrong.
Every night, he kept having these weird dreams. He found it very disturbing, because these dreams...not only they were vivid, it can also predict the future.
A lot of unusual things happened to Bakugou after being attacked by the villain. His life had never been the same ever since.
Since these dreams become reality, he might as well consider them all as predictions.
Even awake, he kept having random visions without warning. At first, it gave him confusion and suspected that he was just tired. But those thoughts were quickly disregarded from the moment he realized that the visions became real later on.
Thanks to this, he wasn't that much surprised when Midoriya passed the entrance exam. But that doesn't mean he isn't angry at all. Because why did someone weak like him pass the exam? The nerd was nothing but a crybaby and a coward!
Even now, he already expected that Aizawa would announce the quirk apprehension test. Even Midoriya's sudden awakening of quirk didn't surprise him at all. Because he already went through a lot of time to be surprised by such discovery. No one was supposed to know about One For All.
But here he is, he knew about it and it's all thanks to those dreams—visions or whatever! This mess all began when that weird floating ball exploded on his face and caused him too much existential crisis.
It would be a huge lie if Bakugou said that he wasn't overwhelmed at all by the strange things happening to him. Because everything was indeed very overwhelming. Not only that, everything about this made him mad. His anger on Midoriya also increased.
Normally, Bakugou would've reacted a bit violently right on the spot. But surprisingly, he didn't. He doesn't know why. Maybe it's because of exhaustion. After all, he had been getting a lot of headaches recently. It usually happens at night, which is the reason why his eyebags appeared.
Right now, he's just standing there, watching Midoriya's broken finger. He glared at him with jealousy, causing the other boy to flinch. Well, he wasn't jealous of the broken bones and all that, he was jealous because Midoriya was the chosen one.
Something tells him that this guy is the main character of this story.
To think that someone quirkless, someone who was supposed to be below than him, got chosen as All Might's successor.
'Just as expected, he still can't control his quirk.' he thought with observation.
"Sensei...I can still move!" Midoriya tried to smile at Aizawa, fighting off his tears due to pain.
Bakugou's gaze drifted to Aizawa's face, he can see that the man is now amused. He couldn't help but scoff at Deku. "..can still move my ass. What's the fuckin' point if you keep getting injured..?" He muttered, his voice was too low for anyone to hear.
He then saw All Might hiding nearby. His eyes squinted. 'So he's checking on Deku, huh? I guess he's surprised too.' He thought.
Just when he was about to turn his gaze away from All Might, an extreme level of pain pierced right through his head. This caused him to wince.
'Get mad. Attack him.'
'Get mad...get mad! Get mad! Get mad! Get mad! Get mad!!!'
Bakugou gripped his head hard with both hands, trying to silence the voice out. "Fuck off!" he shouted, receiving some stares from his classmates. "Don't tell me what to do...!" he gritted his teeth. He took a slight glance at his classmates. Upon seeing their reactions, they don't seem to hear the voices that he's hearing right now.
These voices, it felt like a lot of people talking to him at the same time.
'Stop being stubborn!'
'Attack him.'
The voice became heavier. These voices seem to belong to a male.
Bakugou's headache became worse when a ringing sound was added.
'Who the fuck are they talking about...? Is it All Might?' He wondered.
'Not him...' A female voice replied.
Suddenly, Bakugou felt an unknown invisible force grabbing his chin with a firm grip. His head was forcefully turned towards Midoriya, who was currently celebrating his success.
A second later, his eyes widened when he began to see the orange strings slowly becoming visible in his vision. Right now, they are all surrounded on his head.
It's been a while since he last saw it. The strings never appeared again after the Sludge villain, so why did it appear now?
'Him.'
This time, it was not only the female voice that spoke. A lot of voices spoke at the same time when they said that certain word. Clearly, they are pointing towards a certain someone.
The blonde's eyes widened.
Bakugou tried to ignore the voice. He forcefully backed away, trying to break himself free from the grip. 'What is this? A villain attack?' He thought. '...but that's impossible. This school's security is too high, it hasn't been breached for a very long time!'
'Move.'
'I said move!'
The voices screamed.
Bakugou still didn't budge. He may be mad at Midoriya right now and want to punch his stupid face, but there's one thing he hates the most, which is taking orders from anyone.
'Just do as we say...NOW!!!'
'FUCK OFF!!! I'M NOT YOUR FUCKING ERRAND BOY!!!' He boomed in his thoughts, telling the voice to leave him alone.
'...you leave me no choice.'
Bakugou felt confused at that statement. But it was immediately replaced by wariness. Before he could even prepare himself to fight it off, his body suddenly froze. His mouth moved without his consent. It's as if he's being controlled by something.
"What is this, Deku!? Explain now, shitrag!!!" He yelled.
The strings dragged him forward, making it seem he was charging towards Midoriya, who now screeched in fear.
Bakugou tried to resist it, but it only caused him extreme pain. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't. Because it was not letting him do so.
Against his will, the other strings rose his arm up, forcefully making him use his work on Midoriya.
Bakugou hates this. He's being controlled like a puppet and it pissed him the fuck out.
'Stop it, you bastards!' He seethed in his thoughts. He's pretty sure these dipshits can hear him, and there's no need to voice those thoughts out loud for them to know. Besides, he's being controlled anyway, so he can't speak to begin with.
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to break free from the control. His body just continued to move against his will.
'Shit!'
Before Bakugou could even lay his hands on Midoriya, he was immediately wrapped with a long scarf. Its grip on him was tight, surprisingly hard for him to break free.
"What the hell is this cloth? It's hard..." He commented. Unlike the first one, this was the only statement that matched his thoughts and feelings.
Bakugou also noticed that his quirk wasn't working, he wondered why. As soon as his gaze landed on Aizawa, he realized that his quirk was cancelled for a moment.
At first, Bakugou felt relief. Next, it was replaced with anger but not towards Aizawa, but towards this unknown being that controlled him.
"It's a capture weapon made with special alloy wires and carbon fiber." Aizawa explained. He then glared at Bakugou, feeling slightly annoyed. "Jeez, don't make me use my quirk again and again. I have dry eyes!"
Aizawa deactivated his quirk and finally released Bakugou from his capture weapon.
"We're wasting time. Prepare for the next." he told the class.
After that, Bakugou was left alone. Midoriya carefully walked away from him, fearing that he might get hit.
Unbeknownst to everyone, Bakugou is currently struggling and fighting for his life to break free from the control.
'Let me go! I'll kill you!!!' He threatened.
The voice didn't reply to him. This made him more angry.
'Just what on Earth are they? Why are they doing this?'
Bakugou has a lot of questions. But he just gave up thinking about it, because he had a feeling that no one in this world knows the answer.
Until now, he still didn't give up fighting. It took hours of him trying, but there's still no luck. The more he resists, the more he receives extreme pain. It felt like his insides were being pierced by multiple needles.
Bakugou decided to stop resisting. It is important for him to save energy first. He tries to stop his panic from rising. He must try to be calm first and think about the situation more rationally. There must be a way to cancel this. He doesn't know it yet, but he's going to find out no matter what.
The torture went on until the next day.
Bakugou felt even more tired. From an outsider's perspective, he seems perfectly fine. But on the inside, he looks like he's about to die from sleep deprivation. It's already surprising that he doesn't have any eye bags.
The control went on and on. Even after Present Mic's class, he still couldn't move his body willingly.
Now, All Might is in front of them, announcing a class activity where everyone must participate in a mock battle.
Bakugou had a bad feeling about this. Whoever is controlling him, he doesn't know what their motive for doing this. He can't move or talk as he please, he can't even do anything to show some warning signs to others. He's on his own.
It was announced that he will be put in the villain team and his partner would be Iida Tenya.
'Four eyes, huh...' Bakugou glanced at Iida and took note of it.
Suddenly, he felt that sharp pain again in his head.
A vision flashed through his mind, showing a broken building, debris scattered all around, and an injured Midoriya laying down on the ground, unconscious.
Later on, he started hearing loud ringing. It was fucking painful, it felt like his eardrums were about to explode.
'The winner in this match, is the Hero Team!!!' All Might's loud voice echoed through his ears.
The ringing became louder and louder, which drove Bakugou insane. His headache also worsened, the pain increased around a threshold. It felt like his brain was being fried.
As soon as the vision ended, he was snapped back to reality only to see dark spots. At that moment, he realized that he's about to lose consciousness.
However, that feeling suddenly disappeared. Then his body moved again, preparing for battle.
Bakugou suspected that this has something to do with the person controlling him. 'It is trying to keep me conscious... Does that mean it needs me awake at all cost?' He wondered. 'What's the difference if I lose consciousness now?'
At this point, he might as well call them an it, because he isn't sure whether they are a person or nothing.
Now that he had come to think of it, this thing didn't let him sleep last night. Does being unconscious break him free from the control?
No, there has to be another way.
Bakugou wouldn't want to be unconscious during the match. That would be humiliating. He will be considered weak for falling asleep in the middle of a battle.
He suddenly heard whispers.
'Resistance is pointless....'
'The script is already set in stone....'
'...set in stone....'
'...no choice but to follow it.'
'There's no point...'
Bakugou gritted, forcing his eyes shut. He resists the urge to punch his face as a way to pull himself together. He couldn't do that because it will attract suspicions from the others.
'Fuck off! I don't want to be a part of whatever bullshit you're trying to say!'
Bakugou tried resisting again. This time, a lot of people spoke. The whispers became louder and creepier.
'You can't do that!'
'You have a role to fulfill...'
'There will be....'
'—punishment..'
'...for disobeying—'
'—the script...'
Bakugou growled, trying to stay strong.
'Go fuck yourselves!! Don't tell me what to do! I already have a role to fulfill, which is beating you the fuck up! Stop forcing all of this crap on me, I'm not your damn toy!'
After giving it a little push, Bakugou was able to move his fingers. He grinned. It looks like the control on him is starting to wear off.
'No! Stop!!!'
Bakugou ignored the voice. He started moving with force, slowly gaining control of his own body.
The voices began to hiss. They sounded like ghosts trying to haunt a person who murdered them.
'You stubborn brat!'
'You're....going to...regret this!'
'There will be a cost...'
'Disobedience results...to punishment.'
Bakugou ignored them and continued to resist. He uses all of his strength to break free from the strings.
"..Cry all you want! I ain't regretting shit!"
This time, he's finally able to speak by his own will. He doesn't care if anyone heard this, it's not like they would understand what he meant. Clearly, these creatures aren't human, and they are definitely not something that can be seen by normal people.
He doesn't know why he kept on hearing them, especially these strings. But that doesn't matter. What matters right now is escaping from their grasp.
Just like a rubber band snapping, Bakugou finally broke free. All of the strings around his body were cut off.
All the energy left of him immediately disappeared. His body became weak. He felt so tired and sleepy. Maybe it's because he didn't get any sleep for the whole night. Since yesterday, his body was used up, being forced to do things he doesn't want. He stumbled forward, about to fall onto the ground.
Bakugou was able to get ahold of himself and stand back up. He touched the wall beside him, using it as a support.
In his line of sight, he saw Deku in front of him. Luckily, the other boy didn't notice that something was up with him.
'I can't allow anyone to see me fall. I must fight like there's nothing going on.' He clenched his fists, forcing himself to stand straight. He needs to stay up until the test is over. Then after that, he can pass out all he wants.
Bakugou raised his head up and looked at Midoriya with a burning glare. "Deku... prepare yourself." An evil grin formed on his lips, emitting a scary aura around him.
Midoriya flinched, starting to sweat bullets. Despite being scared, he still stood on his ground, preparing for a fight.
"DIE!!!!!" Bakugou launched forward.
And with that, chaos ensues.
+
The fight was over. The Hero Team won.
Bakugou stood there in shock.
He lost.
To Deku, he lost...
Bakugou gritted his teeth, frustrated. 'Deku can read me like a book, he even came up with a way to beat me...'
His breath became fast.
'Even though I gave my all..., I still...'
Bakugou clenched his fists.
A hand touched his shoulder. He doesn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"Let's go back, Bakugou, my boy. It's time for your critique." All Might told him gently. The he began to give him an advice. "No matter whether you won or lost. You take one look back, you reflect on the experience, and you live on with your life."
Despite those words, Bakugou didn't feel any better at all.
Before he could even mope more about it, he suddenly felt his legs becoming weak. He had to hold a post nearby to keep him standing.
"Kacchan!" Midoriya looked at him with concern. He was about to grab him, but All Might was the first one to do so.
"Bakugou!" All Might slightly tightened his grip around the boy's shoulders, trying to keep him up. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked with worry.
Bakugou clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. "I'm alright, All Might! Let me go, I can stand on my own!" He pulled himself away from the man.
All Might's furrowed his eyebrows, seemingly in doubt. But he decided not to comment on it. Instead, he told him to visit Recovery Girl later on.
Bakugou only grunted in reply.
He glanced at a beaten up Midoriya who's now holding his fully bruised arm, legs shaking. The boy looks like he's about to collapse.
Bakugou remembered the vision from earlier, he clearly saw Midoriya laying down unconscious after the battle. So why is he conscious right now?
There is only one thing that's similar to his vision...
...the Hero Team being the winner.
The same thing happened when he got caught in the Sludge Incident. He knew Midoriya was going to try to save him. Even the apprehension test, he also knew about it. And it's all thanks to these strange visions.
However, today is different. It isn't as accurate as the previous ones. Everything is different, yet everything is the same.
Angry voices ringed through his ears.
He couldn't understand what they were saying, all he could hear were screams from different people.
Bakugou winced. He rubbed his forehead, trying to ease the pain.
'Just what are you?' Bakugou asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
The voice didn't reply. This ticked the boy off.
"ANSWER ME YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!!" He shouted in fury. This time, he wasn't using his thoughts to communicate with the strange creature...or creatures, plural.
Meanwhile, Midoriya paled, suddenly taking a step back. The poor boy thought that the blonde was referring to him. "Kacchan! P-Please calm down...!!" He started to sweat nervously, raising only his left arm in surrender. He couldn't use both because his other arm is very injured.
All Might stepped in, fearing that a fight might happen. "Now, now, you musn't fight amongst ourselves. The match is over, it's time to---"
"I wasn't talking to Deku!" Bakugou scowled. Clearly, he had enough of this bullshit. Especially all the weird things happening to him that he couldn't even understand. Right now, he wanted to punch someone.
What Bakugou said made Midoriya and All Might confused. Both of them blinked for a moment and stared at each other, then back to Bakugou.
"Then...who were you talking to, Kacchan?" Midoriya couldn't help but ask.
Bakugou rubbed his temples. His headache still didn't disappear, so his mood didn't get any better. "Tch. Forget it. Just get out of my way you damn nerd!" he said and walked past the two figures.
He entered the monitor room with everyone inside, Midoriya and All Might both followed.
Once everyone was already gathered around, All Might started the critique.
"Hmm, I'd say....The best in this match is young Iida!!!"
Bakugou's eyes drifted towards the floor, frowning at those words. Meanwhile, Iida gaped in shock.
"But weren't the winners Ochako and Midoriya?" Tsuyu said, placing a finger in her chin.
"I wonder why I could possibly think so—? Who knows why!!?" All Might looked at the class, wanting them to answer his question.
Momo raised her hand.
All Might allowed her to speak.
"It's because Iida was the one who adapted most to the situation. Having watched the fight, Bakugou was clearly driven by some personal grudge—"
Bakugou didn't listen any further to Momo's explanation. As much as he wanted to, the ringing in his ears are back again. He clenched his teeth, trying to use everything in his strength to remain standing. The burning pain in his stomach worsened. Unlike before, it felt like it's being poked by a bunch of needles.
He didn't realize that Momo was already done with her explanation.
Meanwhile, Iida, who's beside him, is feeling happy. Bakugou wondered why the boy was smiling.
"!!?" Bakugou flinched, feeling something stuck in his throat. He unconsciously placed a hand on his mouth. 'Endure it!!! Fuckin' endure it!' He thought, starting to get nervous.
Suddenly, everyone heard a loud thud.
Everyone's gaze turned to Midoriya, who's now on the ground, completely unconscious.
"Young Midoriya!"
"Deku-kun!"
"Midoriya!"
All Might, Ochako, and Iida all said in unison. The three of them immediately went to Midoriya in concern. Everyone also followed.
Bakugou's stomach worsened. Thanks to that, everybody's attention was on Midoriya. He took this chance to run out of the room without anyone noticing.
He looked for a quiet place to stay. Once he was able to, he sat on the floor and leaned on a wall. He took his time to rest there for a while. At this point, he didn't give a fuck if anyone was looking for him.
The ringing finally subsided. Bakugou thought that he made a wise choice to rest first.
Just when he was about to close his eyes, something in front of him glitched. He had to rub his eyes to confirm if he was seeing it correctly.
Some letters suddenly appeared, forming itself into words. It created one sentence, letting Bakugou read.
'It's gonna take a while. But don't worry..., it'll wear off.'
He frowned at the words floating in front of him. "You again..." His voice was strained, but the anger was still there. "...just what the fuck did you do to me...?"
'That's what happens whenever there is an error...'
Bakugou blinked in confusion.
"An error...? What are you—"
Before he could even ask what it meant, a voice suddenly called him.
He saw two figures walking towards him, it was a guy with shitty red hair and the electricity bastard.
He glanced at the words floating near him, wondering if they could see it. But upon seeing their expressions, they don't seem to notice it nor even see it.
'What's going on, why don't they notice it...? Am I the only one seeing this?' He wondered.
"Yo! Bro Bakugou, there you are!" Kirishima beamed. Behind him, he is being followed by Kaminari, who looks kind of nervous. "We've been looking everywhere for you! All Might told us to bring you back. The second battle is now starting, we need to watch—" he paused, starting to realize something strange about Bakugou. "...Hey man, are you okay? You don't look well."
"I'm fine, Shitty Hair! Mind your own business!!!" Bakugou snapped at him.
Kirishima raised both of his arms in surrender. "Whoa, chill. I get it, of course you're all right. My bad." He chuckled awkwardly.
"Of course he's all right! Between him and that Midoriya dude, he looks more fine to me!" Kaminari commented. "He doesn't even look very injured!" He also pointed out.
Bakugou just ignored them and walked on his way to the monitor room.
The floating letters appeared in front of him again, which caused him to pause.
'Child, remember this. Whether it is unintentional or not, once a forbidden knowledge is known, there is always a cost.'
Bakugou was about to open his mouth, but he immediately stopped.
He glanced at the two figures behind him. Right now, Kaminari and Kirishima are standing there, looking at him weirdly. He won't risk being labeled as a crazy person. So it's better to speak with his thoughts. That way, it won't attract suspicions and dangerous misunderstandings.
The letters began to change.
'Remember..., there will always be consequences...'
Again, the letters changed.
'You, who broke the law, shall live in misfortune.'
'An error...'
'This world does not... tolerate defects...'
Before continuing to walk, his gaze landed on Kirishima and Kaminari once again, observing them critically.
"What's wrong?" Says the one with blonde hair.
Bakugou just grunted and continued to walk on his way. 'Looks like I'm really the only one seeing this.' He confirmed to himself. With that, he began to realize how dangerous the situation is.
After going inside the room, he pretended to watch the match through the monitor.
'You didn't answer my question earlier, just what the fuck are you!? You even used my body like some damn puppet!!!! Listen to me, you bastard. If you do that again, I'll kill you!!!' He asked the unknown being. There was also a combination of threats in those words.
Another glitch appeared in front of him.
'An error....Misfortune will fall...'
Another confusing statement, which made Bakugou even more annoyed .
"Hah!?"
'To avoid misfortune, the future must be...fixed.'
'Follow the script...'
'Follow the script....follow.the.script. Follow...script..Follow....follow...s-s-sss###&***##,,,(#7#,r--ipt..'
The words began to glitch even more, making it impossible to read the words. But Bakugou knew they just kept on repeating the same words over and over again.
In the end, some of his questions weren't answered. They still didn't tell him what or who they were. Their words deeply confused him, but at the same time there are some things that started to make sense.
'The script...' Bakugou thought, trying process what they meant.
Somehow, he's already aware that this world isn't real.
He won't ever admit it, but that statement alone was painful for him to consider.
But who the fuck cares!? For him, this is real. His feelings, emotions, are all real. This is his world. He doesn't give a damn what others think. He's not going to give in and become some fucker's puppet to toy with.
He still didn't understand why he kept having these strange visions. Heck, he even gets dreams that become reality later on. When he asked about it, the only answer he got was nothing.
The voices didn't reply to him when he asked more questions. That was the last conversation they had ever since. Of course, this made him annoyed because all he can do right now is wait.
After school, he immediately left the classroom. The others tried to stop him, but he ignored them. If he stayed there any longer, he might really collapse for good. His stomach is already starting to hurt, the gnawing pain keeps on getting worse as time passes by. He's also starting to feel nauseated.
Just when he's already outside the gate, Midoriya ran after him.
"Kacchan!" The boy called out.
Bakugou already suspected what he was about to say, and he doesn't want to hear any of it. "Hah?" He gave him a murderous glare, causing the other boy to flinch.
Of course, Midoriya was scared, but he didn't back down. He met the blonde's gaze, his eyes were filled with determination.
Bakugou sighed, he doesn't have the energy to deal with this. Thanks to the dreams he had from those previous nights, he already knew what the nerd is going to say. 'This idiot, what is he thinking? Trying to spill out some of his damn secrets...'
"Leave me alone, Deku! I don't have time for any of your bullshit!" He said, turning around to walk on his way home.
He wanted to say 'I already know what you're gonna say, shitty Deku. So fuck off and leave me in peace.' but that would definitely rise some suspicions, so he didn't.
Midoriya's eyes widened. When he realized that Bakugou didn't have any intentions of hearing him out, he ran after him. "No, wait! Kacchan!!! Just hear me out—"
"Not now, Deku!" Bakugou growled, his patience is running thin. "If you continue to pester me one more time, I'll murder you!"
Midoriya stopped on his tracks and immediately backed away from the blonde. "Sorry, I just—"
Bakugou turned to face him. "Look, I don't give a damn to whatever bullshit you're going to say! You beat me, shithead!!! That's all!" He said furiously with both open palms.
This caused Midoriya to snap his mouth shut.
Today wasn't a good day for Bakugou, so it's no doubt he's irritated. A lot of things happened, and it certainly gave him the worst and greatest stressful experience in his entire fucking life. He doesn't even feel well right now and there's absolutely no fucking way he would deal with this, too.
"Listen to me! From here on...I'm gonna be number one!!! And don't you dare get the idea that you'll beat me ever again!" He declared eyes filled with determination. He will never lose again. He will work hard to get to the top, no matter what it takes. "Stupid Deku!" Of course, he didn’t forget to throw an insult towards his childhood friend.
Bakugou wiped his face with his sleeve before turning his back on Midoriya. Just when he was about to leave, All Might suddenly appeared.
"Bakugou, my boy!!!" The man yelled, grabbing Bakugou's shoulders, trying to comfort him. Before he could even say anything, Bakugou stopped him.
"You, too! All Might. I'm going to beat you! I'll become a hero that surpasses even you!" He said it as if he's making it a promise. "Also, let go of me. I can't walk."
All Might let go of him, hands both raised. "Ah...okay." He said, a bit stunned. Both figures watched him go.
Bakugou doesn't care if fate wants Midoriya to be the number one hero. Who cares if the nerd is the main character!? He won't back out that easily just because of that. Whether fate likes it or not, he will become number one.
+
Once Bakugou confirmed that he is already out of their sight, he fell onto his knees and started coughing. A blue sticky substance came out from his mouth.
He looked at his palm that is now covered with blue liquid. His eyes widened, pupils shaking. "Wha..."
From that moment, he knew that he had to get home fast. He couldn't get back to school right now for Recovery Girl, he's already in a faraway distance. The only closest thing he could get is his house.
Bakugou grunted in pain, slowly forcing himself to get up from the ground. He gathered up all of his remaining strength and walked forward.
Three minutes had passed, he was finally able to arrive home.
Loud ringing suddenly echoed through his ears.
Bakugou didn't have much strength right now, so he hurriedly went to the door, wanting all of this misery to end.
Once he entered the house, he saw his father sweeping the floor and his mom cooking food.
"Katsuki, welcome home!" His father, Bakugou Masaru, greeted.
"Oh? You're finally back." Bakugou Mitsuki, his mother, huffed at him. "Now that you're here, help me chop the damn onions! You hear me? Also, buy some salt. We just ran out one!"
Bakugou only grunted in reply.
His mother gave him an odd look, but later on she chose to disregard whatever she was thinking and continued to prepare the dish. "You better hurry up if you don’t want me to throttle you!" She told him, and she really meant it.
"I know, old hag! Just give me a minute!" Katsuki rubbed his head. The migraines were still there, and the throbbing still continued to worsen. However, despite that, he chose to ignore it.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?!" His mother yelled at him, throwing a soup ladle towards his head.
"What the fuck?! Why’d you throw this thing at me?!" Katsuki shouted, waving the soup laddle up in the air.
Both mother and son glared at each other.
Masaru feared that a fight might break lose, so he stood in between them. "H-Hey! You two, don’t fight! Let’s all calm down, okay?" He told them gently, trying to ease their mood.
Thankfully, both of them calmed down and went back minding their own business. However, they were still fuming.
Katsuki decided to go to the washroom, maybe the tiredness he felt would subside somehow.
But then, later on, he started to feel dizzy. He leaned towards the faucet, tightly clutching his head with one hand.
Realizing that the pain didn’t subside for a long time, he thought that maybe he should go to bed now. He doesn't care what his mother says. This headache is killing him.
Unlike before, the level of pain became too intense. In each second, it felt like his head was being pierced relentlessly.
He winced. Now, he’s holding his head tightly with both hands, trying to subdue the pain somehow. Unfortunately, nothing helped.
When it started to become unbearable, he let out an agonizing scream.
It was loud enough for the people in the other room to hear.
Katsuki staggered and fell down on the floor. His back is now leaning on a table and both of his legs are now on the floor.
"Katsuki!?" Says a shrill voice.
He saw his mother's eyes widen in shock and immediately went beside him.
"Katsuki! What's wrong!? I heard you scream!"
Hands grasped his shoulder, tense but yet, so gentle.
Suddenly, he heard the ringing again. This time, it's much stronger. It felt like his ears are going to get ripped apart.
A flash of white light enveloping his sight. 'What is this, another vision?'
Strange images started flashing through his mind, showing him everything he had to know about this world. The amount of information was too much, it's becoming too painful for him to handle it.
Everything was on fast forward. It was hard for him to grasp what was happening, the only scene he caught was seeing himself laying down on the ground, lifeless, filled with blood. His chest was bleeding, and his heart seems to be destroyed, it's as if someone crushed it which caused him to look like this.
Fear rose within him. What is this? The future? Is he....Is he going to die?
Later on, the scene in his vision change. It's as if it was switched into a someone's perspective. He saw a blonde guy with blue eyes, tears streaming down on his cheeks. Beside the blonde, Aizawa was wearing a grim expression, his eyes were filled with range and grief. They both seem to be going towards something. For some reason, it seems like they are still attempting to save him.
Katsuki doesn't know who the blonde guy is, but he doesn't care about that right now.
As he lays on the floor, he resisted the urge to gasp. He mustn’t go on a panic attack. He won't allow it.
At this point he looked like he went into shock.
Meanwhile, the shouts continued.
"Katsuki, what the fuck's wrong with you?!" Mitsuki tried to shake him, telling him to snap out of it.
But Katsuki couldn't hear anything. His auditory senses were being cancelled out from reality. The only thing he could hear was the ringing—which later on became illusionary sounds related to the visions being flashed through his brain.
"Honey! Come here right now! There's something wrong with our son!" Mitsuki yells, calling for her husband. She looks at her son once again, calling his name over and over again. Her voice is already becoming desperate.
Meanwhile, Katsuki seemed like he was in a trance. It felt like his soul was being sucked out from reality.
"Katsuki, shit, you're scaring us! What's wrong, you're not usually this quiet—talk to me! Why aren't you saying anything—" She chokes on her words. She tried to rub comforting circles on Katsuki's back, hoping that it might help to calm him somehow.
Masaru finally arrived at the scene. His eyes widened in alarm and immediately went beside Bakugou.
"—He won't speak, he's just staring into nothing! I don't know what to do! I,—Hon, help me carry him! We need to take him to the hospital—Katsuki, snap out of it!!!"
Katsuki looked at his mother. He noticed how she looked so worried, about to burst into tears. For once in his life, he never saw his mother make such an expression. Upon witnessing this, guilt rose within him.
He opened his mouth to speak, only to end up vomiting on the floor.
"Katsuki!" Masaru shouted in alarm.
The vomit wasn't normal. Unlike earlier, the color was different. Instead of blue, it's black.
Katsuki glanced at the black substance he just threw up. He couldn't help but find it odd. Why the change of color?
He vomitted again for the second time. This time, it was a lot.
Both of his parents looked horrified as they witness him vomit black slimy liquid. They were quick to assume that their son might've been attacked by a villain.
Katsuki began to see that his vision is becoming dim, dark spots can already be seen in his sight. He's about to pass out.
"Katsuki!!!" His father let out a shrill shout. "Son, you need to stay awake! Fight it!!!" He said as he quickly carried him in his arms. Suprisingly, despite having a meek appearance, he is still strong enough to handle the boy's weight.
Hurriedly, Katsuki was placed at the backseat of the car, his mother sat beside him while his father went to the driver's seat.
"Fuckin' stay strong, brat! Don't you dare fall asleep or else I'll throttle you!" Her mother spoke in a very steady voice. She seemed to be suppressing some emotions and Bakugou couldn't identify what it was. "Don't you dare, you hear me!?"
In Bakugou's line of vision, he saw floating letters beside him.
It read:
'The situation isn't a cause of concern. You'll live. This world won't allow you to die.'
After reading this, relief washed over him.
The words began to change, forming a new sentence.
'Now...sleep. It will put you out of your misery. We'll deal with the rest.'
This will be the only time he would listen to them, but after this he won't.
"They said....everything will be fine if I sleep..." He muttered sluggishly.
These words caused confusion from his parents.
Due to how lightheaded he was, it caused him to carelessly say these words. That’s alright, it may cause suspicions but it doesn't give a direct clue about these creatures.
"What...?" His father looked at him, confused. "They? Who are you talking about, Katsuki—No, stop! Katsuki, listen to me! You need to stay awake—"
Bakugou closed his eyes. Letting the drowsiness take over him, he didn't realize that his parents were calling his name.
And then, after that, he fell into a deep slumber.
Meanwhile, his parents went on a panic frenzy.