? Benevolence ?

Chapter 27

I'm shoved into a chair and from the sound of a snarl, I assume Bakugou is as well. When ropes begin tying me down, I force myself to remain still.

"Now then, this may be sudden but... Aspiring hero, Katsuki Bakugou, won't you become one of my comrades?"

It's silent for a moment until, "Spare me your shit and die!"

"He's got quite the mouth on him." Someone in the room comments calmly.

More silence.

Then footsteps approach before stopping.

I struggle to pick up any sort of information that would paint a picture of what's happening when someone grips my chin, forcing me to turn my head.

Death and decay reek from the figure, my remaining senses struggling to keep me aware. Not being able to see is flooding my system with panic. I can't tell who is around me or what they're doing. Terrified, I bite my lip to hold myself together.

"This is the little teleporting one, right? You were very friendly during the festival. Such a hero... Useless to me though. Not on the kill list but perhaps I could let Toga have you." The voice crones in my ear and I whimper quietly.

"Hey! Fuckface! Leave his ass out of this!" My mind clings to the sound of Bakugou's voice, the only familiarity in a room of the unknown.

"From what I understand, he got himself into this, hm? Something about you Yuuei kids just makes you so reckless."

My chin is released and I drop my head, choking back a sob. The footsteps retreat and I struggle to keep my breathing in check, shoulders shaking.

Time passes at an unknown rate and I soon end up nearly forgotten. I listen as the villains struggle to convince Bakugou to join them before he stops talking all together. I shift in my seat anxiously until someone snarls 'stop'. I fall still again.

Eventually, a tv is turned on and I flinch at the sound of Aizawa-sensei's voice. It sounds like a press conference...and sensei is apologizing...

"What transpired was the result of my own shortcomings. However... Bakugou's situation at the sports festival points to the strength of his ideals. There is no one else more in pursuit of becoming the 'top hero.'

If the villains perceived that as a weakness to exploit, then I would say they are being foolish."

"Do you have a firm basis for your position? What about the other student, [Y/n] [L/n]? This is not a problem of how you feel. I'm asking if you have any concrete plans for this matter."

Adrenaline rises and falls in crashing waves, my body unable to decide what to experience.

It quickly becomes yet another point the villains try to make.

"Why are the heroes getting criticized? Their response was just a little too slow! Is it because it's their jobs to protect the kids? Everybody makes a mistake or two!" The voice in charge tries desperately to make reason.

"Are they saying that they can't make a single mistake? Heroes have pretty strict standards, huh?"

"Yo, Bakugou!" This voice I recognize. It's the turtle mutant. My stomach lurches at the memory of Pixie Bob laying on the ground. He starts ranting about Stain again but the voice in charge interrupts him.

"You also like whining, don't you?

Dabi, remove his bindings. The little one, too."

"What? He's going to go ballistic, you know?"

"It's okay. We have to treat him like an equal. We're scouting him after all!" I can almost hear a smile in the voice.

"Besides, he should be able to tell from the current situation that... he has no possibility of winning if he goes off here, right?"

The other voice, Dabi, speaks up. "Twice, free them."

"What? Me?! No thanks!"

Footsteps begin, falling to a stop at my right. Listening closely, I hear buckles being undone.

Another voice speaks up to apologize, to explain their actions.

More footsteps, they move closer. Someone leans over me and I flinch before the ropes finally loosen from around my hands.

"Heroes... we're all shackled by them. You too, you should underst-"

BOOM.

Jumping from my seat at the explosion, panic and confusion riddle through me. I tug the cloth from around my eyes and it takes a moment for my vision to adjust.

"We stayed quiet and listened to you blabbering on and on...!" I turn to see Bakugou on his knees and let out a quiet breath, relieved to see him.

"Idiots don't know how to summarize things so they go on forever. Basically, 'We want to make people hate us, so join us please!' right?!"

A man in all black, Twice, calls for the scrawny man from the USJ attack. "Shigaraki...!"

Bakugou's familiar snarl rises up. "It's pointless... I've been won over by the way All Might looks when he wins. You all can say what you want, but... nothing can change my mind about that."

On the tv, the principal's voice rings out clear as day.

"We will absolutely get our students back."

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Honestly, for this part, I just chose which part would offer the reader possible growth. I hope you guys are good with what I wrote! Thank you for reading!!