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“Wakey, wakey.”
Midoriya woke gradually, his mind groggy. His head pounded and his body seemed to ache from the inside out. He opened his heavy eyelids only to be met with a bright light. Wincing, he immediately closed them.
“Oh, too bright. Here.” Midoriya heard footsteps, then the lights coming through his close lids dimmed, “There you go, better?”
Midoriya opened his eyes again, the dimmed lights bringing a welcomed relief to his tired eyes. He let his vision focus, but upon clearing he noticed that he was not in the comfort of his dorms. The walls around him were made of brick and there were zero windows, very reminiscent of a basement. He was lying and tucked into what felt like the world's most comfortable bed. It was reclined, which allowed him to be upright to scan his surroundings.
Still delirious he did not think much of his situation. But it was the strange woman dressed in business casual attire who appeared next to him that shocked him out of his stupor.
“Morning.” She waved, smiling brightly.
“What!” He tried to flee but something tugged violently on his wrists and ankle, pulling him back down onto the bedding.
He looked at his wrist and noticed that high-grade quirk-suppressing cuffs were wrapped around them, each connected to the railings of the bed.
“Careful there or you’ll hurt yourself.” The young woman uttered, moving to pet his green hair. Midoriya briskly moved his head away.
“Don’t you even dare.” Midoriya hissed. He continued to tug, using all his might to rip the cuff out of his body. Whoever this woman was, was certainly dangerous. All he could sense was malice.
“Okay,” The woman backed away and sat on a sofa placed next to his bed, “Whatever you say.”
Midoriya had enough of this woman’s act. He pulled once again, the cuffs beginning to rasp onto the skin of his wrists. He gritted his teeth, it hurt, but he continued to pull and pull, every effort reddening his skin and sending painful stabs down his hands. But no matter what he did, the cuffs did not budge.
Midoriya laid back down, defeated. Whilst panting he spoke, his question directed at the woman staring at him, “Who the hell are you? What do you want from me?”
“Oh, so you’re ready to talk. Glad you got your tantrum out.” The woman explained, crossing her legs, and looking at him, analytically, “Well, Midoriya, considering your wide knowledge of not just heroes but villains as well, you may recognize me. My villain name, as you may know, is Serenity. As to where you are, let’s just say it’s my special lair where I do most of my…experiments.”
Midoriya’s eyes widened.
Serenity, he has indeed heard that name before. She is a young villain who recently made herself known after her iconic fight with Hawks. He analyzed that fight to its detail; he picked out all the amazing quirk abilities from both Hawks and Serenity and recorded them in his analysis book. So of course, he knows who she is. But she was eventually defeated by the hero and was sent to Tartarus. So, why was she here? How is she not locked up?
Upon realizing this, he looked at the villain, stunned, “No, you can’t be her. You were defeated by Hawks. How are you here?!”
Serenity chuckled, “Well, do you know what my quirk is? I’m sure you do.”
Midoriya thought hard, recalling what he had written in his notebook. It’s been a while, so it was hard to remember the details, but he did recall having a special interest in her quirk because of its mental nature…wait, mental?
That is when it clicked.
“A mind control quirk…”
Serenity applauded, “That is correct! Oh, you’re so smart! So yeah, it was my quirk that allowed me to ‘escape’. Well, I was never locked up in the first place, I used that hero to hide my retreat. Without Hawks knowing, I used my quirk on him to make it seem like he won the fight. I then had him fly me away while at the same time making it seem like he was sending me to Tartarus, with me all defeated and everything. Better enough I used my quirk to convince the media and the police that I was indeed locked up. It worked great!”
Midoriya listened, completely appalled, this entire time Serenity ran away from that fight, and nobody knew about it. This was bad. He was in big trouble, not because of her presence but because of what she can do.
Serenity’s quirk isn’t a simple mind control quirk, it has an activation system that is nearly impossible to avoid—voice activation. Essentially, anyone who hears her voice, either in person or through communication channels, is put under her control. Similar, to a siren’s singing.
Knowing the dangers of this woman and considering his precarious situation. Midoriya knew he had to get out. Who knows what she’s planning? He’d rather not stay and find out.
He pulled on his restraints, ignoring the searing pain from his tender skin. He screamed, using all his willpower to break out and escape.
“Come on, Midoriya.”
Suddenly, he felt himself relax. No, she was using her quirk, he had to resist.
“Just relax. It’ll be better if you do.”
Another jolt of relaxation spread. Midoriya ignored it and continued to pull against his restraints. But his movements began to feel slow and sluggish.
“What do you want with me?” Midoriya struggled to voice his words as he continued to fight against her hypnotic pull.
“I want you, Midoriya. Your quirk is quite alluring. I want you to fight alongside me.”
Midoriya could not believe what he was hearing. Like he’ll ever let that happen, “Not in your wildest dreams.” He growled.
“It’s not like you have a choice. You can continue fighting, but eventually, I will have you.” Serenity explained, “Now, listen carefully to everything I have to say.”
“No!” But Midoriya was suddenly compelled to listen as if an invisible thread was pulling him in toward her voice.
But he continued to resist, to fight.
“I want you to relax and let my words flow through your mind.”
“No, I will not! I will not—”
“No, no, no…be quiet.”
His mind clouded over as her words effortlessly began to coax his mind.
“There you go, that is the expression I love to see.” Serenity said, noticing Midoriya’s expression moving into a neutral state.
“No…” Midoriya blinked and shook his head, struggling to keep his thoughts intact, “I won’t…let you.”
Midoriya weakly tugged at his cuffs, the metals banging together.
“I can see you're struggling, Midoriya. Struggling to fight. I know deep inside you crave relief. You crave for relaxation. So, relax and let go.”
“No…” He weakly muttered, continuing to pull weakly even as his limbs began to feel like lead.
“You want to have your choices taken away. You long to not have decisions. You desire to not fight anymore. Right, Midoriya?”
Midoriya was getting tired, his thoughts slowing. His mind was feeling hazy and clouded. His body felt like it was floating as if he were traveling on a soft cloud.
He stared ahead, his gaze unseeing and his mouth slightly agape as his mind went completely numb.
“I…don’t…” He whispered, using the strength, he could muster to resist her…but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
“But you do. I can see it in your eyes. Oh, if only you could see how wonderfully glassy and dazed your eyes look right now.”
Midoriya blinked slowly. Continuing to stare ahead. His fighting seizing as he continued to listen.
“I’m sure you love listening to my voice.” Serenity stood up and began passing, her steps slow and meticulous, “It’s nice, right? After all, it provides what you want. So, just listen and relax.”
“Ngh…” Midoriya’s resistance was diminishing, the strength of her words pulling him deeper into her spell.
“Oh, don’t struggle.” Serenity approached him and ran her hands through his green waves, “Just give in. It feels good to have your will to fight taken away, your ability to think stripped away. Right?”
It did, but Midoriya had to fight. He had to. If he gave in, it’ll be all over. But it was becoming so exhausting. Every time he fought, he just got pulled deeper into her words, his mind becoming blank and her words filling the void where his thoughts once sat.
“Come on, Midoriya. I know you’re getting tired. Sooner or later that resistance of yours will slip away. So, just fall. Fall into my words.”
“I…will…not…” Midoriya whispered, his mouth feeling as if it was filled with cotton.
“What was that? I can’t hear you with you being so out of it.”
“I…won’t…” But Midoriya could not utter his words. It was too hard to think. Talking took too much effort.
“Hard to speak I see. I’m sure it’s exhausting. How about you let that go and let me do the thinking and talking for you.”
The words sent yet another wave of pure relaxation. He slipped further, his mind traveling further into the abyss of nothingness.
“I will reward you with endless relaxation and bliss if you do one thing and that is obey.”
Midoriya’s consciousness was slipping. The grasp of his will failing.
“Obey and you’ll receive what you desire.”
Midoriya couldn’t hold on, eventually, he gave in, letting his resistance shatter as her words embraced his entranced mind.
Serenity smiled, “That’s right. Continue to listen closely as you fall under my spell, as my words ensnare your tired mind.”
Midoriya stared mindlessly, his eyes half-lidded. His thoughts nonexistent.
“Now, I want you to respond to my questions…will you follow my every command?’
“Yes,” Midoriya whispered.
“Will you fight alongside me and forget the hero you once were?”
“Yes,” Midoriya replied without hesitation.
Serenity grinned, “Good. Such an obedient and docile pet you are. Now, close those tired eyelids of yours.”
Midoriya did as he was told and closed his eyes, the relief sending another wave of heavenly relaxation.
“Go all the way under. Fall deep into a trance. Let all the resistance fade and let obedience towards me flow. Let all mental barriers fall and become open to my words. And only mine.”
Serenity paused as he gazed at the motionless teenager, “You are no longer Izuku Midoriya or the hero ‘Deku’. You are my sidekick, my pet. Your mind is mine to control.”
Serenity walked toward a desk and grabbed a metal helmet, “So surrender and submit. Fall deeper and sleep.” She uttered as she snuggly fitted the device onto his head.
The device began to hum, “Now, this will complete my work.”
The villain gazed at the helmet and Midoriya’s lax face in glee. He captured quite the specimen. He can’t wait to see all the missions he wins for her. Content she headed for the door and turned off the lights, “Sleep well, tomorrow we’ll begin our fun.”
The door closed, letting Midoriya rest, completely ensnared in her control. His mind gone and his will reduced to ash, the helmet reducing him to a shell of nothingness.
All hopes of escape vanished. He was trapped, his mind trapped in a cage. He had nowhere to go…he had lost. The hero he once knew. The hero he once was, gone.
Midoriya slept as he slipped away, Deku and his memories becoming a figment of his imagination.