Shinsou X Neko Reader

Part 7-The Real Fight

          With the intermission over, it was time for the next contest to be announced. No surprise, it was one-on-one battles. What would the sports fest be like without them? You were trying not to think about what Shinsou had said. He didn't know that it was you who had the cat quirk. But he had complimented your quirk, or at least not made fun of it like he had done with your classmates. But... earlier he had said he did not like cats. You had a million questions. Was he lying? What was his quirk? Did he like cats? Does he not like cats but think a cat quirk is useful?  Why would he lie about something like that? Or did you just misinterpret? Huh?

            You had learned from Denki that you had done a really good job during the Cavalry Battle, rushing around, slashing anyone that came close to your team with your claws. You just wish you could remember it. During the intermission, you watched the replays of you fighting the other teams. It was unreal. It was a video of you, yet you had no recollection of any of the events that had happened. So uncanny. It was almost as if you were being told what to do. Or being controlled. Was that his quirk? You studied Ojiro and Yuga on the screen as well, emotionless as Hitoshi told them what to do and they did it without comment. How did you get taken control of? How was he able to control four people all at once? It was almost as if he had hypnotized or even brainwashed the three of you. 

              You talked to Ojiro and Yuga about what had happened, and Ojiro dropped out of the tournament, saying that it was unfair that he won when he was not the one who chose his actions, honorably dropping out for moral purposes. For some reason, the other two had been aware of what was going on when Hitoshi used his quirk on them, but you were not. Perhaps it was, like many things, because you were part cat.

          Quit thinking about Hitoshi. Why are you obsessing over him?  You beat yourself up mentally, realizing how long you had been lingering on the thoughts. You were in the final game! You should instead be focusing on your strategy for winning the one-on-one battles. You knew your quirk was best for stealth, and hand-to-hand combat was not your forte. Pretty much no matter who you went against, you would fail. Except perhaps Sero, because you could tear through his tape with your claws. Maybe you should just forfeit with honor, like Ojiro, than make a fool of yourself on national television. You sigh. You had already proven you were one of the best students at U.A. by coming this far. Why bother doing more when you know you would fail?

---

          You walk to the bottom steps of the fighting area. Denki had convinced you to try even if you knew you could not win. "Hey, you have to put on a show for your fans, right?" He even reminded you of how you looked so fierce on the cameras somehow at the last battle, the footage trending. Maybe you could do this. You take a deep breath and step up to the rink, exhaling the breath you hadn't realized you were holding in. 

           The audience applauds, thousands upon thousands of people cheering for you. You feel overwhelmed. You did not have time to figure out who your opponent was, because you had spent too much time thinking about Hitoshi Shinsou and his quirk. Was that why he didn't want you to know his quirk? It seemed evil to brainwash people. That makes sense. If you had a quirk like that, wouldn't you want to keep it a secret?

              Your opponent steps up too. It is none other than the lilac-haired teen himself. You could have smacked your palm against your forehead. Great. You had to fight him? "Hitoshi Shinsou VERSUS Y/N!!!! GIVE THEM A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE EverYBODYYYYYYYY!!!" You glance up at the announcer's booth. Aizawa gives you a thumbs-up with his undamaged arm. Or was he giving Hitoshi a thumbs-up? Or both of you? Or-

              Hitoshi tackles you, trying to push you out of the ring and knock you off-guard. You don't know how his quirk works, so you decide to take the precautions of not speaking to him, not looking at his eyes, and not using your quirk, taking no chances. You were surprised by the suddenness of his movement; he was not playing around at the festival. "Sorry, you're not the only one who has something to prove here!"

              He has gotten much stronger than at the beginning of the school year. Where he used to be skin and bones, there is now muscle. You were practically defenseless without your quirk, and it was a struggle to hold your own against him, basically a losing wrestling match to those in the stands. "Don't you have anything to say to me? This battle will be pretty boring if you don't use your quirk or talk. You don't want to disappoint the spectators, do you?" You try to push against him, but it is no use. He's way stronger than you, and you realize you're out of your league quirkless, and he pushes you pretty close to the edge of the ring. 

              You duck under his arm swiftly and kick him in the back, hoping he would fall. You hate doing it, but you know he will be fine with a trip to Recovery Girl. Besides, what would his victory be like without a fight? He stumbles back, and, realizing that he is on the edge of the concrete slab, takes a few steps forward. He looks into your eyes. You wait for a fearful moment, and realize that touch must not be how his quirk activates. The two of you exchange blows, both with fists and feet. He kicks one of your legs, making you lose your balance and fall. You grab his shirt around the chest area, and make sure to take him down with you. You try and roll so that your back doesn't hit the concrete when you fall, but Hitoshi won't let you do that. So, instead, you stop yourself with one hand to cushion the blow. Hitoshi lands on top of you, his body covering yours. His head unfortunately lands on your chest, and his hand is on your rear. You both blush, and he scrambles away from you with hands in the air to respect your boundaries, despite the fight.

             "OoOOOohHHH ladies and gentLEEEmeHN! What have we got here?? Looks like things are about to heat uppppppp!" You hear some thumping sound, probably Eraserhead slapping Mic. "Ouh. Quit that! Anyways, one of you use your quirk or do somethingggggg at leasttt! Remember, this is a High School event that millions of people will watch. If you do anything interestingggg I'm sure-" Another thumping sound, and the mic goes quiet. Aizawa and Mic clash in the announcer's booth over who should narrate.

             Hitoshi gets off of you. You can tell he is much stronger than you, and you don't have many options. You decide to not use your quirk, even if you use it just a little bit, he might be able to use it against you. You think about turning your fingernails on your right hand into claws, but that may let him take over. Instead, you try to use your natural catlike agility and speed to punch Shinsou before he can stop you. It does not work, so you use your claws. You drive him back right next to the edge. "Any last words, Hitoshi?" You grin, knowing the outcome of the game is clear. 

               He glances down nervously at the ground behind him, just a few steps from losing. "Uh, let me win, please?" He says in a pleading tone, filled with more hope than you would think appropriate for his situation. 

           You laugh back at him. "As if-!" A calm sensation envelops you, as you drop the collar of his shirt, leaving him to fall off the edge.

            "Catch me!" he yelps, shutting his eyes. You are sad to lose, but the peacefulness that fills you is worth it. 

              "Gladly."You feel your arms quickly react with their cat-like reflexes, saving him before your mind is totally lost.

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