"You need to practice with your quirk. See what you can do." Dabi was sitting on a chair as he watched Satoko intently. "You can try it on the other league members and see what happens."
"Uh. How?" Satoko frowned. "I can only fight physically."
She really didn't understand what he expected from her.
Dabi groaned. "Just order Shigaraki around or something. See if anything happens."
Shigaraki's head shot up. He was resting on the couch when he heard his name. "I never agreed to this!"
"Deal with it. You're the one who wanted her this time," Dabi pointed out.
One of Shigaraki's eyes twitched. "You wanted her too, so don't act like it was just me."
"I doubt it's a quirk that controls people." She denied as she ignored their statements. "Not everyone listens to me. In my experience, people only listened when they felt threatened from my strength."
If this was the case, then her dad would have listened to her when she asked him to stop. Her mom would have listened to her too. The mere image of his fists pounding down upon her crossed her mind.
"This must be a joke..." She had her voice lowered with that last remark.
"Just try it," he insisted. "If it doesn't work, then it doesn't work. But if it does...we have something to gain from it."
He almost cringed at how much that first part sounded like his father. Always saying 'just try it' when he was a child as if he would take no for an answer. But it was fine if Dabi did it, right? Because Dabi had been treated badly his entire life. Clearly, he would have no choice but to act out on anger.
In the deepest depths of his mind, he knew that he was wrong in thinking that. It wasn't easy to accept though. So he wouldn't.
"Ugh." She complained. She suspects they would be faking it, but...
How would that make any sense? These felons just do whatever she wants?
Well, it's worth a shot. These people are just insane anyways.
Shigaraki seems to be a scary person. She doubts he would easily listen. Despite how bad these people are, she doesn't want to ask them to hurt themselves.
That would be messed up even though they are bad people.
"Face the wall." She ordered in dull tone. Thinking she has proven her point, Shigaraki didn't move. "Ya see? Nothing."
There was a little disappointment in her tone.
But little does she know, she doesn't know how to control her quirk. It doesn't just work at whim.
Shigaraki looked towards Dabi. "Well? Why isn't it working now?!"
Dabi shrugged. "I dunno. How should I? Maybe she needs to be in a scarier situation."
Shigaraki stood up and approached Satoko. He looked back at Dabi before doing anything. "Why aren't you the one she tests it on?"
"She likes me better than she likes you. Now be quiet and do your job." Dabi looked rather proud to say that.
"I don't like you!" Satoko hissed, looking towards Dabi. But she doesn't even know if she was even telling the truth. That even felt weird saying that. "I mean..."
She stopped herself from apologizing. Why should she anyway?
Then, she just had noticed Shigaraki approaching her. She started getting that chill down her spine.
She knows about his quirk from the last time. Just his presence alone was creeping her out. One wrong move of hers could decay her own flesh.
"Stay away!" She yelled with a tough expression. But that didn't stop him from moving.
Ordering someone? That's laughable.
She started to pant from her pent up anxiety. There was something else she was holding onto.
That little belief that Dabi was actually right about her.
"GET BACK FACING THE WALL, NOW!" She shrieked as she was moving her leg in case she does have to kick him.
Shigaraki turned. He looked unbalanced for a second before quickly regaining his balance. He started to walk towards the wall and then stopped. The entire time, he was eerily silent.
Dabi looked pleased. "Nice. It's kinda funny to see him listening to orders for once."
Toga started to clap. "Now make him bleed next!!" But everyone ignored her weird exclamation.
Satoko stood in shock. She was putting pieces together of the others times this had happened. "That...."
In a hesitated state, she crept towards Shigaraki to see if it's actually legit.
She waved her hand near him. He didn't move. He seriously acted like she wasn't there.
Inevitably, he would have struck her. It was like he was a zombie.
She moved quickly away, and stood next to Dabi. She had a hard time processing it all.
"I...did that?" She asked, pointing towards Shigaraki in disbelief while looking at Dabi. For a split moment, there was an actual smile on her face. Was she actually feeling a positive emotion from this?
Dabi had never seen her smile like that before. He kept his smile as well. "You should've listened to me. It was obvious from the start. Now see how long you can keep that up."
Dabi, the notorious villain, was watching over her training almost like a mentor. In a strange way...he almost felt proud.
She realized she was grinning and stopped. Trying to mask it as if it were a bad thing. Putting two and two together, she realized the time Shigaraki backed off.
The other time when Dabi left her too.
The fact that Shigaraki was still standing there, she doesn't know how long her quirk effect lasts for.
"Umm... How long did he stay zoned out like that last time?" She pondered. Usually, she isn't one to ask questions like this. But this is so foreign to her, she can't grasp it. "How do I keep it up? I don't know how this works."
It was like she can't tell whether she was concentrating or not.
Toga was about to say something, but Dabi spoke over her. Getting advice from Toga would be getting nowhere.
"He snapped out of it when you left," Dabi explained. "It's probably the same case now. When you leave or the task is complete, he comes back to his senses."
"Huh..." Satoko pondered for a bit. She felt a little bad keeping him that way. "I wonder if I could just-"
She doesn't feel like ordering someone would snap them out of it. Perhaps, concentration would do it.
She focused on him, putting her feeling into that the task was complete. It took a bit, but it got Shigaraki to return to his senses.
Shigaraki turned around quickly. He growled loudly. "Again?! You brat-"
Dabi stepped in between Shigaraki and Satoko. "Let's let her do her thing. She might be more important to the league than you are, anyway."
Shigaraki sighed. "I would decay you right now if it wasn't for the fact that I need you."
Dabi spun on his heels to face Satoko again while talking to Shigaraki over his shoulder. "And I would cremate you. Guess we'll never get what we want."
Satoko was a little surprised that Dabi would defend her. (No... Remember... They may need me now, but they can always get rid of me too.)
She wants to take advantage of learning her quirk a bit more.
"Brat?" She scoffed. "I'm an adult just like you are."
"Let's face it, Tomura." Toga chimed. "You need her too! What would you do without us?"
Shigaraki looked agitated, but he didn't seem to want to attack anyone. "Whatever. Do whatever you want. It's not like I care. As long as I take down hero society, I'm a happy camper."
With that, he left the room.
As he did so, another villain walked in. "What's goin' on now?"
"Perfect." Dabi nodded his head towards Twice. "Try it on him."
"Tomura!! Watch what you've been missing out on." Toga giggled.
"Alright." Satoko nodded. Practice does make perfect. It seems her quirk works on emotions.
She just has to think about something awful. The mere blurry image of her dad's face appeared. No. That won't work.
Something about her parents didn't make her quirk trigger the first time.
She thought about the people who killed her trust. The fear of abandonment.
"Don't move a muscle!" Satoko demanded Twice.
"Stop messing with me before I kill you," Twice stated. His voice sounded a lot more intimidating than before.
"Interesting..." Dabi commented. "You only made one of them be quiet."
Twice's cheery personality was what they were all used to. That was the side of him that usually made any decisions. The more aggressive side was the side that usually didn't cause any actual trouble, and typically got ignored.
Something about that made Satoko's throat hurt just a little, but she asked. "One of them?"
"He has two different personalities!" Toga exclaimed as if she was being entertained.
Twice wasn't moving, but he was still speaking and almost twitching. (I need to get him to be quiet...!) Satoko took on that challenge and concentrated more. "Shut your mouth!"
Finally, he went completely silent. Dabi didn't say anything else yet. He just watched Satoko to see what she would do next.
The burning in her throat was worsening a little. It kind of felt like Twice was internally fighting her still. "Go to sleep!!"
She watched Twice fall unto the ground. He was definitely passed out and snoring.
She touched her throat being so sore. Come to think of it, she's had this happen to her a lot.
She can't remember the other times, but she's been definitely using her quirk over the span of years.
"That makes sense to why I lost my voice the last time..." Satoko looked at Dabi a bit. Using it on him must have been hard for her quirk. It depends on the person she guesses. She started coughing a little bit from the sore throat.
"Then we must make sure her voice stays healthy so she can work for us."
Dabi turned his head towards the doorway, but didn't see anyone. He narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing?"
Shigaraki stuck his head over the corner. "I'm spying, of course! I am a villain after all!" He entered the room entirely. "Dabi. You go get some stuff for her throat. Steal some tea or something. I don't care. As long as it keeps her useful to us."
(I guess they don't have money either.) Satoko pondered. Come to think of it, she would steal too...
She feels guilty every time for doing so, but she had to in order to survive.
Toga started giggling. "Look whose taking orders now."
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