Authors note:
Speaking: "…"
Thinking: '…'
________
5 Months Earlier
??? POV
"Boy, you're up! You're gonna ensure our win!" a large bald man yelled at the white-haired teen, who had no shred of emotion in his eyes, just a tool to be used by those with the money for it. The boy nodded, his eyes still lifeless.
"Alright, guys, let's go! Today's haul is gonna be real good!" the same man shouted to the other five men standing in the alleyway. One had the head of a bull, another had burning hair, two looked identical with lizard-like bodies, and the last one appeared normal but was playing with electricity on his fingers. They were all armed with at least one gun.
"Yeah!" they all yelled together before putting on ski masks and running out of the alley. Storming the street, they eventually broke into a jewelry shop, threatening the staff and customers inside.
"You there, give us all the valuable jewelry and gems! And don't even think about calling the heroes," the bald man threatened the cashier, prompting him to start collecting everything the criminals demanded.
But their plans were cut short when patrolling heroes arrived just as they were about to leave the building with their loot.
"Stop there, evildoers! I am Captain Justice, and I'll defeat you!" a man in a blue skintight bodysuit yelled.
Unimpressed, the thugs opened fire on him, but their bullets bounced off a blue holographic shield.
"Kid, use your quirk so we can beat this weirdo!" the leader complained when their attack failed, but the boy didn't move. He just stood there, lifeless.
"What are you waiting for, kid? Use your power on him, that's an official order!" the leader shouted while engaging in close combat with the hero.
At that moment, White's previously gray eyes lit up a bright pink, and a padlock mark glowed on his right palm. He crouched down and touched the ground.
"Entropic Field," he said in an almost robotic voice as a white sphere formed around him, encompassing all the criminals and the hero.
Now resuming the fight, the criminals shot at the hero again, and this time the barrier appeared in the wrong spot, allowing the bullets to strike him directly.
"That's what I'm talking about! If they can't get their quirks to work right, these pros are just fodder," the flame-haired thug remarked.
After dispatching the hero, they quickly fled the scene, escaping into the night. They ran for a while before arriving at their destination, the black market. After wandering a bit, they entered a slave trader's den and headed to a familiar room marked "Boss."
"If it isn't my favorite group of customers! So, did the haul go well? I hope White didn't disobey you," a man with long black hair and red eyes asked jokingly, gesturing for them to sit on the couches.
"Nah, it's not like he could with your quirk active. The haul went great again. Gotta say, that kid's quirk is real handy," the bald man replied, while the white-haired boy stood behind the slave trader, still emotionless.
The leader of the criminals motioned to his comrades, who dropped a bag of stolen jewelry on the table.
"That should cover the cost. If there's any extra, think of it as a tip," the bald man said.
"Always a pleasure doing business with you. Same time next week?" the red-eyed man asked, looking through the jewels.
"Sure, we'll be there. See ya," the bald man said before leaving the room with his companions.
The boss turned to White with a wicked grin.
"Oh, how lucky I was to find you back then. Quantum Shift is a really good power to have at my disposal. But I guess that's only true for me. After all, you're just my slave, forced to do whatever I command. Now, go back to your cell and wait until our next customer comes!"
Without hesitation, the boy obeyed, like a machine following orders. He left the room and walked into a side room with a cage meant for animals. Opening the door, he stepped inside and sat down, lifeless.
This was a normal occurrence in the boy's life. He would be rented out to turn the tide of battles in others' favor. Disobedience wasn't an option, he was under the slave seal of the boss, a quirk that allowed total control over another person as long as the mark was on their body.
White couldn't even remember the last time he wasn't being controlled or used. He couldn't recall his own name or past. "White" was just a code name the boss gave him to make things easier.
____________________
A Week Later
The same group that had rented him before was at it again, this time robbing a bank. Things were looking great for them once more. The hero had failed to stop them with Whites's quirk active, and they left the bank with all the money they could hope for.
"Ahaha, this is way too easy! The heroes are nothing but fodder without their quirks," the one with the electricity quirk remarked while running away. They planned to make the same deal with the boss again, but little did they know that two individuals were currently having a chat with him.
As they reached the forest where the secret entrance to the black market was, they were laughing and enjoying themselves. But then they looked back and realized that White had stopped moving. His previously dull grey eyes now shone a beautiful blue. As he looked at his body and moved it of his own accord, a small smile appeared on his face. However, the moment didn't last long. The thugs quickly connected the dots and concluded that, if he could move freely and the mark on his hand was gone, the slave trader must have died.
"Kid, you know we've always been kind to you, right? You won't leave us, will you?" Greed gleamed in their eyes as they approached him.
Having never fought a battle in his life, White instinctively backed away until he hit a tree. But just as they were about to make a move, White snapped his fingers and started running. When they tried to chase him, they kept tripping over their own feet or running into random objects, as if fate itself was turning against them.
"The damn brat used his quirk on us! He'll pay for that," the bald man growled to his comrades, who were just as furious and ready to go all out.
For the next two days, it became a relentless chase. Eventually, Satoru's stamina gave out, and the group managed to surround him in an alleyway.
"You're gonna pay for making us look like fools, you hear that, kid?" the one with burning hair threatened.
Satoru had given up hope of ever escaping his fate. 'So this is how I'll die? Pathetic, lonely, after living my life as a slave.' Closing his eyes, he braced himself for the pain to come. But it never did.
Instead, he felt a warm touch on his shoulder.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself looking into a pair of emerald-green ones filled with concern.
"You alright? You look a bit distressed," a boy about the same age as him, with green hair, asked, offering his hand.
Hesitating, White looked around, but the thugs were nowhere to be seen.
"W-where are the men that were here just a moment ago?" he asked, confused.
"I'm not sure what you mean. When I got here, you were alone. There was no one else in this place," the green-haired boy told him.
"Oh... okay. Well, thanks, I guess," Satoru replied, taking the boy's hand and scratching the back of his neck.
"I'm Izuku Midoriya, by the way. Nice to meet you," Izuku said with a wide smile.
"Um, hi. I'm... ah..." he began, but then realized something, he couldn't remember his own name. "I'm sorry, but I can't remember my name," he admitted with a saddened expression.
"If you don't have one, how about I give you one?"
"Really? You'd do that?" White asked, storming toward Izuku and grabbing his hands in excitement. Realizing what he'd done, he quickly backed away.
"Then how about Satoru? I think it suits you," Izuku suggested.