Shadow Puppeteer

Part 48

Ah? Don't fuck with me, shitty Deku! He steps threateningly towards Izuku, and the kid trembles but doesn't cower. He's brave, Midoriya Izuku. Brave as always. Worthy of every gram of admiration I feel in my bones. I don't want them to hurt him. Something comes over me, freezing calmness clearing my mind, and I suddenly know what to do. My eyes lock onto the shadows of the three kids, dark and slim and murky under the shining sun- and I pull. They stumble. "O-Ohi!" Inaba falls to the ground, letting out a startled yell. Bakugou manages to remain standing, but he looks disoriented and enraged. "Who is there?!" He yells, small blasts popping off in his hands. "Come out, you bastard! I'll blow you up!" I feel intoxicated. Seeing Bakugou Katsuki tripping over his own feet under the attack of an invisible enemy, something he can't fight like he usually does, something he can't hurt, makes a vindictive exhilaration bloom in my chest. I grab onto their shadows and pull harder. They trip. Tsubasa stumbles and almost falls, her eyes wide with fear. "W-what's going on?" she stammers. Bakugou spins around, trying to locate the source of the attacks, but I'm careful to stay hidden. Inaba scrambles to his feet, backing away from me. "I-I don't like this," he says, his voice shaking. I continue to manipulate their shadows, using my newfound power to control their movements. Bakugou tries to charge at Izuku, but his feet seem to have a mind of their own, tangling in a way that sends him stumbling to the ground. Tsubasa tries to help him up, but her own shadow seems to be working against her, causing her to stumble. Holy shit, I think, I'm fucking Nara Shikamaru.