Chapter Text
When the Ultimate Imposter fell into despair it was unfortunately quick. This was most likely since they never had a definite personality in the first place, so it was easy to manipulate the student into giving up.
Then, there was Junko Enoshima, who egged him on, who kindly reminded him everyday of his worthlessness, that he should just give in, to remember that he never have and never will have his own identity. It’s not like it was hard to tell him these things, as he had already believed them in the first place.
It was the fact that Junko picked at his weakness, pulling his strings like a puppet until he collapsed into her pristine hands. Now, the imposter had tried to change his ways, he had tried to be his own self, but it was had always failed. After all, being an Ultimate had its’ negatives, and it was that he couldn’t escape his 'talent', he couldn’t do anything else but go with society and pretend to be someone he’s not, but then again, he doesn't even know who he is in the first place. He never even had a true name for god's sake.
His classmates saw him as the quiet, kind kid who paid more attention to food and anime than he did to the rest of the world. But he was never just that. He was always so much more than that, but no one cared to figure it out. Except for the younger student with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes that everyone found themselves hypnotized in.
Junko cared. Junko wanted the boy to know what he could be. Junko loved all of her subjects and wanted them to be despairfully happy. So that meant seeking them out and analyzing all their behavior, only to manipulate them into her own.
Looking back on it, the Imposter wondered how Junko had gotten around his deep care for others and wanting to help everyone, he had never wanted to hurt others, most of the people for he impersonated was for the sake of that person, so they could live out their dream for example. Maybe it was because someone actually saw him as a real person, saw him as his true self, or maybe it was just because he was sick of lying to himself.
“You’re nothing, but you know that don’t you sweetie?” The hopeless girl spat one time while with him, “you don’t exist! Come with me to despair and live out your dream, be somebody for once!”
“There are people I need to care for. To help you destroy the world would simply contradict my morals.” He told her, standing tall.
“Oh come on, you will be helping people! You’ll be helping me, and all the absolutely despair ridden people of the world. I may be the Ultimate Despair but that doesn’t mean I’m the only one full of despair now does it? I promise you, by doing this you’ll be saving the world.” Her ominous grin crept onto her face, filling the room with an uneasy feeling, “The world can be saved of hope! You can be saved! I can give you an identity, I can make you somebody worth living.”
“I don’t need this, unfortunately I discovered how to get through life a long time ago. Why would I change now?”
Enoshima proved to be persistent, constantly promising him that he’d be changing the world, making it a better place, even if it meant destroying it first, that he could be someone he likes if only he took her side.
“With my help, you could become the savior to the despair-filled! You'd be doing the world a favor, you would be a hero with recognition, praise, and a permanent identity. Not only could you help people, but you would finally be the one to gain too! Don't you think you deserve that much?”
To put it bluntly, Junko introduced him to a new light, she showed him that he didn’t have to go with what he was supposed to be, she showed him that he could be his own person for once in his life, that he could make his own identity. He just needed to trust her.
So he did, the Imposter slowly and surely gave up after the relentless comments she’d make to him every day and eventually believed her and her promises. He took her devilish hand and went with it. The minute he did, it was felt as if a cool wave washed over him, it washed over him quickly and it felt as if he was at peace, the he had reached a prime time in his life. The the boy could finally do something right in his life, for the greater good.
The only time he looked back to hope was when the real Ryota Mitarai looked at him with tears in his eyes, begging him to trust the scrawny boy, to realize Junko was a monster, and for a split second the newly despair entranced man felt a small desire to reach out for Mitarai, but the despair consumed him before he could think again, and he fell twice as hard.