Yuji sat in a dimly lit room. His hands were bound behind him, and his legs were stuck to the chair. His head remained lulled by sleep. His eyes fluttered open as he yawned. The unfamiliar surroundings made him quickly run through the possibilities in his head about what was happening. The room wasn't large, and he could see little in the darkness except the pillars on either side of him. It reminded him of the execution room he had been in when Gojo had given him the choice to live for a while longer or die quickly. Did the higher-ups decide to do away with him and kidnap him in his sleep? "For someone facing an unexpected situation, you're surprisingly calm. Why is that?" Yuji's gaze was fixed on the pillar to the left and in front of him. A tall man with broad shoulders and a goatee stepped into the little light that was in the room. For some reason, he wore sunglasses despite the room's pitch-blackness. Yuji didn't answer; it seemed more rhetorical than genuine. "Yuji Itadori. We meet at last. I was supposed to evaluate you before, but I was unaware of your enrollment." Yuji stared blankly. "Do I know you?" The man adjusted his sunglasses. "I am the principal of this school. You can call me Yaga. Back on topic. I can't simply allow you to enroll. Satoru may have believed in you for some odd reason and fought the higher-ups to delay your execution, but I am not so optimistic. So, Itadori, what is it you want to achieve at Jujutsu High?" From the shadows, soft footsteps grew closer. A seemingly stuffed animal walked up beside the principal. It was a medium-sized, round doll with a dog/bear face and a kappa-like head top. Yaga placed his hand on its head. "This is Cathy. A cursed doll, part of my technique. I can infuse dolls I create with cursed energy cores; this process brings them to life." Cathy stepped forward, making a weird, almost laughing noise.
The ropes binding Itadori broke as he jumped out of the way of the doll's attack. It was fast. He barely reacted in time. The force of its blow shattered the chair. Just as his feet hit the ground, the doll was already upon him. The punch he received had launched him into one of the pillars of the room. The impact did little to hurt him, but by the time he'd caught his bearings, the doll rushed at him again. He jumped aside and lifted his leg. The doll ran into him and bounced back. Yuji used the moment to gather his thoughts. There wasn't much he could do; the doll was faster than him in this enclosed space, but it didn't do much damage. He could defend against it with the right timing, but he could barely see in this room as it was. Cathy leaped at him from behind; he could barely hear the footsteps, but didn't have the time to dodge. He was sent flying once again; his back hit a pillar. He thought about breaking down all the pillars and sending the room crashing down, but the problem was that this was a school building. Dealing with the doll is annoying. It doesn't do damage, but by the time he recovers from hitting a pillar, it is on him already and slamming him into the next. Yaga stood in the center of the room with his arms behind his back. He watched without giving away whatever he was thinking. Truth be told, he was a bit disappointed. Gojo fought hard to get this kid into the school and to spend more time with him, but he wasn't even using cursed energy. "Tell me, Itadori. What is your motivation for wanting to be a sorcerer?
Yuji didn't have much time to respond. He crossed his arms to block the next kick. The longer this game of cat and mouse went on, the more he could feel the cursed energy inside him becoming easier to sense. This energy was the same kind that let him feel that rush back at his old school. His pupils dilated; he felt annoyance rush in. The negative energy, letting in his negative emotions along with the thrill it brought, only increased his energy further. Next time Cathy jumped at him, he was ready. A blue flame coated his fist as it buried in the doll's body. He looked down at his hand. "Amazing." Finally, with his cursed energy activated, he turned to Principal Yaga. "My reason for becoming a sorcerer? I want to chase this thrill. Get stronger so I'll never return to my lonely existence." Yaga's interest piqued. He was satisfied. At least the boy was in it for himself. "Remember, Yuji, the only person who matters in this line of work is yourself. But that doesn't mean you should abandon your comrades." A shadow bound from the darkness and slammed into Yuji. He grunted as he was sent flying into the wall. The air left his lungs for a moment. Cathy was bouncing. It curled up and launched at him. He barely dodged and punched it. Brushing the wall, it used the contact to turn and collide with Yuji's punch. The doll spun faster to fight back against Yuji's attack. It was still knocked away but bounced off the wall and came barreling at him again. He was getting tired of this. He was hit again, and though he braced himself, his feet left the ground, and he felt weightlessness. He expected impact, but found that his descent was slow. Yaga snapped his fingers, and the candles in the room came on. Cathy retreated back to Yaga's side; the dent in its stomach from Yuji's earlier punch hadn't buffed out, and there was a small tear. To think a new sorcerer without any real training was strong enough to hurt Cathy like that. "What are you doing?" Yaga approached the younger sorcerer. "How are you floating like that? Do you have a cursed technique I wasn't aware of?" Yuji looked up at him and blinked. He fell to the ground now, the rush of cursed energy draining away now that the battle was over. He pushed himself up, his emotions fading with the energy. "No." One word. Simple. The two stared at each other for a moment before the door opened. Gojo wrapped his arms around Yuji's head and held it against his chest. He glared at Yaga. "Why'd you kidnap Yuji-kun?" Yaga sighed. He removed his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. He waved them off. "He's free to go for now." Gojo hoisted Yuji over his shoulder and met no protest from the teen. Yaga turned away. "And Gojo. He used a technique. Teach him to control it." Gojo put up a peace sign as the door closed between them. Yaga sighed. "That brat is going to be the death of me."