《All For None》 Chapter 1: Hunted Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia! All rights are reserved for the rightful owners. Enjoy. NB: Reviews, comments (as well as constructive criticism) and ratings are accepted. CHAPTER 1: HUNTED ¡°You can¡¯t be a hero without a quirk.¡± Those words had hurt Izuku more than he thought it would. Even the number one hero; All Might; doubted that he could be a hero without a quirk. In a world where 80% of people inherited supernatural powers called ¡®quirks¡¯. Izuku Midoriya was unfortunately among the 20% that had no powers. Among the ordinary people, the quirkless. That didn¡¯t stop Izuku from dreaming of being a pro hero someday. Oh no, not at all. Afterall, his mother stopped encouraging him to be a hero, his best friend now turned bully mocks him for his unrealistic ideals, and several people had made fun of his quirkless state. All he wanted was for someone to tell him that he could be a hero. He wanted someone to believe in him. That wasn¡¯t too much to ask for, right? But now¡­All Might doesn¡¯t believe in him as well. If this was what everyone thinks of his goals, isn¡¯t it about time that he moved on to more realistic goals? Those thoughts conflicted Izuku¡¯s mind has he trekked down the path leading to his home. His mother must be worried about him by now. On his way, he was encountered by Bakugo. Someone he refers to as Kachan, a childhood name he had given to his former friend¡­More like Kachan ran to his direction. From the looks of things, the panting and huffing from Kachan shows that he had been running for a while. Bakugo¡¯s face was contorted to a frowning one. Teeth gritting together and almost emitting a snarl from his throat. ¡°Deku¡± Bakugo said in a low tone. Izuku flinched at the nick name rendered to him by someone he was called a friend. Useless: That was the meaning of his nickname. Its meaning so contradicting compared to the name that he gave Bakugo. ¡°Ka-Kachan?¡± Izuku questioned timidly with a shaky voice as he stared at the fierce red eyes of his ex-friend. ¡°Is-Is there something you need?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for your damn help nerd. I didn¡¯t need you to save me! Or anybody¡¯s!¡± That one was definitely a lie. Even Bakugou¡¯s face was tinted with a bit of red. Was he embarrassed? This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Bakugou took one last look at Deku. This quirkless bastard¡­Why? Why did he even bother to come to his rescue? After-After everything that he had done to him? ¡®Because you looked like someone who was in need of help.¡¯ Bakugo¡¯s mind flashed back to what Deku had told him. Despite his creasy hands trying desperately to pull off the slime from the sludge villain stuck on him, despite the fear clearly written on his face like the clear daylight¡­he smiled while trying to help him. Him! Bakugo felt¡­Lividly frustrated. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that makes me owe you anything!¡± He stormed out of the lone street they were standing in, refusing to look at the face of the damn nerd. Izuku looked on at Bakugo¡¯s form until he disappeared down the street. That felt weird, to say the least. Kachan had never actually come to tell him anything apart from jesting him of his future plans to be a hero. Izuku shook his head and continued to head down the street. He didn¡¯t head far until he encountered someone. And that someone was¡­ ¡°All might?!¡± ¡°I AM HERE¡­ENCOUNTERING YOU ONCE AGAIN YOUNG ONE!¡± The number one pro hero, clad in full glory said with vigor to Izuku. Only to deflate back to the thin form Izuku saw him earlier today. Now that makes it the second time of meeting All might. But what was he here for? To reprimand him for his actions lately? To discourage him further? He was too overwhelmed to think of all possibilities. ¡°There are three things that I came to tell you.¡± Izuku listened on with rapt attention. At the top of a roof, a good distance away and faced adjacently where All might and Izuku stood; were two figures who intently watched their conversation. __________ Izuku still couldn¡¯t believe it. All might¡¯s powers were inherited. And he was asking him to be his successor?! It was already evening as he was heading home, the clouds shading to a darker color. And to think that today would turn out from a whooping disaster to a dream come true. Turning around to the block that leads to where he and his mother lived, his head bumped into someone. He looked up¡­standing in his way¡­ Was All might. ¡°All might? I thought you had already gone home. Or is there something you want to tell me¡­?¡± Those words died down in his throat when he saw the full appearance of All might. All might wasn¡¯t wearing the white shirt and green cargo pants he wore that same evening, in fact this All might is quite shorter than the real one. He wore a set of jean trousers and black t-shirt, along with a punk styled jacket. And his eyes; were not the mystic blue. Replacing the tranquillizing color is a set of hollow clay filled eyes. ¡°You-You are not All might.¡± Izuku said with trembling lips. This All might gave a rather traumatizing grin. Not like the cherry one that the real All might will display. Sharp teeth could be seen in every corner of his now opened mouth. A rattled voice escaped the lips of the counterfeit All might. ¡°Sorry kid. But I ain¡¯t All might.¡± The impersonator took a few more steps towards Izuku, efficiently blocking his path to escape. Izuku was about to raise his voice, wanting to alarm anyone nearby for help when he realized it was only the fake All might and him that were the only ones in the streets. This was bad. Just before Izuku could process what was going on, he was manhandled by the fake All Might. Izuku¡¯s mouth was covered to prevent any sort of noise escaping from him. He scratched and kicked at the counterfeit, but he didn¡¯t budge instead dragging Izuku towards a dark runway alley. A figure clad in a white shirt with green suit and a tie. Despite the darkness of the night, Izuku could make out something off about the entity at the front. Purple shadows, or was is it fog, surrounded the being as piercing yellow eyes stared right back at him. The fake All might roughly dragged him to the foggy being while still holding down his arm and mouth. ¡°Got the kid right here.¡± The being just stared at Izuku¡¯s trembling form. Its yellow eyes narrowed, as if it was scrutinizing the appearance of the middle schooler. ¡°Good.¡± All of a sudden, they were consumed by a purple warp. The fog being stepped in followed by the counterfeit hero who was dragging a struggling Izuku. The warp gate was closing in, making the terrified teen panic. Izuku¡¯s hand trying to outstretch to the little gap left of the existing environment. Izuku tried frantically to get the grip of his abductor off him, but with little to no success. Muffles and trashing were the only signs he was screaming for help, but along the now closed warp gate; died down muffled screams of Izuku. Taking away any evidence that night like nothing happened. That day, Izuku didn¡¯t return home. That day, was the beginning of hell for Izuku. That day, was how an innocent child, aspired from beloving heroes to despising them. This is the story of how Midoriya Izuku became the greatest threat to the world. ______ Author''s note: Hope you liked the story, put in your comments, reviews and ratings. Would very much appreciate them Chapter 2: Tension You will never realize the worth of something until you lose it. That one quote never sounded truer to Bakugo Katsuki. One evening he feels infuriated, the next day he is greeted with clashing and disturbing mixed feelings. One evening he sees the green haired nerd, the next day¡­ Izuku is reported missing. Just like life, the world moves on everyday until a year had almost passed by. Sitting in a classroom was Bakugo; posture slouched as he idly taps his feet unto the floor¡¯s pavement. Although he was physically in the classroom, his mind wandered to an entire new place. The lessons from the teacher aren¡¯t registering in his mind. They were just coming in and out of his ear. To everyone else he might seem like he is uninterested, but in reality he was agitated. Bakugo takes side glances at the seat that once occupied the student named Midoriya Izuku. Bakugo didn¡¯t think that day would be the last time that he would see Izuk-Deku. He gritted his teeth, dammit! Had the nerd actually taken his advice to commit suicide? He certainly hoped not. However from the looks of things¡­ ¡°-Bakugo? Is everything alright?¡± The worried tone of the teacher prod Bakugo out of his thoughts. Looking around the class, he could see his peers giving him looks. Shit, had he been spacing out again? ¡°N-nothing.¡± That was the only answer the blonde gave to his teacher. The man raised a brow but decided not to bug the teen on what was bothering him. ¡°As I was saying, the exams at UA will be coming up in a week¡¯s time. So best of luck to whoever is willing to take up that hero exam.¡± Right, the UA exam. That had been the biggest talk in town. Despite the low chances of entering the hero school, many students from different schools will still most likely partake in the exams. ¡°Hey Bakugo, still wanna get into UA academy? There¡¯s a high chance you¡¯ll get in for sure!¡± Noodle fingers; one of the lackeys that follow him around questioned. ¡°Yeah, like a murder will be accepted to be a pro hero someday.¡± A student sneered at Bakugo. Murmurs and some laughs erupted from the classroom. Little did they know of the swelling anger that statement evoked into the explosive teen. ¡°Oi, who said that¡± Bakugo¡¯s voice was dripped with spiteful venom, silencing the classroom instantly. Even the teacher couldn¡¯t do anything for what¡¯s to come. The dragging of a seat echoed around the classroom. Standing up to face Bakugo was a student with black hair. His posture was relaxed, like he hadn¡¯t just awakened the potential wrath of a teen equivalent to a volcano. ¡°I said how can a murder. Someone like you be worthy to be a future hero.¡± Each word he said were punctuated with a step, drawing closer to Bakugo until the two were toe to toe with each other. Bakugo was vividly enraged. This damn extra¡­ ¡°Got nothing to say for yourself. Everyone knows that you are responsible for Midoriya¡¯s ¡®supposed¡¯ missing state. Won¡¯t be surprised if you were the one that kille-¡± He never got to finish his sentence as Bakugo wrenched his uniform¡¯s collar, small sparks of explosives heating his clothing. The entrapped teen didn¡¯t quiver at Bakugo¡¯s action; instead; he chuckled loudly. ¡°Are you going to kill me just as you did to your childhood friend? Go ahead, try-¡± His sentence was once again silenced by a strong blow connecting to his cheek. His body fell to the ground from the impact, resulting to gasps emitting everywhere. ¡°Alright that¡¯s enough! Urie, Bakugo back to your seats!¡± The teacher commanded. The now recognized student; Urie; staggered slightly to his feet while taking a glance at Bakugo¡¯s shaken expression. He gave a wry grin to the blonde as he cleaned the small trail of blood from his bleeding nose. ¡°You are no better than a villain.¡± More murmurs resurfaced as the pair returned to their respective seats. Urie was a new student that enrolled into the school two months prior after Izuku¡¯s disappearance. At first, he had been cheerful around Bakugo. But after learning of the nature between the missing student and Bakugo, Urie had made sure to remind Bakugo of how terrible he was. Going to the point of talking of sour topics that bother Bakugo to increase his guilt. Indeed, what goes around comes around. The bully had become the bullied. And all Bakugo wanted was for the day to end sooner. __________ Gnawing pain and guilt. That was all Bakugo only felt today as he trailed down the street of Musutafu, ignoring the way how his feet drag along the floor. Some passers-by give him weird looks, but the frown and literal explosive aura engulfing him makes them not question his actions. Devil wings and Noodle fingers decided to back off as the explosive quirk user was still obviously pissed off. Lately, he had been zoning out and become more detached from the world ever since the sudden disappearance of Deku. His wandering thoughts brought him back to a memory; one he had tried desperately to suppress. 1 year ago¡­ It was 9:00 AM. The weather and classroom scenery were like every other day. Bakugo strolled down to where the next class would begin, chatters from students reached his ears. Some were discussing about yesterday¡¯s incident, others just normal stuffs teens talk about. Class began, nothing out of the ordinary happened¡­Until¡­ ¡°Has anyone seen Midoriya today?¡± Now that he thought of it, he hasn¡¯t seen Deku since the first class. Was the nerd that embarrassed of yesterday¡¯s incident. Not that he could blame him, but still; that¡¯s not like him to miss even a day of school. Or had he fallen sick? Bakugo shook his head to dismiss the thought. Nah, he was overthinking it. Deku will just return back to school tomorrow and everything will be back to the way they are. === Deku didn¡¯t return to school the next day. This was starting to worry Bakugo, as much as he doesn¡¯t want to seem bothered¡­he actually is. He counted the days at the back of his head. 2 days 3 days 4 days If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. 1 week 2 weeks¡­ Deku STILL HASN¡¯T RETURN TO SCHOOL?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?! Was Midoriya Izuku actually FLUNKING SCHOOL??? Something felt off. VERY off. The quirkless boy would NEVER miss school, even on his sick bed! So what the actual FUCK is going on?! Bakugo¡¯s answer came off in a very unpleasant way. His old hag of a mum had forced him to listen to the news that day, which almost broke to a fight despite the timid placation his dad was trying to do. That didn¡¯t last long as the next news caused the two arguing party to quiet down. On the news¡­was the picture of Izuku. And under that picture¡­was the label ¡®Missing¡¯ written in thick and bold capital letters. That had silenced the surrounding noise coming from the TV, as well as his mother¡¯s call out of his name. Bakugo¡¯s voice never sounded ever lighter. ¡°What?¡± His eyes fixated on the next words captioned on the headlines: Presumed Dead. Bakugo, without realizing it sooner, had lost some light in his eyes ever since. Also; one of the reasons he pushes to be a hero. The blonde looks back at the apartment where Aunt Inko lives. He tries his utmost best to visit her time by time. The poor woman having being despaired at the news of her missing son. It made Bakugo¡¯s guilt churn more. The nerd lived at least two blocks away, and what did he do to him? Cast him aside all because he was quirkless. God that made him more than an asshole. ¡°We are live, breaking news: Once again another pro hero dubbed striker has been brutally murdered by the mysterious uprising villain Void. Although some prefer to call him The Grim Reaper. Witnesses say they heard the sound of screaming before they could reach there. On arriving to the scene, police state their shocking discovery of the hero¡¯s mutilated body strewn everywhere.¡± Bakugo stops to take a look at the TV screens plastered on the wall. DEADLY VIGIANTE/ VILLAIN? Was the caption of the headlines. The blonde¡¯s furrowed brow deepening even more at the news. Villains these days were becoming more rampant. What were the heroes doing all this time before it grew to this? ¡°Reports show that this deceased pro hero had been dealing with bribery and blackmailing for over 3 years after his debut. Not only does this villain prosecutes targeted that are most likely corrupt heroes, but underground criminals as well. As usual nobody as seen the face of this enemy and none had lived to tell the tale. What is really disturbing, is how this foe strikes fear into the hearts of all; heroes, criminals and even villains. The question remains: Is Japan really safe from this person? What are his goals? Will pro heroes be able to apprehend this malicious culprit? More reports will be heading your way soon.¡± Bakugo glared at the screen. It still doesn¡¯t matter if he is trying to justify his actions. His methods were for too barbaric for executing justice. If the pro heroes don¡¯t do something about him fast, then trouble was lurking far nearer than the world thought it was. He quickened his pace back into his home. If nobody can step up to this villain, then he will do so himself. He will enter UA academy, become number 1 hero, and uncover the face behind Void. _____ 2 hours ago Walking down the alley of a bustling street was Pro hero striker, a man of cunning and intellect. His quirk allows him to manipulate the tides of the earth ranging from rocks to boulders. Admires and fans looked up at him, some waving while others frantically asked for autographs. He couldn¡¯t deny them of course, it¡¯s just that most times¡­ ¡­these civilians were like pests. Annoying swarms who will hover around at any sight of a hero. Frankly, he was not really interested in the likes of fans. Just the money and top positions. Striker gritted his teeth as he went down a distinct block, hopefully nobody will be there to bother him. He was so close to being the number 10 hero! And they elected Kumai woods over him?! He saved the fucking governor! Striker angrily kicked a trash can near him, scaring away a homeless cat in the process. What was he thinking, busy getting angry over that mere fact when he is now a millionaire! The supposed ¡®rescue¡¯ of the governor was all a staged up plan. The governor had promised to offer him 3 million yen if he used his quirk to kill his fianc¨¦e in a ¡®rescue mission¡¯. The politician being tired of her nagging attitude and the arranged marriage, found someone else he loved. So all he needed was to get rid of her. Thanks to his popularity and cunning, he had planed it well. Taking parts of a Shopping mall¡¯s foundation where she was at. Striker had purposedly saved all the trapped residents except for her, leaving the poor woman buried alive in the rubble. He had apologized greatly to the masses and media for the loss of the governor¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Not that he cares anyway. He¡¯s got his money, the governor got what he wanted and he went scout free. So what¡¯s the big deal. He has been into this sort of things for a while. Nothing will happen to him. Or so he thought. Just as he pulled open a cigarette to smoke, a purple portal opened in front of him. The swirling sound making his hair stand on end. Coming out of the portal, was a hulking figure, about the size of All might or endeavor. The person wore a black hoodie and black trousers, the forearms wrapped with bandages like a mummy. He wore a metal mouth guard around his mouth and had a set of unsettling green eyes. His posture was relaxed yet commanding, like he will get what he wants as he kept his hands in his pockets. Striker snuffed out his cigarette on the floor and stomped on it. He gave the new arrival a cautious pause. This guy looks like trouble. Imitating the demeanor of the new person, Striker stood parallel towards him. Giving him a stare down. ¡°Who are you exactly?¡± Striker questioned. ¡°¡­¡± Striker frowned at the person, was he trying to instigate him? Does this guy even know who he is?! ¡°I said who are-¡± ¡°Pro hero striker, aka Hajime Hakone. Responsible for several cases of disclosed bribery and corruption hidden from the public. Recently responsible for the indirect and direct murder of the governor¡¯s fianc¨¦e.¡± The person responded in a deep voice. Striker widened his eyes in panic. Who the fuck was this guy?! ¡°How did you know that information?! Nobody knows, the governor made sure of that!¡± ¡°Your days have finally been numbered. Allow me to rectify for your misdeed and unlawful actions.¡± The entity responded back, not even answering the crepitated state of the pro hero. Striker was in peril. Shit, this guy knows of his hidden secrets. He can¡¯t let the mass media know of this. There was only one thing left to do if he can¡¯t shut this guy¡¯s mouth. Kill him off. A smirk grew on his face. ¡°Too bad for you. If you have just kept your mouth shut, maybe I wouldn¡¯t have to take you off the picture now.¡± ¡°I was going to say the same for you. But there won¡¯t be need, since I have a work to complete¡± The being said as he crouched to a low stance, ready to pounce on the pro hero. Heh, like striker will let that happen. Before the leaker could take any action, striker hurled a large amount of stones to his face, forcing the person to shield his face from any lethal damage. Striker shifted the ground below him to leap directly at the intruder, covering his hands with rocks before landing a resounding blow to his mid section. A grunt emitted from him, causing a smile to form on Striker¡¯s face. ¡°Not so tough shit now are ya?¡± Striker delivered volleys of punches to the person still defending himself, hoping to find a landing at a lethal area. Soon enough, the intruder countered with his very own attack, almost landing a blow on the average sized pro hero. Striker had evaded at the last minute, launching himself to the air with boulders before landing a few feet away from his attacker. There was a heavy dent on the now cracked floor, the hand of his attacker going straight right through it! That was a close one, he really was aiming to kill him. The being looked down at his floored hand, bringing it out with barely any effort. He looked at his palm, it lasted a second but it was enough. During his defending, he had managed to get a glimpse contact with Striker¡¯s arm. Now the pro hero was done for. ¡°Quirk analysis completed. Earth control, manipulation of earth substance once in contact with them. Weakness: exertion of said quirk makes the user vulnerable to attacks for a period of time.¡± Striker was baffled. This guy knew the in and out of his quirk?! His average time was 10 minutes at most and during that time he had been attacking non stop. He¡¯s out of energy. He needs to get out of here. ¡°Leaving so soon?¡± Striker looked up just to see the intruder nearly face to face with him! The intruder held his held in a vice grip, only then did striker notice the black disfigurement of the being¡¯s arms, leaving stripes of red pulsing scars. Soe parts of the bandages on his forearm had fallen off during their battle. A frown grew on the being¡¯s face, as if he was contemplating on something. ¡°Useful quirk, but far too pathetic for master¡¯s use. I¡¯ve seen better ones.¡± A headbutt from the being ricocheted Striker¡¯s brain, making him dizzy in the process. The entity let go of Striker¡¯s head, watching as he staggered on his footing before landing a blow on his chest cavity. The force of the blow sending the hero flying to the air, only to be grabbed in the head and slammed downward towards the ground. Striker¡¯s head was pounding with searing pain. He weakly looked at the attacker, who was currently looking down on him with something akin to disappointment and disgust. ¡°People like you are not worthy to breathe any sort of air.¡± He punctuated every word with a blow to his already battered body. Once the being finished, he looked at the sorry excuse of a lump. ¡°Who-Who are you?¡± Striker croaked out; blood spilled from his lips. ¡°I am Justice¡­¡± Striker could tell a predatory smile stretched on the being. ¡°¡­And your end¡± Its jade eyes glowing with ominous energy. That was when the injured hero widened his eyes, fear and recognition palpable on his face. This monstrosity. Was. None other. Than- ¡°V-Void?! Please spare me! Is it money you need?! I will give it to you! In fact, we could make down some arrangements. You like that won¡¯t yo-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your filthy money.¡± The now recognized entity void said, with little to no empathy at the sorry state of the hero. He could see the loss of hope in those eyes of his. How delightful. Void stretched out his hands towards the forehead of Striker. The hero flinched terribly at the contact. Then Void¡¯s hands started to glow an eerie red mixed with a catastrophic black. He looked at the Pro hero as his body was filled with his dark repulsive energy, his body shaking from the amount of energy poured into him. ¡°Take your money and filth down to the grave.¡± Void reveled at how the hero screamed his voice out as his body convulsed and expanded. Like an overinflated balloon, it was sure to burst. Striker¡¯s body exploded into a gory show of blood and bones. Arteries and veins splattered around the walls, leaving nowhere untouched. Void himself was covered in the blood of the deceased hero. Looking around, he pulled down his hoodie, revealing slightly long dark green locks of hair under the cover. He brushed through his hair with his bloodied hand, leaving trails of blood on his hair. He gave one last look at the scattered corpse before taking his leave as a purple vortex opened, beckoning the end of his assignment. Void entered the portal, leaving no trace of his existence or proof there; only a mangled body of a corruptive hero. All heroes are the same. Pretending to be good when all they are after is for their selfish interests. Next will be those uprising heroes, then the top heroes. And then¡­ ¡­Allmight himself. He will pay for his prejudice. The number one hero will pay for turning him to this.
Chapter 3: Arrangements Kamino ward; Yokohama. A town full of bustling business centers and residing individuals. At the far end of the streets was a partially dilapidated house standing among other buildings. A sign was boldly written on the front door. The word bar emitted a blue light around the paved floor below. The area was serenely quiet until a swirling sound echoed around the vicinity, forming a dark purple vortex. A sole foot stepped out of the fray of whirling catastrophe, followed by a full body cladded in overall black. The hooded entity bathed in the light of the flashing sign, setting his gaze on his arrived destination. Home. This was the only place that he had known for all his life. Well not exactly, if he counts the lunatic of a doctor¡¯s lab. The black clad male stilled himself at the building¡¯s entrance, he opened the door knob and walked inside. There were two individuals occupying the slightly large room; one had pale blue hair with equally pale skin and was dressed in a regular civilian clothing. The other was what one could call an otherworldly being; dressed in a corporate bar tender clothing with purple mist covered the face and hands leaving only a set of piercing yellow eyes. His presence must have teared away any moment of quiet or conversation they were into. ¡°Void¡± ¡°Kurogiri¡± Void greeted back as he pulled down his hood. Void turned to his side as he heard a grunt from the person seated nearby. ¡°You look like a mess¡± That was when Void took a closer look at himself. He really did look like a mess; the stench of blood filled the air. His attire drenched in red from top to bottom, likewise his hair. Void didn¡¯t really mind the grim, but Shigaraki does seem to though. ¡°The pro hero was proving rather stubborn to be taken down. So I had to take drastic measures.¡± Void gave in an analytical statement. Kurogiri hummed while Shigaraki just clicked his tongue murmuring about how filthy void looked. ¡°Take a fucking shower will you. You reek of death¡± Shigaraki growled out as he frantically itched his neck. That had been an instinctive habit of master¡¯s progenitor whenever he was angry or irritated. ¡°Young master, it is advisable for you to stop before it leads to further skin irritation.¡± Shigaraki stopped at the aforementioned sentence, glaring intently at Void. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It is for your benefit afterall. Best to avoid more unsettling gashes over there¡± Void stated, pointing to Shigaraki¡¯s neck. Kurogiri observed the conversation in silence. He couldn¡¯t tell if that was Void being sass or was concerned for Tomura¡¯s well being. All Shigaraki did was snot at the remark. ¡°Yeah, says the person that puts bandages on his arms as display.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Now that one was a low blow. Shigaraki smirked at the prospect of Void unable to make a comeback. ¡°What? Got nothing to say big guy?¡± ¡°Good one. 10 points for brashness.¡± ¡°I thought that was meant to be 20 by now.¡± Shigaraki whined like a toddler. Void still couldn¡¯t grasp the fact of this guy being 5 years older than him. ¡°Yesterday¡¯s own doesn¡¯t count.¡± Shigaraki went back to the tea he was sipping on, too annoyed of Void trying to play coy. ¡°Tsk. Whatever.¡± Kurogiri was glad that Shigaraki had someone who understood his gaming sort of language. He might be his guardian, but he certainly didn¡¯t really understand everything about Shigaraki Tomura. ¡°What happened to your bandage?¡± Kurogiri inquired, noting the lack of bandage on void¡¯s left forearm. Void frowned at the exposed limb. ¡°Must have fallen off during my fight with Striker.¡± Kurogiri frowned. ¡°You need to be careful next time though. A single slip up and those heroes could get a lead on you.¡± Before Void could voice out his opinion, another entirely new voice entered the fray. ¡°He¡¯s right you know. Don¡¯t want to attract the pests when we haven¡¯t even started our grand scheme of plans.¡± A deep distorted voice spoke, the sound coming from the one TV at the Kurogiri¡¯s side. The only thing displayed on the screen was ¡®Sound Only¡¯. All three looked at the screen, instant recognition filled their faces. Despite the sudden intrusion they all knew who that was. ¡°Sensei/Master¡± Shigaraki and Void greeted at the same time. ¡°The key of your objective is to strike fear while maintaining discreetness. If care is not taken it could jeopardize your entire mission. Void.¡± The speaker said with a slight ting of annoyance and caution. Void looked at the TV screen with impassiveness. ¡°But master, wouldn¡¯t it be better if they do realize. That way the symbol of peace will surely be lured out to attack.¡± Sensei barked out a small grunt chuckle. ¡°Patience Void. All good things to those who wait. Eliminating potential threats is the first priority, then All might can come into the picture afterwards. Afterall, you aren¡¯t fully complete yet Void; my prized Nomu.¡± ¡°I still think-¡± ¡°That is enough! You know how much I don¡¯t tolerate unnecessary insubordination. Or are you starting to doubt me.¡± Sensei addressed in a low voice, efficiently cutting any air of retaliation. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Void looked down at the floor. ¡°No master.¡± Sensei seemed to be pleased as he hummed at his response. ¡°Good. You know I really hate to resort to the other way round to convince you.¡± Void¡¯s hands instinctively reached for the metal plated collar that was similar to Kurogiri¡¯s own albeit smaller and modified on his neck. Suppressed memories of master¡¯s convictions came back to play, releasing a silent shudder from Void. There was a pause of silence between the occupants of the room before Sensei broke it. ¡°Before I leave, Garaki said he has some modification upgrades he will like to set up for you. Consider that as a well done for completing your mission flawlessly.¡± Void¡¯s eyes slightly narrowed at the prospect. He won¡¯t voice it out but the mad scientist creeps him out to no end. All he sees Void as is nothing but- how did he put it- yes: Perfect creation. His so called masterpiece. ¡°Understood. Master¡± Shigaraki frowned at what Sensei was prospecting for Void. It¡¯s as if- ¡°Oi, sensei. I thought this overgrown Nomu was done with its upgrades already.¡± Shigaraki said as he aimed a glare towards Void¡¯s direction, to which he responded with a level headed stare. ¡°All might has years of experience and prowess by his side, and we need to level that with our very own. It will be wise to wait for Void to get all the essential variation and modifications he needs to defeat the number one hero.¡± Kurogiri responded in Sensei¡¯s steed. ¡°On point as always Kurogiri. Lack of preparation will lead to a huge disadvantage against us Shigaraki. Now Void, I suggest it is time to get going then.¡± Void nodded his head as he turned to Kurogiri¡¯s direction. Kurogiri; already knowing what to do; opened a portal that will lead Void directly where the doctor is located. Void stepped into the whirling vortex, not bothering to give a second glance at Kurogiri or Shigaraki. Void could feel the heated glare Shigaraki aimed on his back but opted to ignore it. He really loathed to go to that place. ____________________
Secret experimentation hideout Doctor Garaki was bubbling with excitement. He had just found an extra modification to put in place for his creation. Void will be the ultimate weapon to destroy All Might. Yes, the analytics quirk was even better than expected. With this insight ability, Void will be able to take down any quirk holder irrespective of their powers. Garaki straddled his chair as he was watching his monitor. Thanks to the surveillance chip put in place, he was able to watch the battle going on between Void and that miserly Striker. Those pro heroes think they have a chance against his precious, but they thought wrong. Void was his near perfect creation, an enigma among his other project. The living walking powerhouse soon to defeat the symbol of peace. Although his precious nomu is submissive. It is to a fault. He often questioned the likelihood ideas of sensei, thinking if it is the best course of action. That ruffian attitude of his precious needs to be put down. It is starting to irk him as much as he loves his dear nomu although he doesn¡¯t seem to love him back. Void wasn¡¯t meant to have other emotions in the first place, he is meant to only serve as a tool, his pet. Void is starting to extend his leash without consent, he will also have to get that back in order. Garaki thought of the latest modifications he had to do on his Nomu, his hands grooming the brain of his favorite (Second favorite now?) nomu; Johnny. The small miniscule variant nomu was making happy chirping noises at the petting. Maybe he can twitch a thing or two in Void¡¯s brain so he could love him unconditionally. Garaki face fizzled to a twisted euphoria as he remembered the first time he was dealing with Void. The first living person he had turned to a nomu. Void was a unique kind, a mix between human will and nomu abilities; but still a nomu all the same. He had shaped Void to this stage, once a crying emotional mess; now a super nomu soldier. The human he had used was even unique to boot. Quirkless, Young and had a lot of vigor. Easily manipulative if done right and strong willed, a pro and a con for All for one¡¯s plans. Ah, the human biology was something else. He can¡¯t wait to tweak that brain of his Nomu again, redefining his status according to master¡¯s will and overall quirks. Such a shame he could have gotten to know the boy a lot more sooner. How could society hide this ingenuity from his inquisitive gropy hands. A tragedy really for the young lad to have such an insightful mind and creativity. Good thing he got his hands on him though, the analytics quirks he uploaded recently was a suitable quirk for Void apart for the other ones. All he has to do is enhance them more to greater heights. Garaki¡¯s hands smothered around the brain of Johnny, making squishing sounds in the process. He never told One for all his real reason for keeping all his Nomu¡¯s brain open, that¡¯s because he has a secret kink for messing with the human brain. Of all parts of the human body, the brain is the most fun part to tinker with. It holds all parts of who one is, one simple interlapping and they change to a completely different person. Memories, abilities, thoughts; all controlled just like that! Too bad All for One refused for void¡¯s brain to be opened like the rest, he still thinks that would have suit him more. Speaking of which, a purple vortex appeared out of thin air. Stepping out of it; was his beauty creation¡­who had a slight frown plastered on his face as he crossed his arms. Garaki turned his chair to face Void squarely while still squishing the brain of Johnny. ¡°Ah Void-kun. Do you miss me?¡± Void prompted to answer for an entirely different thing. ¡°Master said you have some modifications for me. Let¡¯s get this over with so I wouldn¡¯t have to see your senile face for a while.¡± Garaki deflated at his response. Always like this, his pet tends to be snarky around him. Seriously what did he do to deserve such an attitude? The scientist placed Johnny down, not happy that he will get the time again to tinkle with that delectable brain. Void looked at him with something akin to disgust even with his masked stoic expression. Truth be told, since Void had spent the most time here, it was only him that knew of his secret dirty kink for brains. Garaki stood and headed for the testing area, pressing some buttons a surgical table came up. Garaki looked back and saw that Void had already started to strip down to his underwear, removing his remaining bandages that reveal the black pigmented arms with red pulsing scarring; same applying to his body apart from the head. It annoys him of the fact that not only Void but All for One refused for his arms or body to be fully exposed. Those were the beauty of it! The change he had undergone through to become who he is today! So why hid those pretty body parts of his. Void headed straight to where the surgical table was. Before he could lay down however, Garaki beckoned for him to remove the mouth guard. Void was hesitant but relented as he slowly removed the mouth guard. Once removed, it revealed freckles on the cheeks and two red hideous looking scars at each side of his lip that extend to his cheek. Something that Void wasn¡¯t comfortable about to show off. It¡¯s not the scars that bother him most times; but it¡¯s actually the freckles. He doesn¡¯t know why, but it hurts to look at them, physically and mentally. Anytime he gazes into them in a mirror, a painful surge of instant shock rings in his mind; a clouded memory of a woman with green hair will be calling out a strange name he doesn¡¯t recall to bear. Successfully strapped down, Garaki proceeded to get a pair of rubber gloves and a surgical mask. In his hands was a scalpel and sawing machine. Thankfully, Void¡¯s head had been strapped in place to avoid trashing¡­and he looks like he was about to despite the bravado he was trying to put on. Not this again! He can¡¯t- ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t take long before everything is over.¡± The doctor¡¯s words don¡¯t quell his surging panic. Everytime he says that it only results to more insufferable pain. Despite a year of doing this kind of thing; he will never get used to this. Garaki¡¯s face twisted to an evil contentment. ¡°It almost feels like one year back. How you will be trashing and scream for help. For someone to save you. Well guess what? Nobody is coming to save you. My precious Nomu.¡± ¡°Ah the beauty of evolution. Noone seems to get the point but me.¡± Void felt a pinch in his arm, the doctor had injected him with a high graded sedative. ¡°Sleep now, Midoriya Izuku.¡± He wanted to demand what he was talking about, but the sleep was pulling at his eyelids like a bag of sacks. Slowly but surely, Void drifted off to subtle unconsciousness. Not before hearing the same voice of the woman from his blurred memory. Izuku! Who-who are you? ______________________
Back at the Bar hideout, Sensei; Aka All for one; was addressing a matter to Shigaraki and Kurogiri. ¡°I have been able to gather some intel on the whereabouts of All Might.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good news Master.¡± Kurogiri commented. ¡°Indeed. He is currently residing at the UA/Yuei academy. Apparently he is a teacher now.¡± ¡°Does that mean that we get to attack now?¡± Shigaraki questioned. ¡°Not now Tomura. But time will tell. Currently, I have hired a spy to survey the schedules of the academy. They will be partaking in the entrance examination. If we can find a perfect time to attack, surely we will be able to lure All Might out of hiding.¡± Shigaraki was a bit concerned. ¡°But sensei, what if they double cross us?¡± All for one chuckled at the uncertainty his successor was feeling. A valid point, but there¡¯s nothing he can¡¯t handle. ¡°Or don¡¯t worry young Tomura¡­¡± ¡°¡­I made sure of that.¡± Chapter 4: The UA entrance exam (Part 1) Students from different schools hurriedly made their way towards the entrance of UA academy, the most prestigious and famous hero school in all of Japan. Out of 100%, the chance of qualifying to enter was as low as 3%, and yet thousands of students swarmed around to try their luck as little as it might seem. Teenage boys and girls chatted among themselves, some boasting about their quirks or chances of their success. While others briskly talked about mundane topics about their everyday lives. However in the midst of the lively and anticipating atmosphere, Bakugo didn¡¯t feel any of it. It was the complete opposite of the cherry atmosphere, he felt ¡­empty. It was a quiet walk towards the academy, the distance from his house to the school was an hour apart surprisingly. Bakugo¡¯s legs weren¡¯t in a hurry to arrive there early, instead leisurely taking his time to view the environment. The explosive quirk user strides a bit uneven at times, each step more hesitant than the last. The chill morning breeze did nothing to his qualm composure. Bakugo wrapped a scarf around his neck, hoping for the cold to be negated by the warmth the scarf had to offer. Getting to the entrance, he saw several other students wading to get in. Like a swarm of flies attracted to the sweet scent of food. ¡°Better keep up Dekuro or we are going to be late!¡± A blue haired student yelled as he zoomed past Bakugo, almost knocking down some students on his way. ¡°Hold up Katchi! You¡¯re going to hit people at that rate!¡± A timid looking boy wearing a gakuran wailed as he was running after the blue haired teen¡­who had unfortunately knocked the very same students down. Some didn¡¯t let it slid as they were about to pick a fight with the abrasive student. Luckily, his friend Dekuro rushed to tame down the situation. Bakugo couldn¡¯t help but look on at the situation that as suddenly attracted a small amount of crowd. Soon enough, it was quickly resided as nobody wants to risk their first impressions. Dekuro looked at Katchi with a mix of anger and resignation. ¡°Why do I ever help you get out of your own mess?¡± Katchi just grinned and grabbed the teen closer to himself, giving him a head nuggie. ¡°That¡¯s why I have you Dekuro!¡± Bakugo was almost plagued by the similarity. That simple friendly act sent Bakugo spiraling back to the past. Kacchan. Do you need help standing up? Let me help you. Bakugo sighed to himself. Don¡¯t go there. Don¡¯t go down there. That was in the past, he couldn¡¯t allow his past to preoccupy his mind. Not when he still has an exam to partake in. Unfortunately, it would seem that the very embodiment of bad luck has decided to tag Bakugo. As Bakugo walked, he heard whispers resonating around him. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that the student that caught up in that sludge accident?¡± ¡°I heard All might was there!¡± ¡°Wonder what happened to that other kid¡± ¡°The one who rushed into the open scene? I heard he was dead. Someone probably killed him.¡± ¡°Poor kid. Must be a close friend of his from what I heard.¡± ¡°Midoriya something. I think¡± Bakugo tried to ignore the sudden attention aimed at him, but the sudden mention of Deku¡¯s death held him in his tracks. Like as if an unseen force punched him straight in the gut. ¡°Shit! I think he heard us.¡± ¡°Just keep walking and avoid eye contact.¡± The pair of far too curious for their own good onlookers scurried away, as if nothing happened. More students kept on flooding into the school. And Bakugo¡­was just standing there, once again ignoring sets of confused students giving strange looks at him. ¡°What¡¯s he doing standing on the road like that?¡± ¡°The guy must be scared shitless.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you decide to enter UA without being prepared. Entering UA¡¯s exams is a tough choice afterall.¡± Bakugo gritted his teeth. He wasn¡¯t afraid, he has never been a coward. What do they think of him? Some wimp?! So what in the all living fuck is wrong with his legs! Why won¡¯t they move?! He¡¯s been through this already, he won¡¯t allow the past hold him back. For God knows how long though. He shook his head and breathed out his nostrils, trying to even out his frantic breathing. Wait, when had his breathing been frantic? ¡°Um¡­Excuse me¡± ¡°What the fu-!¡± Bakugo didn¡¯t had time to process that because something had crept up to his shoulder, startling him. He had wanted to turn around to look at what-or who- had pated his shoulder, only for him to almost fall backwards. Just as he was about to pummel to the pavement, he was- Floating?! ¡°What the hell!¡± Bakugo exclaimed, frenzied beyond the point of bewilderment. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to use my quirk on you! Here let me help.¡± A hand stretched out to him. He extended his own relatedly larger hand to the smaller hand as the person helped him back up from his floating state. ¡°I am really sorry for the inconvenience I have caused you. Are you okay?¡± Of course not! Who scares someone shitless like that?! ¡°Do I look okay to yo-¡± Bakugo angrily said to the person that had saved him from his inevitable demise, only to hold back the amount of swears he had listed in his mind. And to his surprise¡­ ¡­It was a girl. A girl with brown hazelnut shoulder length hair and equally brown eyes. Bakugo had to crane his head down a bit to fully look at her. She was short and had a slender figure, fair skin. She had two small pink blush marks on her cheeks, and had a comical size of eyes that were round with slightly thick eyelashes. Her hair was shoulder-length with short bangs, and the style is bobbed with two long strands framing her face. She also plastered a rather large smile on her face. It took Bakugo 5 seconds to realize three things: One: The girl was smiling at him Two: She was talking to him And three: This was the first female he had ever talked to apart from his own mother. Another horrible realization dawned on him¡­ he was thinking on punching the person that had almost made him trip. And said person¡­ was a girl. The girl bobbed her head to the side, still having that coincidentally nostalgic smile on her face. Her other hand stretched out to him, in her hand was his scarf. ¡°I noticed you dropped this and wasn¡¯t aware, so I wanted to return it back.¡± She gave a nervous embarrassed laugh. ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect for you to be spaced out when I touched you. Sorry again for bothering you.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Bakugo tentatively took back his scarf. He wrapped it gently around his neck. ¡°It¡¯s a nice looking scarf by the way. The morning was quite cold so I had one on as well.¡± The girl (Round face? I mean her face really is round) pointed to her neck. Residing on the neck was a plain looking scarf. Bakugo was a bit short of words, he was used to talking with guys not girls. What had his old hag told him when talking to a girl again? Oh yeah, ¡®Don¡¯t be a dick¡¯. Bakugo cleared his throat, Christ he looked like a blooming teenager entering puberty. ¡°Uh, thanks. It¡¯s not mine actually.¡± The girl looked surprised at his response. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know. Who owns it?¡± Bakugo frowned at the question, his hand briskly touching the edges of the scarf. ¡°It was for a friend of mine.¡± ¡°Wow. Your friend must mean a lot to you.¡± Bakugo¡¯s voice became strained and quiet. ¡°Yeah, wished I did better for him.¡± The brunet was confused. Why was this person using past tense for his friend? ¡°Did something happen to him?¡± Bakugo¡¯s eyes narrowed at the inquisitive girl. She was stepping on unwanted territory, and she seems to get the message. ¡°My bad, I deeply apologize.¡± (Round face) quickly placated as she waved her hands in a pleading manner. Now the air was just sour. ¡°Um-¡± Bakugo looked at the girl, raising his eyebrow. ¡°-I¡¯m Ochaco. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± ¡°¡­Bakugo.¡± Ochaco looked at him with something hidden in her face. Mischief? ¡°You know for someone who looks threatening, you don¡¯t look so much as that.¡± ¡°Hah?¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s a pleasure to know you, Bakugo. I¡¯ll be heading to the exams orientation center.¡± Ochaco waved at him before jogging to the front gate, her backpack making jiggly sounds. ¡°Oi!-er- Ochaco!¡± Ochaco stopped in her tracks, glancing back at the blonde. ¡°T-thanks.¡± Ochaco eye smiled at Bakugo. ¡°No problem. Afterall it did be bad luck to lose your item and fall on your first day.¡± Bakugo watched as she jogged to the entrance, he looked down and blinked. Then he blinked again. Did- did he just talked to a girl? ____________________ At the Examination Orientation center; students filled the seats. Each of them bustling with bottled excitement, waiting for the events to start. Then all the lights went off except the ones on the stage. Stepping in the stage; was pro hero Present Mic. Bakugo looked at the hero¡¯s¡­ choice of hairstyle. If he were to be asked on his opinion, Present Mic¡¯s hairstyle looked like a peacock that was set on fire. The hero¡¯s hair was spiked to a ridiculous height, almost reaching armlength. If Bakugo remembered correctly, this was the prohero who specialized on using sound, or more so; his voice; as his quirk. He had glanced through Deku¡¯s old hero notebooks and saw this hero¡¯s profile. Present mic was known for having his own Radio podcasts and partook in Television programs. Bakugo looked down in slight contempt. Had the nerd been here, then he would have talked non stop about the pro hero in front of all the students now. AND IT¡¯S ALL HIS FAULT. ¡°Good morning dear candidates. Can someone give me a hey!¡± Present Mic yelled, craning his head and putting his hand to his ear. Only to be met with¡­ Silence. Present Mic faltered a bit at the quiet. ¡°Okaay¡­ tough crowd¡± Clearing his throat to alleviate the awkward atmosphere. ¡°I think we all know what today is. Are you ready?¡± Silence. Present Mic literally deflated. What was wrong with kids of these days. The pro hero elaborated on the concepts of what they had to do. They will all do a mock test exam, then afterwards the practical exam. Now that was the hardest part, since they will be timed with a short amount of time which hasn¡¯t been disclosed to them yet. In the mock battle, a specified battle area will be assigned to each candidate. There, three types of battle bots will be waiting for them. 1 pointer robot was 1 point, 2 pointer 2 points and 3 pointer 3 points. Their goal: destroy as many robots as they can. Present Mic kept on addressing them until a candidate stood up. ¡°Sensei! Will you permit be to say something?¡± ¡°Sure. Fire away.¡± The candidate, a blue haired boy wearing glasses brought out a piece of paper and showed the diagram of the battle bots. ¡°According to this script, each year there are specifically 4 pointer robots that are placed in the battle centers, but you claimed that there are 3! If UA is giving inaccurate information, then shouldn¡¯t we question this mistake of this trusted school?¡± The teen questioned. ¡°Ah, thanks for your keen eyes examinee 7111.¡± Present Mic said, giving a thumbs up. ¡°Yes, it is true. There are 4 not 3. But the last one is called a 0 pointer. Just as the name implies, it has zero points and it goes berserk in tight corners or spaces. So best to run away and abandon any thought of engaging in battle.¡± Before Present Mic could explain further, the sound of the door creaked open, catching everyone¡¯s attention. There, was a candidate who was rushing inside. A male, of slight tall stature and having purple unruly hair that defies the literal definition of gravity, was cutting his way through some students with some pardons to get to his assigned seat. Good thing they have been arranged alphabetically, or else the late comer wouldn¡¯t have a place to seat. (Glasses) decided to turn his assault of reprimanding from Present Mic down to the late comer. ¡°And you! If you plan on coming late to an important event then it¡¯s best for people like you not to come in to UA at all. Tardiness is a major sign of lack luster in heroism!¡± People started laughing at the latecomer. The purple haired teen looking slightly offended and embarrassed. Bakugo frowned at the assaulter, what¡¯s this guy¡¯s beef. Was he a fucking perfectionist or something? That wasn¡¯t correcting, that looked like straight up- Bullying. Wow. He sounds like a complete asshole just saying that to himself. HYPOCRYTE Okay, he believes that someone needs to put this guy in his place. ¡°Oi glasses!¡± The blue haired teen looked at Bakugo with a stern look with a mix of surprise. ¡°Are you referring to me by chance?¡± What was this guy? An idiot as well? ¡°Of course you dumbass! If you have a stick right up your ass, then you should have just kept it to yourself.¡± Gasps and woos echoed in the large auditorium. Present Mic was about to intervein ¡°Alright, I think there¡¯s no need for an argument no-¡± ¡°No! Sorry teach, but someone has to tell this guy the truth.¡± Bakugo turned his attention on glasses who looked like he was about to explode from anger. ¡°What school did you come from by chance glasses?¡± With refrained anger, glasses shifted his glasses and looked up at were Bakugo stood. ¡°Soumei Junior High School.¡± Of course. Prissy kids from such an expensive school like him tend to be assholes for the sake of it. ¡°You don¡¯t just judge people on first appearance, that will just mark you off as a bad person. Maybe you should stop being a prick and try to understand someone¡¯s condition before saying shit like that. Everyone have the right to be in UA, so some little tardiness doesn¡¯t make them invalid to be students here!¡± The guy was speechless, all glasses did was look down, his expression unreadable. ¡°I see.¡± Then all of a sudden he bowed his head down to Bakugo and Present Mic. ¡°Please forgive me for my presumptuousness.¡± Then he proceeded to sit back down. Bakugo looked back at the purple haired teen who he had just defended, only to see him keeping his head down and his hands clenched. Present Mic clapped his hands together. ¡°Okay, okay. That¡¯s enough examinees.¡± He turned to the late comer. ¡°Examinee 5764, you weren¡¯t that late so you can have your seat. As of now, your center battle numbers are on the cards on top of your desks.¡± Every candidate took a look at their cards, Bakugo glanced at where he was being assigned. ¡°Battle center B huh?¡± He muttered more to himself. ¡°Good Luck candidates. You will need it.¡± ____________________ Battle Center B. The air was suffocating, tension and excitement bubbled from various candidates. Bakugo stood like a lone wolf, ready to attack and defend himself when needed. He was running this solo, and so were many others. The battle had just begun, and it would be tough. The writing aspect has been cleared through, now all that was left, was the actual combat exam. Bakugo surveyed the area, looking and studying each candidate¡¯s expression. Everyone had changed to casual or training attire, not wanting their school uniforms to get in their way. The explosion quirk user had decided to put on a casual black sleeveless T shirt and a pair of black trousers, overall he doesn¡¯t look different from any other candidate. The only difference is the scarf he had decided to still wrap around his neck. Many had given him weird looks, it was already afternoon and the weather was getting humid, so what¡¯s up with the scarf? Some had wanted to question but the murderous glare sent to their way mad them step back a good 3-4 meters away from his line of sight. Bakugo took a deep breath, closing his eyes to reflect on the upcoming battle sure to foreshadow. The wind was nice, giving the sense of calm and sharpness. And that he used to his advantage as he caught hold of a hand that was about to come in contact with his shoulder. He spun around to see the owner of the hand. It was the purple haired teen. ¡°Um..¡± Bakugo looked at the direction of his eyes. He was holding his hand in a vice grip. ¡°Oh, sorry.¡± Bakugo let go of his hand as the teen started rubbing the reddening hand. ¡°Thanks for helping me back there.¡± Oh that? Bakugo wasn¡¯t expecting him to thank him for that. ¡°Uhhh, sure. No problem¡± What was wrong with him and talking today?! ¡°I¡¯m Shinsou. Shinsou Hitoshi.¡± ¡°Bakugo Katsuki.¡± Now they were just being awkward. ¡°Why are you still wearing that scarf. Isn¡¯t it not hot?¡± Bakugo gaze softened at the sight of the scarf still wrapped around him. Hours before the exam¡­ Bakugo, why are you carrying that scarf with you? Bakugo looked at the scarf he had just freshly pulled out. He could have picked other scarfs, but he decides to take this one instead. This scarf¡­was Deku¡¯s. Some months ago, he had asked aunt Inko for some of Deku¡¯s items like his hero journals and his scarf. Aunt Inko had kept them in Deku¡¯s room, hoping that one day, even if it was a slim chance, that Deku will be back. But he was dead. Aunt Inko still refused to believe that fact. 5 stages of grief Bakugo looked at his mother. ¡°Deku had always wanted to do this exam. So¡­ even if he can¡¯t be here¡­ I want to at least take this with me so that a part of Deku can still be there.¡± ¡°It¡¯s personal.¡± Shinsou raised his eyes but didn¡¯t prod him for any reasons. ¡°Okay¡­ Bakugo, can I ask you something?¡± The doors to the battle center were already opening. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t think I have time for that.¡± Just as he was matching to the entrance, a hand stopped him. And it was still Shinsou¡¯s. ¡°What the heck?! Let go!¡± ¡°Please! Can you hear me out?! It¡¯s really important.¡± Should he listen. Bakugo looked back at the opening doors. They haven¡¯t announce dthe countdown yet¡­ ¡°Fine. What is it?¡± Shinsou was hesitating on something as he glanced back and forth. ¡°My quirk, is not really efficient in battle.¡± ¡°So, how¡¯s that my problem?¡± Shinsou flinched at that remark. Crap! He shouldn¡¯t have said it like that! Heaving a sigh, he turned back to Shinsou. ¡°And¡­¡± ¡°I was wondering¡­ if we could team up?¡± Bakugo was not a person known for cooperation. What sort of request was that?! He could just leave this guy to his fate. Seriously, why bother with this exam if you don¡¯t have the efficient quirk to take it on?! ¡°Sorry. But I don¡¯t think I have time for this.¡± And shinsou¡¯s grip on his arm only tightened not faltering. ¡°Oi-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tried asking others but they turned me down. Please! You¡¯re the only person that I can rely on!¡± As much as Bakugo wants to smack this guy off him, his pleading face looks far too awfully familiar. Like a certain greenette. Also, they were starting to attract some attention. ¡°Fine. What¡¯s the plan then genius.¡± Bakugo begrudgingly relented. Shinsou smiled sadly at him. ¡°Sorry about this.¡± ¡°What the fuck do you mean by-¡± All of a sudden, Bakugo¡¯s mind went blank. His eyes turning to milky white, and his expression like a doll, a puppet waiting for orders. Shinsou felt really bad for doing this to the person that stood up for him, but he had to do this if he wants to pass the exam. From a distance, Present Mic¡¯s voice echoed in the large vicinity. ¡°All right Kiddos, the exam¡¯s already started. What are you waiting for, there are no countdowns in real life!¡± Shinsou turned to the brainwashed Bakugo that is still standing like a dummy. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Bakugo.¡± And Bakugo just followed like a dummy would. Shinsou smirked to himself. This was going to be easy. Chapter 5: The UA entrance exam (Part 2) ¡°Give me that robot. It¡¯s my 2 points not yours!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s mine!¡± ¡°10 points!¡± ¡°3 points!¡± ¡°18 points ahead!¡± The start of the mock battle exam had awakened a blood bath in the entire battlefield centers. It was every man for himself. Every candidates were honing in all that they had; skills, intellect, advantages and most especially their ¡®quirks¡¯; to earn a chance of enrolling into this once in a lifetime hero academy. Obviously no one was willing to take any chances. Shinsou Hitoshi never had a flashy or has people deemed ¡°heroic quirk¡±. Instead he had what they always termed ¡°Villainous quirk¡±: A quirk suitable for only evil deeds. So what was his Villainous quirk about? Was it powerful enough to cause destruction? No. Does it require skills? Not really. Was it battle capable? No. Was it potentially dangerous if used wisely? ¡­No, but could be. That was the warning label everyone only thought of his power. His quirk; dubbed ¡°Brainwash¡± fell under the best use of intellect. Shinsou can only activate it when he asks someone something like a question, and any person that responds to him will most likely fall into his brainwashing ability as he can now pull the strings of the unfortunate individual to do his bidding. Another problem is he will have to be smart enough not to make the person suspecting of his ability or catch the person off guard. Despite being blessed with being part of the 80% who had quirks; his blessing was more like a curse as people feared the abilities of his quirk. This resulted in him being beaten, bullied, avoided, and always downgraded of his chances of becoming a hero with his abilities. The purple haired teen grimaced at the past events that had played before arriving to UA¡¯s entrance (He¡¯d rather not remember that). Who was he kidding thinking he would enter the premises of the academy and find mingling relief, only for some few who had recognized him to send wary or distrustful looks his way. Villian That¡¯s the word he could make out in those eyes of theirs. To top it off, he had arrived late due to circumstances and received further humiliation from that blue haired student (Lida was it?). Outrageously called out for his lack of punctuality and was instantly judged as ¡®unfit¡¯ to join UA, and almost not surprisingly many laughed at his untimely scolding. He thought that was it, if there was one thing he had learned: Is that many people often judged by first impression. That was until someone actually stood up for him for the first time. Never in his life had he thought that anyone could actually look past others assumptions and defend someone with a quirk like him. But he never told Bakugo of his quirk. Shinsou glanced back at said person; who he never told his quirk to¡­Who he is currently using his quirk on. If Shinsou told the blonde teen of his kind of quirk, would he still be as understanding as he was back then in the examination orientation center¡­ ¡­Would he still stand by his side? More specifically, would he still see as someone who can one day be considered as a HERO? He shook his head, not in another life certainly. As the mock battle had started, he had asked the brainwashed teen of his quirk ability. After hearing what Bakugo had as an ability, he had certainly gotten quite a catch. Explosion: The use of his sweat that acts as nitroglycerin to ignite an explosion. Now that was very practical, especially on the playing field. Speaking of which; the teen he had under his quirk was destroying any pointer robot he could get his hands on. Which in turn, was supplying points to Shinsou himself. Shinsou walks along the wreckage of destroyed robots that many other candidates had put to waste. He might not have a powerful or highly capable quirk; but he will certainly make due of his wits. ¡°it¡¯s best for people like you not to come in to UA at all¡± People like him¡­ Shinsou frowned, remembering what that student had told him. It is true, people like him are very well considered not to be worthy of being a hero. He looks back at the still brainwashed Bakugo doing all the work for him, a gnawing guilt for using the one person that initially stood for him like this. The backstabbing act he just committed a few minutes prior further confirming what many people viewed him as. This is unjust¡­ This is indeed Villainous¡­ But Shinsou had to do what he had to in order to enter his dream school. He is going to prove everybody wrong that he can be a hero too, not just some villain in training. In order to get to his first step¡­ he needed to do the necessary. Hence, the assistance. He grimaced though at his finalized decision. Just this one last time, he would use his quirk like this to attain his goal of becoming a pro hero of UA and would never go back to doing this again. NEVER again. Of course sacrifices would have to be made. Afterall, ever since he was being born into this abnormal yet normal world; he had always been taught one thing¡­ It is survival of the fittest. Or in this case; Survival of the smartest. _____________ Bakugo was panicking; like really panicking. One moment he was talking to Shinsou and now his mind just became clouded, blanked out in fact. It was like someone was pulling the strings for his limbs and moving them on command. Christ, he felt like a foreigner in his own skin as all he could do in this state was watch as he was destroying the battle bots for someone else¡¯s points, not HIS! Bakugo; or rather in his subconsciousness could only burst into a mirthless laugh as his own body. His own fucking body! Was doing the work of gaining points for another person!!! How crazy was that?! To add salt to the injury it was by someone he had decided to ¡®trust¡¯. Bakugo looked around the haze in his mind and saw purple like strings connecting to each part of his brain, encircling further down to various important organs like his heart. The foggy environment was certainly not a very expected visual of how his subconscious will look like. ¡°Probably must be the effect of that bastard¡¯s quirk¡± Bakugo thought aloud to nobody in particular. Trying to calm down his frenzy beating heart and the rushing flow of blood to his veins (Most likely to the erupting anger he feels at this moment), he tries again to survey his surroundings and find the best possible route to escape from this hole. Bakugo looks again at his entangled brain with the purple strings humming a soft rhythm in the empty environment. He moves closer to the source of his current problem, igniting his fist resulting in small sparks. There has to be a weak spot in these damn restraints. Bakugo raised his hands and emitted a small volley of explosions. He paused for a bit to see the results. Nothing. The strings were completely fine. Bakugo frowned at his lack of success and continued to fire some experimental; if not with a bit of effort; shots. The area cleared of smoke and found the same disappointing result¡­ Still nothing. Okay, he was starting to lose it. Third¡¯s time¡¯s the fucking charm! No more playing around, he propelled his hands back and launched a direct explosion on the surface of the purple strings, only for him to be propelled backwards by some force field. ¡°The fuck-¡± Out of complete unrestrained anger and frustration, he volleyed in more heavy hit explosions to the restrains. Smoke mixed in with the fog around resulting in an ashy atmosphere, the blend making the air almost inhalable. This made the explosion quirk user to have a coughing fit, the thick fog making it had for him to see. Using some effort to open his eyes, they widened as he saw it had no effect either on the strings or the barrier. ¡°What the hell?! That always works!¡± Just as Bakugo uttered aloud those words; the supposed barrier crumbled¡­only for the purple strings to expand and grow to more heights. Before Bakugo could react to what was going on, some of the strings surged forward and tied up Bakugo; restraining his hands at his back. The blonde haired teen could only widen his eyes more as he was lifted up the ground, trying to kick down to get the strings off him, more surged out to constrict his movements down to his legs effectively immobilizing him in place. Bakugo was getting more alarmed as the strings restraining him started to grow thorns that embedded themselves into his flesh, crawling directly into his flesh and seeping through his veins making the veins bulge tainting the normal green pigment to an unsettling purple. Like poison slowly making its way to someone¡¯s blood system. The thorns interconnected to the other veins within Bakugo till it reached his eyes making them intertwine with the crimson irises he possesses. It didn¡¯t feel painful, instead¡­it felt like the invading thorns were draining him of energy. Fuck, now he just feels tired. Give in Bakugo. Resistance is futile. Bakugo weakly raised his head as he thought he heard a voice which seemed to resonate around everywhere. Give in Host. There is no need to resist. It is true, was there any need to resist? You can rest easy now, just let the control flow through you. All this time, he had been carrying a heavy burden. Over the past one year, he alone had been feeling immense guilt. Maybe the voice was right. Craning hi head to look at the activities going on in the real world, he still sees himself still carrying out the orders of Shinsou. Maybe it was okay for him to not attend UA. Afterall, it did just fuel the agonizing guilt that he is coping through everyday. It was okay to be selfish for once. Right¡­? ¡°Kachaan, if you are going to be a hero. Then I want to be by your side when you be one!¡± ¡°¡­Deku?¡± ¡°You are so cool Kachaan! Even when there is trouble, you never run from a fight no matter how big it might seem.¡± A small version of Bakugo gave a toothy smirk to the little Izuku who seemed to have twinkling stars in his eyes. As if he was adoring him. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s right. I¡¯ll never run from a fight! Just like Allmight. I¡¯ll one day become the number one pro hero who fights bad guys to save people!¡± Resisting is futile Host. Give- This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Shut the fuck up! You damn annoying extra!¡± The resonating voice coming from the strings seemed to quiet down at his remark. Despite his sudden fatigue, he looked up at the mass entity of strings surrounding the mist. ¡°If you are going to yap all day in my head and be spewing shit, then allow me to do the honors of blasting your mouth all the way to hell!¡± The small embers of his explosion cackled around his restrained hand, refusing to die out despite the lack of necessary fire power. ¡°I. Am not some god damn puppet to be controlled by anyone!¡± The sparks crackled on and off. ¡°Who the fuck do you think I am?! Some hero wannabe?!¡± It was getting brighter, the blonde fisting his hands to accumulate more sweat. Host is resisting. Initiating more security. Several more strings sprang out to confiscate the glowing hand of Bakugo. Even with the attempted restraining, orange flickers of explosion reached out of the holes of the strings, illuminating the hollow area like a disco ball. ¡°I am the person¡­Who going to surpass the number one hero!!!!!¡± Bakugo¡¯s explosion destroyed the strings surrounding his body, forcing the restraints to let go of him alongside the thorns embedded within his veins. The teen¡¯s fall from the height was a bit unceremonial as he crashed down to the vicinity¡¯s ground. He could feel his strength returning back to him, his eyes reverting back to the fiery crimson irises. Bakugo could see as the destroyed strings fixed themselves and started to intertwine themselves to form a larger threat. Host has resisted control. Execute forceful coercion. Bakugo crouched down and opened his hands, explosions crackling together as his hands ignited producing small plumes of smoke. His eyes narrowed at the threat that wants to bind him. That wants to fully control his body. Despite his boiling anger, he couldn¡¯t help but give a malicious smirk. His body posture gesturing that it should dare attack him. ¡°Come¡± That was the trigger the combined strings needed as it lunged fourth to incapacitate the subconsciousness of Bakugo Katsuki. Using his quirk, Bakugo propelled himself into the air and weaved past the thorned strings, blowing off any that got too close for comfort. ¡°Everything always has a weakness, no matter how powerful it seems.¡± Still avoiding the strings, he narrowly avoided one that surged to his torso as he was getting closer to his entrapped brain. He circled around to get a better clearing of where any weak spots could be. Firing explosion after explosion to ward off the pestering thorned strings. That was when something caught his eye. Squinting his eyes, he could clearly see a small glowing light attached to the cerebrum of his brain, and within that area; was a small yet heavily concentrated string that dug itself into his cerebrum. Finally seeing the cause of the mind control, he zoomed in head first to the source as more strings peeled off to attack the supposed resister. Bakugo clicked his tongue in annoyance and gritted his teeth. ¡°Get out of my fucking way!!!¡± He screamed with rage and brought his hands together to ignite the strings ablaze, destroying the pest blocking his path. Bakugo crouched down to his squishy cerebrum and looked down at the string embedded there. He placed one of his hands on the glowing string, concentrating the sweat in his hand to produce heavy fire power. ¡°Oi, what did I say. There is nothing you can do to control the likes of me.¡± Several pairs of thorned strings came upon the crouched teen to try and stop him before it was too late. But it was already to late as the sweat in his hands had started to produce an explosion illuminating the subconsciousness area. ¡°DIIIEEEE!!!¡± The resounding explosion destroyed everything in its path, creating a magnificent light that shone through the place. Killing off the strings, killing off the source and emerging the subconsciousness of Bakugo in a bright light. __________ Back in the real world, Bakugo¡¯s body started to twitch in uneven amounts, causing Shinsou to look at the person he was controlling. Shinsou narrowed his eyes. What was going on? The purple haired teen stepped closer to the twitching figure only for the spasming to stop. Shinsou was starting to get cautious as he wondered to himself; ¡°Why this all of a sudden? This has never happened before.¡± Hitoshi was brought out of his musings to a hand that roughly yanked his head and slammed it to the floor. Looking up, he sees the face of Bakugo. And boy was he pissed. ¡°You. I will fucking kill you!¡± As if things couldn¡¯t get any worse. _______________ Monitoring Room Back in the teacher¡¯s lounge; or supposedly the monitoring room. Several teachers who were pro heroes looked on. Some were impressed at the feats some candidates were displaying while many were curious at the potential some were able to bring out. ¡°This year¡¯s candidates sure look promising.¡± The pro hero, named Midnight mused out. ¡°Indeed. While some lack in battle prowess, others use the likes of wit, communication and adaptation to scale their surroundings.¡± The principal; principal Nezdu chime out. For a school this big, one did be surprised that this was their principal would be a breed of a rodent¡­ as some people secretly put it that way. He might be small, but his intellect is not something to laugh at. His quirk; high spec; makes him vastly intelligent as he keeps the day in running of UA academy. It was no surprise a good percent of Japan¡¯s heroes were products of this school. He has a disturbing scar on his eye but no one pays any serious attention to that thanks to his bubbling squeaking aura of friendliness and professionalism. ¡°I¡¯m sure they will be fine heroes one day.¡± Nezdu said. ¡°Oh. What do we have here.¡± The pro hero and teacher Cementos commented. Many of the spectators turned their heads to what the cement quirk user was referring to and froze in their seats. A candidate with blonde ash hair was pinning another candidate with purple hair to the paved floor. If looks could kill, many assumed the poor child did be dead by now. The shaking of the impressively well built teen was obvious that he was restraining himself from strangling the purplette to death. This does not look good. ¡°That rookie¡¯s gonna kill the kid if this goes on.¡± Pro hero Snipe shot said with condensed worry. At the back of the room, a shaggy looking teacher that looks like he had seen better days looked at the commotion with observing silence. His posture was relaxed as he looks at the screen every person had their attention on. Despite the calm and almost bored aura he exhibits, his long black hair stood a bit on end at what he was witnessing. He doesn¡¯t chime in his opinion, but he very well knows the implications of this action. If that kid doesn¡¯t stop now, he could get himself eliminated from participation in the exam. And there certainly won¡¯t be a spot for him next year, if he wishes to stay in UA. This was Aiwaza; aka Eraser head; an underground pro hero that does his work in the night. He was never a fan of displaying his face in the public like most heroes. Nor was he the cherry type. In honesty, he just doesn¡¯t know how to interact with many people as they always seem to mistake his bluntness for being rude. The only person who understands his behavior is his one and only best friend Yashi. He looks on at the growing worry of each teacher and he totally gets the drift of the situation. He¡¯ll be honest, looking at the kid alone he could tell this one was going to be a problem child. Hopefully, he wouldn¡¯t have to deal with him as his student anytime soon. Pro hero Present Mic stood up from his seat and proceeded to head for the exit. ¡°Better stop this before it escalates. Boy, and I thought those two were getting along before the exam.¡± Reaching for the door handle, he was immediately stopped by someone else. ¡°There won¡¯t be need for that Present Mic.¡± A scrawny looking man with blonde hair called out. His hair had a unique feature of two bangs that fall to neck length on each side of his face. Although wearing a professional cloth, it doesn¡¯t seem to size him like it was three times the size of his average weight by appearance. The teacher looked rather old and had a hollow cheek bone, his eyes hollow yet having a tranquilizing blue for irises. Even though he looks like a common everyday person, he was very important in the hero society. Present Mic paused in his tracks and looks back at the scrawny man. ¡°What¡¯s the matter All Might?¡± Many people were puzzled why the number one pro hero is not intervening in this matter. Instead he looked rather calm. ¡°I don¡¯t think there will be a need for that.¡± The chimera of a principal looks inquisitive as to why All might would say such a thing. ¡°Why not interfere All might? He might really injure the other candidate.¡± The teacher now recognized as All might looks back at the principal, his eyes glistening with determination. ¡°Because I believe this young man won¡¯t do such a thing.¡± Nezdu was a bit taken aback. All might seem to have quite a lot of faith in this person. ¡°Do you by chance know this candidate?¡± All eyes were now on the symbol of peace. ¡°I met him prior a year ago. When he was still in middle school.¡± All might looked back at the screen. ¡°And from my little contact with him, I can tell he won¡¯t do such a thing as it will go against his ethics.¡± Nedzu listened with curiosity. Smiling cheerfully, he turns to the Voice hero to not attempt to interfere with the situation. ¡°Well then, let us see where this will take us.¡± _________ Battle center B At the heart of the intense battle center, there were only two candidates that were not participating at the moment. And that was Bakugo and Hitoshi. Bakugo, still furious of what the teen did to him forcefully placed Shinsou¡¯s head on the floor. His other hand crackling with tiny explosions. Bakugo¡¯s body was shaking with utmost fury, and he has every right to. Bakugo looks down at Hitoshi with something dangerously close to murderous intent. ¡°The hell was that, Shinsou Hitoshi?¡± His hand subconsciously pressed down harder unto the teen¡¯s head. ¡°You think you can mess with me and get away with it?¡± His voice teetering close with venom. Shinsou was struggling to get the teen¡¯s grip off of him. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice. My quirk-¡± ¡°Your quirk¡± Bakugo emphasized ¡°Controls people. Like a fucking puppet.¡± Seriously, Bakugo could care less about this guy. Use him and planned on getting away with his own points. ¡°Now that¡¯s just playing dirty. It¡¯s almost makes you akin to¡­¡± Shinsou widened his eyes. He knew what he was going to say. ¡°A Villain.¡± Shinsou gritted his teeth, both from the struggling and the pain. ¡°Call me a villain, but all I ever want to be is a hero. My quirk¡­ true is not suited for such.¡± Bakugo¡¯s anger was setting to new heights. What¡¯s up with this guy? Had he been playing meek just to get at someone unaware?! ¡°Let me ask you one question Hitoshi.¡± Shinsou flinched at the direct use of his surname. ¡°Why did you even bother coming here when you realize your powers are highly not effective for any sort of hero work. Why bother to not just give up after all?¡± He might be angry, but he wants to know what was Shinsou¡¯s true intentions. ¡°Because all my life I want to prove people wrong of be just being some future villain. No matter how deadly a quirk might look you can¡¯t just condemn people like that!¡± ¡°And you are doing a fucking terrible job at it with your first impression!¡± The purple haired teen quieted down after that. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice. With a quirk like mine what was I supposed to do?! Only the smartest survive and that¡¯s the safest game I¡¯ll be playing for me to be a hero!¡± Bakugo¡¯s face etched closer to Shinsou¡¯s his expression unreadable. But his eyes tell a different story, like he was conflicted of what to do. A part of him wants to try and at least understand his situation; while the other just wants to beat the living shit out of this guy for toying with him like that. ¡°Survive? That doesn¡¯t make you a survivor, that just makes you a coward!¡± The air in Shinsou¡¯s lungs seemed to leave his throat. Bakugo roughly yanks the teen away from him, standing up to look him straight in the eye. Now he just feels disappointed. Maybe he was wrong; this guy is nothing like Deku. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what survival looks like, you damn coward!¡± Shinsou¡¯s head was lowered to the floor, looking¡­Guilt ridden? Ashamed? ¡°You¡¯ll never understand.¡± Bakugo snarled at the emotionally turmoiled teenager. ¡°That¡¯s no excuse! Just stay out of my way.¡± ¡°2 more minutes to go!¡± Bakugo¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Two more minutes?! He barely has time by his side! Bakugo gave one last look at the purple haired teen. ¡°If you want to be a hero, try and at least start by helping the best way you can and not manipulate people. You act like a whining bitch, you are nothing like that damn nerd.¡± Those were his last parting words before leaving. All Shinsou could do was look at the disappearing figure that turned to a sharp corner. Sitting on the floor, he gritted his teeth and clenched his hands to a fist. What was he doing? During all that time, a candidate was watching the entire scenario play out. ________ Bakugo could barely make out any points for himself. Using his quirk to amplify his chances. He has at least 14 points now¡­but that was so insignificant to the numbers he is hearing around him! Just as he was surveying for possible ways to get more pointer bots, an earth shattering earthquake reverberated the grounds around the field. Students started to scream and scatter in every direction, their focus shifting from points to survival. ¡°What the fuck¡­!!!¡± A shadow figure covered the entire of Bakugo¡¯s entire figure, looking back, he sees something that was being brought straight out of a sci fi movie. A humongous robotic figure that surpassed the heights of the nearby buildings came out, moving at a slow pace but destroying everything in its path. ¡°The last one is called a 0 pointer. Just as the name implies, it has zero points and it goes berserk in tight corners or spaces. So best to run away and abandon any thought of engaging in battle.¡± Bakugo pauses, calculating his options. There wasn¡¯t to do here anymore, damn, was this really the end for him. His only chance to get to UA, shattered to complete pieces. Bakugo grimaced at his chances of passing. The writing part of the exam wasn¡¯t that difficult. If he gets a top high score, that might be able to boost his combat score. ¡°No point going after that thing. Just a waste of time.¡± He turns to leave when he hears a faint cry. Looking back, he sees it was the girl from earlier. Ochaco was trapped under a pile of debris, struggling to push herself free. Her eyes are widened in terror as she sees the robot approaching slowly but surely, getting closer with every second as it leaves trails of destruction in its wake. Bakugo looks around the panicking candidates that were running away from the robot, nobody was willing to go a radius near that thing. People were passing the girl and not even bothering to help her?! Was their survival more important than saving someone who will being smush on the ground?! But wait¡­ UA won¡¯t possibly let a student die in this exam. That¡¯s just unthinkable. He could just turn a blind eye to the situation and leave like the others. The pro heroes around will come ¡­right? ¡°Help!¡± Bakugo instantly freezes in his track. ¡°Someone please!¡± It seems like the world itself became stiff, everyone paused in their tracks as Bakugo looked at the terrified girl. ¡°Why are you here in the first place you damn nerd?!¡± ¡®Because you looked like someone who was in need of help.¡¯ Bakugo was already running to her direction, pushing against the horde of crowds that were running away from the danger. And he was running to it?! His brain was literally on autopilot as he propelled himself forward with explosive bursts to close the gap between them. As he reaches her, Ochako stares at him with both relief and bewilderment. ¡°B-Bakugo? What are you doing?¡± Trying to pull the debris away from her, it was proving a bit difficult with the other mass of weight around it. ¡°Saving you obviously!¡± His voice strained with effort. The robot was closing in faster, 35 meters to crushing the both of them. Bakugo gritted his teeth. ¡°Dammit¡­¡± He desperately looks for a way to free the girl, his best option was to use his quirk to blast off the debris around her. But it could hurt her as well. He really was out of options. ¡°Ochako!¡± ¡°Ye-yes?¡± ¡°Once I blast these scraps away, get ready to move!¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°Just fuck the fuck up and do as I say!¡± Ochako thinned her lips and nodded back. Bakugo braces himself, gripping the metal debris trapping her, then looks back at her. With a surge of strength, he blasted them away. ¡°Go now!¡± Ochako drags herself out, but collapsed as soon as she stood up. Bakugo was confused. ¡°What is it? You are free to go, get out of here!¡± ¡°My-My ankle¡­it¡¯s broken!¡± Bakugo¡¯s eyes widened to unimaginable lengths. ¡°WHAT?! AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!!¡± Now he was straight up panicking. The robot was now 20 meters near them! They had to leave! Now! Grabbing her as carefully as he can, he piggy backs her and tries to get out of the vicinity. He has never carried a person while using his quirk, it¡¯s now or never. Propelling himself slightly so as not to startle her, he reaches a considerable distance, but it wasn¡¯t enough as building parts starting to fall off from the robot¡¯s rampaging. Bakugo barely manages to get out of the way before a stray set of concrete fell on their way. Trapping them effectively. Bakugo and Ochako were cornered. And Bakugo doesn¡¯t know how to handle the situation, and it keeps getting worst. ¡°Recipro Burst!¡± Then all of a sudden, a gust of wind blew their way, destroying part of the concrete, stepping out of the mass of dust¡­ was Tenya Lida?! The glasses wearing teen rushed to Bakugo¡¯s side to access the situation. Bakugo was surprised at the unexpected guest. ¡°Glasses?! What the fuck are you doing here?!¡± Lida only looked at him with huffs of breaths, his move just now exerting his energy. ¡°Saving you obviously!¡± Bakugo would have almost smirked if not given the situation. He just got uno reversed. Lida looks at Ochako who Bakugo was still piggybacking. ¡°What happened to her?¡± ¡°Ankle broken. And if we don¡¯t get the living fuck out of here, then we will be royal fucked!¡± As much as Lida wants to reprimand the teen for his crude language, there was no time for that. The robot was getting unbearably closer, just a few feet between them and the zero pointer. ¡°Let me help you carry her!¡± ¡°Ha?! The fuck are you gonna do at a time like this?!¡± ¡°My quirk specializes in speed!¡± Lida gestured to his legs that were embedded with¡­engine?! Holy shit! This guy was a fucking vehicle! ¡°That way we can all get out of this unshattered!¡± Bakugo, seeing no point in arguing, he lifts Ochako off his back and into Lida¡¯s waiting arms. ¡°Get her to safety!¡± Bakugo said as he set his eyes fixated on the Zero pointer, the shadow growing darker around them. Lida, looking at what Bakugo was implying, tries to lure Bakugo¡¯s field of thinking away from that notion. ¡°Wait! Bakugo, that robot-¡± ¡°Is going down by my hands!¡± Lida and Ochako were shocked. He will take that behemoth down?! With what possibly?! ¡°I¡¯m not scared of this oversized tin can. Just get the hell away from here while you still can! And I mean it Glasses!¡± Bakugo¡¯s hand started to ignite with slight sparks of explosion. ¡°And mark my words, I¡¯ll take down this useless machine and be the number one hero!¡± Lida was stunned. Just who was this guy? Grimly nodding his head, he looks at Ochako who was protesting for Bakugo not to do anything of the sort. ¡°Bakugo¡­¡± Lida carries Ochaco away from the danger zone. ¡°Be careful, Bakugo¡± He says silently, praying for his victory. Bakugo gets a stand off with the robot that was edging closer, its three red eyes targeted on him. His hair sways in the air as the scarf around the air shields him from any burning heat or the clogging air. Holding the scarf with one arm, he looks down at the piece of Midoriya Izuku he had brought with him. He launches himself at the zero pointer, firing explosive his way to the giant robot. ¡°Deku¡­I hope from the afterlife¡­ you are watching me.¡± Chapter 6: The UA entrance exam (Part 3) Lida ran as far as he could, his feet pounding in the pavement as he etched closer and farther away from the zero pointer. Many had gotten a good distance away from the rampaging robot¡¯s direction, glad that they got out intact and not in pieces. Lida was already tiring for wear as he had used the last of his energy to get Ochaco out of danger. Speaking of said person, she had been awfully quiet for a while. ¡°¡­¡± Lida noticed her face was scrunched tight in pain, beads of sweat roll down her face. The teen gently placed her down on the floor and removed her shoe to inspect her injury, upon closer view he could see just how badly she was hurt. Ochaco¡¯s ankle had swollen to a painful purple bruise and to make matters worse a really disturbing accumulation of blood had taken place under one side of the broken ankle. If she doesn¡¯t seek medical attention on time, it could really transcend to something worse. Lida might not be a medical professional, but he knows what to do in this kind of situation. He doesn¡¯t have an ice patch so he had to settle with applying gauze to the fracture. Tearing a part of his already torn trouser, he placed the cloth placatedly on the swollen area. Despite being as gentle as he could be, Ochaco emits out whimpers as the cloth wraps around her ankle during small intervals. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t really have much on me to make this less painful.¡± Ochaco could only smile weakly at the speedster. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Thanks for helping me. That¡¯s really hero like of you.¡± Normally that would have made anyone happy for the appreciation, but deep down this made Lida feel all the more guilty. ¡°I¡¯m Ochaco by name, you?¡± ¡°¡­Lida.¡± Ochaco let out a soft hum. ¡°That¡¯s a nice name.¡± Any short moment of reprieve was cut short as they heard a resonating boom coming from the location of the zero pointer who had slowed down and was swatting its enormous hands at something. And that something was Bakugo, the person who is currently fighting that behemoth of a robot. Alone. All candidates swiveled their heads at the spectacle they were looking at from their distance. Many in awe while others in aghast at what they were witnessing. ¡°Woah, look at him go!¡± ¡°What is that guy thinking fighting such a thing like that?! He¡¯s crazy!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that robot will give him any points or anything¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s suicidal in my own opinion.¡± Many students started giving varying opinions on their situation right now. The gate entrance for the battle arena is still opened since the beginning. Lida looked at the gate way, he had a feeling that this wasn¡¯t supposed to be so. Isn¡¯t the gate not meant to be locked until the end of the practical exam? Or¡­ Was this a part of the exam? A test perhaps? The opened gate felt like a trap, or a welcoming invitation to leave the dangerous vicinity. A sweet fragrance attempting to attract the candidates into entering her sweet escape. Some had even started to give glances at the exit, already making second opinions on whether to leave or not. But Lida knew any better. Only the na?ve ones will leave, walking into the very trap that they are meant to avoid. Lida caught Ochaco from the glimpse of his eyes trying to get back up. ¡°Ochaco-san!-¡± He yelled in panic as he quickly set her down, firmly holding her shoulders as she was squirming in his grasp. ¡°What do you think you are doing?!¡± Ochaco shook her head in dismissal. ¡°Bakugo-He-He is still out there! We have to help him!¡± Lida protested greatly against her worry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but there isn¡¯t much we can do of right now.¡± He said in a low voice. ¡°But-¡± ¡°You can¡¯t seriously be thinking of going out there in your condition. What would you possibly do?!¡± The brown haired girl flinched at the harsh response, but it was true. Lida didn¡¯t really mean to say it that way, but at this moment there was actually nothing they could do at this point. He had used up the last of his engine leg¡¯s energy and several candidates likewise; but truth be told he knows that nobody wants to anywhere near that Zero pointer as it won¡¯t benefit them in anyway. Even him. ¡°We-we have to believe that the UA officials will do something about it¡­ and believe in Bakugo that he would win this fight.¡± Ochaco, albeit disappointed, knew Lida was right. ¡°You need to rest, Ochaco.¡± Not realizing that her eyes were dropping; ¡°I... hope so.¡±; eventually closing her eyes sleeping from her painful injury and fatigue. Lida watched as she drifted to sleep in his arm, a grim frown exceeding from his face and creasing his brows. ¡°That¡¯s really hero like of you¡± ¡®Gomen Ochaco-san. But I am no hero. I was only looking out for myself at the beginning of this exam. In all honesty, I never wanted to face that robot as I followed the crowd to run. Ignoring your cry of help when you were stuck. I thought I was finally like my big brother. To be different. But¡­¡¯ Lida looked at the direction of where Bakugo and the robot were facing off. Explosions and smoke filled the area, blinding the view of the ingoing combat. ¡®¡­the real hero, the one making the real difference¡­ is the one fighting right now for everyone¡¯s assured safety. Bakugo Katsuki. He is the one who really helped you, not me.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m such a coward.¡± Lida grimly berated himself. How will Tensei react to his actions today? He really wasn¡¯t ready to carry the mantle of his brother, no less his family legacy. The soft clanking of shoes on the pavement drew Lida out of his self loathing as it started to get closer towards his direction. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one who has been a coward lately.¡± Lida looked up at the owner of the voice and widened his eyes. The person didn¡¯t pay him too much mind to his reaction and continued to walk towards the disaster of a robot ahead of them. Towards the very thing Lida doesn¡¯t wish to go back to. ¡°Wa-wait! Where do you think you are going?¡± Lida asked in complete shock. How could anyone, much less him¡­go to face that thing. Especially this person in front of him. Lida narrowed his eyes narrowly. ¡°What are you playing at exactly¡­Shinsou?¡± Shinsou paused in his track and looked back at Lida who was still holding unto the sleeping Ochaco. ¡°To confront my past.¡± That was all Shinsou said before walking to the rising inferno of a battle ground, leaving a stupor Lida with his vague response. _____________ ¡°Shit!¡± Bakugo gritted out as he barely evaded the swaying hand of the zero pointer. Its three red eyes and small clustered ones zeroing in on him alone. The distraction had paid off as it had stopped its mad descent towards the front of the battle field, thereby giving any lingering candidate time to escape. ¡°1 more minute to go!¡± The blonde teen eyes widened to a fraction. Were these guys still seriously counting the time?! And 1 minute?! That was how long he still had been fighting this tin can!... It felt like he had been fighting longer than that. But if he doesn¡¯t do something about this oversized man craft, it would flatten the entire battle field. Bakugo stands a few meters apart from the Zero Pointer, his face set in grim determination. Dust and debris swirl around him as he braces his arms, already battered and shaking, for another assault. He propels himself into the air with a loud explosion from his hands, speeding towards the massive robot¡¯s face. The explosion propels him forward with searing power, leaving behind a cloud of smoke. He hurls himself at the Zero Pointer, aiming blasts at its head, joints, sensors and anything on site; trying to disable it in any way possible. But each blast seems to do little more than scratch the surface and make miniature burn marks now decorating its body. Bakugo frustrated at his lack of results sends a murderous glare towards the battle robot. ¡°Come on! Just go down already!¡± In response the zero pointer¡¯s red eyes seemed to brighten and swat its hand at Bakugo once more. Bakugo grits his teeth and ignites his Quirk again, arms strained and trembling. The heat of his explosions had started to burn his palms, leaving a dull ache in his bones, his consequence for over exerting his quirk for major fire power. But he opts to ignore it and push through the pain. His only reassurance at this point is counting the remaining seconds ticking at the back of his mind. He propels himself upward and shoots toward the Zero Pointer¡¯s shoulder joint, aiming to cripple one of its limbs. 25 more seconds¡­ Setting his already strained hand to his required target, Bakugo blasts it with as much power as he can muster. 20 more seconds¡­ ¡°Eat this!!!¡± Bakugo screams out as he detonates a huge explosion at the joint. Smoke filling the thick battle cladded air once more. The amputated limb pummels towards the ground creating a temporal earthquake, its red eyes starting to grow dim as the silhouette of the zero pointer finally gives way to shut down from mechanism failure. 10¡­9¡­8¡­7¡­6¡­5¡­4¡­3¡­2¡­1 ¡°AAAAAANNNDD TIME¡¯S UP!!!¡± Bakugo, although tired and exhausted, couldn¡¯t help but form a small grin on his face. A sign of victory etched on his face. Wearily sitting down on the rubble filled floor to catch his breath. He¡¯s done it. He has successfully faced a threat bigger than him, the first of many to come, but at the moment he doesn¡¯t care. Still¡­ ¡°14 points huh?¡± Bakugo whizzed out in a somber manner, the thought souring his mood quite instantaneously. He looks down at the scarf he still wore that contradicted the humid atmosphere; hot even. ¡°Better hope my papers carry through my admission huh Deku.¡± How does the saying go again? He lost the war but won the battle¡­ or was it the other way round??? The explosive quirk user just shook his head from clear exertion. He¡¯s overthinking things again. The teen proceeds to close his eyes and savor the quiet breeze now ventilating the battle worn environment as opposed to his probably future dilemma. For now, Bakugo feels a surge of triumph. And speaking of dilemma, said teen was currently oblivious to the small flickering and reviving light of the zero pointer¡¯s eyes. Within the binary coding embordering the Bot, a set of words flicker in and out, words that would certainly have caused a state a panic to anyone who read it. OVER-RIDING SYSTEM CODE. COMMENCING FAIL SAFE MODE. ERROR CODE 011325 UNHINGED RAMPAGE A set of target aim pointers locked in on the next available thing to destroy. Scanning a tired Bakugo resting just a few feet away near some demolished concrete rubbles. TARGET: NON-HOSTILE-------------ERROR PROMPT REWRITE <> TARGET: HOSTILE. {TARGET LOCKED. INITIATE NEUTRALIZATION OF HOSTILE TARGET} ____________________ A few seconds prior; Monitoring room If there was one word the pro heroes could all summon up. Is a big capitalized- ¡°-Damn. That kid surely got guts.¡± Present mic appraised as he whistled his astonishment. The others couldn¡¯t agree more. Nezdu hummed in satisfaction, his eyes tethering with restrained joy at the prospect of a student like this possibly coming into UA. ¡°The overall beauty of heroism is to have the will of sacrifice. Risking one¡¯s life to save another. Don¡¯t you agree, All might.¡± Nezdu turned to Yagi, who was watching the screen intently with a slight grim frown, making him appear a bit older than he looked. ¡°Young Bakugo is overexerting himself.¡± Yagi pointed out sternly and with palpable hints of worry. Nezdu looks back at the tensed up pro hero. ¡°If this keeps up, he will eventually damage his arm. Worse, scar it severely.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s his name¡­¡± The principal echoed out softly. His eyes kept watch of the timer displayed on an overall screen above the rest. And it was ticking down from the initial 10 minutes to 20 seconds left to spare. ¡°There¡¯s not really much to worry about. It¡¯s almost time up.¡± At the information the rest of the teachers raised their head and indeed, there was only few more seconds left. However, an almost blinding flash of light boomed from a screen retracting all the teachers¡¯ attention back to its massive screen. And who would have guessed; it was Bakugo¡¯s handiwork displaying on screen. Battle center B surveillance TV was officially everyone¡¯s favorite camera point view. From the screen, all could see the surge of power emitting from the teen as he successfully exploded away an arm of the zero pointer. The scene captivating as the life in the robot¡¯s eyes dimmed off, shutting down its system all at once. Immediately, the whole room roared with awe and applause of praise. Many teachers; pro heroes alike commending the efforts of the boy. ¡°Christ! This kid is something else!¡± ¡°Definitely a candidate of UA!¡± ¡°Wish he were in my department!¡± ¡°You wish!!¡± Teachers of several departments of UA already grappling for ways they could persuade the blonde haired teen to join their department. But ultimately, majority knew for sure he will likely end up in the heroes¡¯ course department, specifically the 1 A class. And the person fortunate; or in this case; unfortunate enough to have the honors¡­is none other than Aizawa. His best friend present mic could only give him a knowing sympathizing smirk to the brooding pro hero isolated from the others. Poor Aizawa. All he wants are fewer problem children in his department who will be pulling up this sort of heroic yet reckless stunts. (The ironic foreshadowing) Vlad King nodded his head his pride at the exquisitely brave act of the exam candidate. ¡°A fine protegee of Class 1 B indeed.¡± Sweat drops formed around the head of all individuals dwelling in the monitoring room, safe for Vlad King himself who was blissfully ignorant of the deadpanned looks aimed at him, crossing his arms with a smug on his face. ¡°He does realize that they haven¡¯t even designated final points result to determine if they will even be admitted or not.¡± Something like that along the lines of everyone there. The buzzer for the timer hit zero. On cue, Present mic yells out the ending of the exam¡­at the cost of many people¡¯s precious eardrums almost getting bust that is. Nedzu briefly closes his eyes in resolution. ¡°And that brings another exam of the year to an end. Now to shut off those Arena traps.¡± Cementos; the one nearest to the systems, pressed down the power off button. Humming in gratitude, Nezdu sets his eyes back on the surveillance screens. From Battle A-F, there were visuals of fatigued candidates. Some looking proud, others not so much while the rest started to converse among themselves. Every participant of this year¡¯s exam had put in their very best to complete their quest. They should be proud of themselves.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Now then-¡± ¡°Sorry to interrupt principal Nezdu. But we have a problem¡­A big one!¡± Cementos called out. The quiet easy going pro hero and teacher was never one to interrupt others or sound panicked, so this got the attention of many others as well as all might¡¯s. Nezdu stood from his custom made chair and rushed to Cementos¡¯ side; all might, Midnight and snipe shot following closely behind. ¡°What¡¯s the problem Mr Cementos?¡± The cement hero¡¯s index hand shakingly pointed to the blaring orange light that was flaring on one of the system¡¯s panels. One good read made Nezdu gasp in shock, like wise Midnight and Snipe shot. OVER-RIDE SYSTEM ENABLED. UNHINGED RAMPAGE Nezdu frantically turned to Cementos. ¡°Can¡¯t you stop this?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying¡­but the emergency shut down has been compromised!!!¡± All might, who was also looking around for any possible solution looked at the frenzied pro hero. ¡°Meaning¡­¡± ¡°The emergency lock isn¡¯t responding!¡± Cementos said as he emphasized on the system panels now showing different virus errors on the screen, extending to other screens as well. <> was boldly written in red warning notifications on every computer in the monitor room. ¡°Ah shit! Reckoned at a time like this?!!!¡± Snipe shot cussed. Midnight¡¯s normally calm aura exceeded dread at that moment. To make matters worse, the zero pointer had already started to move towards the tired blonde teen. ¡°The children¡­!¡± Turning around midnight barked orders to the pro heroes around. ¡°Hurry! Get to Battle center B and evacuate all students there!!!¡± Some were still confused at what was going on until Nezdu fully addressed the matter. ¡°The zero pointer designated to battle field center B has been over-ridden. Now it is out of control and won¡¯t stop flattening anything on its sight!!! Now go save those children¡¯s lives before it is too late!!¡± At the words of the distressed principal. Many sprung to action and began to rush their way towards the impending doom waiting for battle center B. Present mic taps a hand on Eraser head¡¯s shoulder, who was putting on his googles. ¡°Let¡¯s go Aizawa.¡± ¡°Yeah¡± Giving a grim nod they dashed to the arena with the other pro heroes. Nezdu turns to Yagi who was already buffering up to assume his muscle form, his usual grin withered to a thin lined version of his iconic smile. The number one pro hero was already taking his leave when Nezdu stopped him. ¡°All might-san. I think it would be best if you sit this part out.¡± All might was appalled at what the chimera principal was implying. ¡°Yo-You want me to sit this one out?! If I don¡¯t do something-then-then what is my being the number one hero for-!¡± ¡°I never said to sit this one out. I need you to help me get to the mainframe systems. That way if I can shut it down manually, this problem will be solved.¡± All might was at loss of words on that one¡­and confused. ¡°But I thought that machine stops the zero pointers. And now it¡¯s damaged.¡± All Might said as he indicated to the still flickering lights. Despite the given situation Nezdu gave out a heartfelt if not strained chuckle. ¡°All might, if there¡¯s one thing a genius must have. It is to always have a backup plan.¡± __________________ Battle Center B The mock battle exam has finally come to a close with the timer hitting zero. Several candidates having a relieved face of the prospect of the exams coming to an end. Slowly they made their way towards the gate entrance, chatting among themselves on the way. Their moment of peace was short lived as the gates instantly locked itself. Chaos and confusion erupted from all corners. Lida, who was currently carrying an unconscious Ochaco was worried. Was this still part of the test? But the exams have already ended¡­ So what was going on?! The speedster wasn¡¯t the only one in disarray as a lot of candidates seem to be in peril at their unexpected situation. Some even began to bang on the steel reinforced gates. ¡°Hey! Let us out of here!¡± ¡°Yeah what¡¯s the big deal UA! Aren¡¯t we done with the practical exams?!¡± As if the goddess of misfortune has a twisted sense of humor; which she does; a rumbling sound started to vibrate beneath everyone¡¯s legs. Looking back at the cause of the sound, all the candidates were in utter terror. Just at plain sight, a couple yards away from their current position, was the unforgettable silhouette of the Zero pointer. And it was heading their way! The banging on the gate became more frantic as some began screaming in fear. ¡°Please let us out!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± ¡°I still have a future ahead of me!¡± Lida was panicking. Hyperventilating at this point. Meanwhile Ochaco slightly stirred from her rest and groggily opened her weak eyes. ¡°Lida¡­What¡¯s going on?¡± Lida stiffened at the sound of Ochaco. Why was she awake now at a time like this?! Trying to put on a fake bravado, he looks down at the brunet and gently tries to tells her that everything was okay but the sounds of screaming was not helping. Fortunately, Ochaco only stayed awake for a few seconds before going back to sleep. A booming sound caught everyone¡¯s attention as they saw the zero pointer losing speed, like as if something was stopping it from fully advancing. The robot resuming swatting away at what was bothering its advances. And who would have guessed, it was still Bakugo using his quirk to stop the behemoth¡¯s rampage. Lida squinted his eyes a bit and noticed something really disturbing¡­ The explosives of Bakugo were weaker than before. _______________ Bakugo jolted from his rest when he felt the ground reverberate from under him. His groggy mind thinking it was just the wind. That was until he saw the incoming shadow of a huge hand. He looked up and nearly screamed form shock, with instantaneous reaction time he somersaulted out of the way propelled with his quirk. The Zero Pointer staggers slightly, and for a brief moment because of the loss of a limb. But the robot quickly recovers, its arm swinging toward him again with terrifying speed. Bakugo narrowly dodges, but the impact from the near-miss sends him spiraling through the air. He crashes into the ground hard, his shoulder slamming into a piece of debris. Pain shoots through his arm, sharp and excruciating. He tries to move it and winces, realizing that his left shoulder is dislocated. Bakugo gritted his teeth in pain. Ignoring the agony, Bakugo forces himself to his feet, his vision blurring from the strain. His right arm trembles as he raises it, sparks flickering weakly from his palm. With limited options, he has no choice but to fight this hunk of a robot. Bakugo lunges forward, still blasting away at the Zero Pointer, but his attacks are slowing down. His explosions are growing weaker with each use, and his body screams in protest. As if sentient, the Zero Pointer¡¯s eyes flash as it recalculates, recognizing Bakugo¡¯s diminishing strength. It swings its massive arm again, this time landing a hit directly on Bakugo. He¡¯s sent flying backward, crashing into the ground and skidding across the arena floor. Bakugo just lies there for a moment, every nerve screaming in pain. His vision dims, and he struggles to catch his breath. The ground rumbling as the robot began moving forward, towards him. Using immense effort, Bakugo looks up and catches sight of other examinees from a far distance. Wait¡­why weren¡¯t they running away? Using the minimal view he could glimpse in the distilled air; he saw the reason. The gate was shut closed. And they seemed to be trying to pry it open. Was this it? Is this really the end for him..? Why isn¡¯t UA doing something about this. Or are they being sent to their deaths prematurely? Or something had just gone horribly wrong¡­ The rumbles became louder in his ears, he looks back from his lying position and saw the red clustered eyes of the zero pointer, the smoke giving its silhouette a rather menacing appearance. Bakugo weakly drags himself with his hands, skittering in short spaces. ¡°No¡­ I¡­ I can¡¯t let it end here.¡± Bakugo said to himself weakly as he kept on crawling away. His hands scraping against the harsh debris, causing cuts on the hands as they stream flow of blood. It was painful, especially in his weakened state, but he kept crawling till his body suddenly gave way. Something soft had cushioned his grating with the floor, and that something was his scarf, some parts with specks of blood with the contact from his injured hand. Just at that moment; he starts to remembers Midoriya¡¯s face, that infuriatingly hopeful look. A memory surfaces from years ago¡ªa day he¡¯d found Midoriya¡¯s stupid hero notebook, full of quirk analyses, strategies, and ideas. As he lies on the ground, one specific note from Midoriya¡¯s book comes to mind. He had only skimmed the page back then, dismissing it as nonsense. But now, the words feel like a lifeline. In the memory, Midoriya¡¯s voice echoes, as if speaking directly to him. ¡°What the hell is this you damn nerd, why¡¯s my name in this book?!¡± ¡°I-I just thought your quirk was always cool¡­so I often write down quirks I thought were cool.¡± Bakugo just scoffs and looks at the book. Reading it with clear purpose to mock the nerd after this. But something caught his attention; a side note: Possible attacks: taking to the air, and then using explosions to propel in a circular motion to create a tornado. The ensuing twister will collect oxygen and momentum to fuel the subsequent explosion. Bakugo frowned his confusion and turned to the trembling Izuku. Using his scowl to hide his curiosity, he placed a hand filled with small plumes of explosives to make the nerd flinch. ¡°Explain what the hell am I looking at!¡± Izuku was confused at first until he read what Bakugo was emphasizing at. ¡°Yo-you see Ka-Kachaan; Your explosions are strong, Kacchan, but there¡¯s more you could do with them. If you build up the pressure and release it all at once¡­ you could make a massive blast. But you¡¯d need perfect control. Maybe, with practice, you could even fly¡­¡± Bakugo stares intently at the trembling mess of the quirkless piece of shit. He just removes his hand from the wall and flings the book at Deku¡¯s face. ¡°Tch. Who cares if you have an idea on my quirk, you¡¯ll never reach the likes of me.¡± Back in the present, Bakugo¡¯s eyes widen as he considers the idea. ¡°That damn nerd¡­ He always had these dumb ideas¡­¡± But he feels a flicker of hope, clinging to that memory. Bakugo realizes that he doesn¡¯t have much left in him¡ªhis only chance is to try Midoriya¡¯s idea. Well, something is always better than nothing. Bakugo drags himself up, blood trickling down his face. His left arm hangs limp, but he raises his right hand, focusing every ounce of energy he has left. His hand trembles as he channels his Quirk, forcing his sweat to gather, building up more and more fuel for one final explosion. ¡°Alright¡­ if this is gonna work, I have to go all out. Just one shot¡­¡± Bakugo muttered to himself as he gauged the distance between him and the zero pointer. The Zero Pointer lumbers forward, each step shaking the ground. Bakugo steadies his stance, ignoring the pain that wracks his body. With a fierce growl, he propels himself into the air, spiraling towards the robot¡¯s head. As he gathers energy, he feels his arms nearly giving out, his muscles straining to their limits. ¡°Come on¡­ just a little more¡­!¡± He reaches the robot¡¯s face, and with a roar of defiance, he unleashes everything in one cataclysmic blast. Remembering the name he saw in Deku¡¯s note, he screams in all fury, both in pain and determination. ¡°HOWITZER IMPACT!!¡± A massive explosion erupts, a blinding light that engulfs the Zero Pointer. The force of the blast is so immense that it rips through metal, tearing apart the robot¡¯s head and upper torso, leaving it mangled and sparking. Bakugo is thrown back by the shockwave, crashing to the ground, barely conscious. Bakugo lies on the ground, his chest heaving from exhaustion, every breath a painful effort. His left arm is immobile, his right barely able to twitch. But as he looks up at the destroyed robot, a faint smirk forms on his face. ¡°Hah¡­ I did it¡­ I actually¡­ did it.¡± Bakugo said to himself weakly, triumph clearly written in his features. He allows himself a moment of victory, but his body quickly reminds him of the damage he¡¯s sustained. The pain returns, sharper and more intense, but he doesn¡¯t regret it. That was until the whirring sound of something caught his sight, and it was heading his way. A falling piece of the robot came crashing at a frightening rate to his direction. Bakugo¡¯s body would not respond to him, too tired to even do shit. Shit, shit, shit!!! Was he going to die now, after everything?! The metal piece was a few feet from the air towards him. The force not slowing down. ¡°Dammit!!!-¡± The metal piece came to a close stop, inches away from his head. Bakugo opened his eyes to look at what stopped it from crushing his head. There a few meters away, was an examinee using his quirk to stop its descent. His quirk must probably be telekinesis, but the look on his face was very blank, the pupils white like a lifeless doll. There was only one fucker responsible for this¡­ ¡°Need some help, Bakugo?¡± A teen with purple hair came to few. Bakugo glares up at him, still breathing hard. How dare this person show up his face after the shit he pulled on him. ¡°I don¡¯t need your help, Brainwasher.¡± Bakugo hisses, trying to put up an angry front even with his pain. But the teen didn¡¯t seem too bothered and the sneer directed to him. ¡°Look, I know you hate me right now. But if you want to get out of here, you¡¯re gonna need it.¡± True, he needs serious help but he refuses to give in. But alas, Bakugo considers it, seeing that he is barely able to stand. He nods grudgingly, and Shinsou motions for the examinee beside him to help carry the blonde up. Bakugo gives a side wary glance at Shinsou who was helping to carry him by the other shoulder. That¡¯s his dislocated one. ¡°Oi-¡± ¡°-I know. I don¡¯t bite.¡± Bakugo looks back at the current victim of his Brainwashing and is still not comfortable with Shinsou helping him. The teen seemed to notice Bakugo¡¯s glare at him and turns to him. ¡°What? I¡¯m using my quirk for the greater good.¡± Bakugo gives him a hard look, then sighs. ¡°Don¡¯t think we¡¯re friends now or anything.¡± Shinsou chuckles softly. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect us to be. But¡­ thanks. For showing me what being strong actually means.¡± Bakugo says nothing, but something shifts in his gaze. He stares off, feeling a strange sense of peace. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s more to strength than I thought¡­¡± Bakugo says to himself quietly said before his body gave way from exhaustion and pain, falling into the arms of unconsciousness. ¡°Bakugo¡­Baku¡­¡± Shinsou¡¯s voice died down like the depths of the underwaters, as Bakugo finally closed his eyes without realizing it. _______________ Outside of Battle center B, teachers and pro heroes alike were rushing down to the catastrophic arena of a battle field. It had taken some minutes but they had finally arrived. However, on reaching there the entrance gates were sealed shut. They were baffled; was the virus also responsible for this? Present Mic stole a glance at Eraser head and saw that he had a grim look on his face. This certainly is not looking good. To top it off the students are panicking inside already and the sounds of explosions and mass wreckage not making things any more easier; their fears will soon to turn to reality if they don¡¯t do something about this. Yashi knows there has to be a way to get past this current situation, what they need right now is to get through this damn door. His quirk was not suited for this kind of things, true it has the capability to disarray people¡¯s eardrum and do some damage. But against UA defensive doors¡­ Cementos had already started to use his cement quirk to slowly pry off the hinges at a very slow and painful rate. Each second passing the screams became more frantic and the explosions roaring with new octaves. Snipe shot was shooting at the door hinges hoping to ease the cement hero¡¯s strain, only for the bullets to bounce back at random projectiles. The gunslinger letting out a curse at his failure. ¡°Nezdu certainly knows how to make security a real pain in the ass.¡± Present Mic brows furrowed from thinking, what could he do now? ¡°You can start by telling the screaming kids to calm down.¡± A dry response came his way. The mic hero¡¯s head swiveled to Aizawa¡¯s position. How he heard his thought he doesn¡¯t know, but Aizawa was a goddamn Genius. Wanting to alleviate the tension around the air, present Mic let out a slight embarrassed laugh, almost forgetting he had a voicing quirk to relay information¡­loudly. ¡°Eh¡­right¡± Setting his vocals to the maximum, he yelled out to the trapped students. ¡°EVERYBODY! I NEED YOU ALL TO CALM DOWN IMMEDIATELY! HELP HAS ARRIVED¡± From inside he could hear the sound of relief from various individuals. Some asking of that was present mic while others happy that they will be saved. Speaking of save, the hinges had pulled off to a sizeable amount and with the help of Vlad King¡¯s blood curdle; the doors gave way to a good proportion. There inside the battle center, were candidates who had packed themselves to the front of the gate and some even falling down as soon as the gate gave way. Seeing that they were finally free, the students began to push themselves out of the gate and nearly knocking themselves over like a pack of dominos. Electoplasm and Midnight helped to organize and guide the fleeing students out of harm¡¯s way as more kept on flooding outside. Until there was a blue haired boy carrying a girl, and from the looks of it she is in pain. Vlad King rushed to their side and helped carry the frail teen to the floor as gently as possible, screaming out for immediate medical assistance. Medics checked up on the unconscious teen and any injured student who needed help. ¡°Wait, where¡¯s recovery girl?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­We were kind of in a hurry, so¡­ we might have forgotten that we had to wait for her.¡± Aizawa did a mental headcount and realized that someone was missing. No, two were missing in fact. Two potential problem children. If they weren¡¯t here, then that would mean¡­ Aizawa quickly bolted straight for the entrance gate, panic surging within. Present Mic sees the erasure quirk user running into the Battle center fray and follows him. ¡°Hey ¡®zawa, wait up!¡± Running along to catch up with him. The two pro heroes came to a stop as soon as they entered the faux battle ground, and neither of them were prepared at what they were about to witness. A blinding flash of explosive light caught their attention as well as the candidates and pro heroes outside. Then more surges of explosions followed, roaring to life as it clustered together. Aizawa and Eraser head had to cover their eyes so as to prevent temporary blindness but they were still at the mercy of the waves of heat coming off from the explosions. The air around them suddenly turned congealed, thick black smokes coming out from the aftermath of the outrageous firework of explosives. Then the sound of scraping metal and a loud thud filled the arena, before everything went quiet again. Aizawa and present mic gave each other contemplating looks, silently asking if they should approach further or wait this out. The heroes didn¡¯t have to dwindle too much from their decision as they heard footsteps approaching their way, though it sounded like it was taking effort as the tapping didn¡¯t sound like the rhythmical one of walking. Stepping out of the fray was three figures. One was a random candidate, who had a rather distant look in his eyes and the other two was Shinsou and Bakugo. However, the condition of the latter made the two pros run towards their direction. Shinsou and the other candidate was carrying Bakugo; who was with heavy injuries; by the arms. Their steps a bit cautious as they tried not to aggravate the wounds of the blonde teen. Aizawa and Present Mic came to a stop at their front and took over to carry Bakugo. Trying to be as gentle as possible, Aizawa carried the unconscious teen bridal style, his arms dangling from the position. A frown was plastered on his face as he viewed the extent of the wounds; one arm was angled in the wrong way, most likely dislocated or broken and the other one was twitching subconsciously; the pigment of the forearm heavily discolored from obvious excessive use of quirk. Their delay had brought about more arrivals of pro heroes and even some students peeking in, curiosity outmatching their fear. Gasps and awes filled the mouth of every person that was entering the premises, making Aizawa raise his eyebrows at the gaping mouths of everybody. A frantic tugging at his sleeve made him look back at present Mic and saw that even he too had his mouth hanging open, like a fish plopped out from water. ¡°Aizawa, you might want to take a look at this.¡± Present mic called out to him. Aizawa was getting annoyed, what could be more important than a critically wounded student? Repressing a grunt, he turned back at what everybody was looking at¡­and his eyes widened at the sight. The faux villain; Zero pointer; is totally wrecked, if that was one way to put it. The entire upper torso of the robot is completely destroyed to oblivion, leaving sparks of short circuited wires and the rolling tyers of the feet. Small residual smokes escaping from the insides. Examinees and pro heroes looked back and forth at the unconscious teen in Aizawa¡¯s arms and the smoking heap of the zero pointer. ¡°Did he just¡­ take out the Zero Pointer by himself?¡± Midnight said out in complete disbelief. The arena falls silent as the other examinees stare, some in awe, others in fear, at the sheer destruction Bakugo has caused. Among the hoard of growing crowd, Lida stood in silence. His gaze settled unto Bakugo and Shinsou. Aizawa stares at the wreckage and at Bakugo, a ting of respect aimed at the soundly sleeping teen. Present Mic grabs hold of his shoulder, giving him a wry smile. ¡°Well ¡®Zawa, you¡¯ve got a lot of work set for you.¡± Aizawa just kept on looking, his mind processing on what to say. ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± His eyes set back to Bakugo. ¡°Not bad¡­for a problem child.¡± reckless¡­ but impressive. ________________ All might and Nezdu have finally arrived at where the mainframe system was stationed. It had taken a lot; and I mean LOTS; of turns and hallways to get there. Even with his super speed, it had taken a bit longer than he thought. Seriously, just how much security measures have the principal taken since his graduation from UA?! All might set the chimera principal down as he scrambled to where the system was. On getting there they both realized something was wrong, terribly wrong. The machines assembled together; the things that form the mainframe system; is destroyed. To put it more accurately¡­it was in ashes; decayed infact. Like something had burnt the system entirely. ¡°Could it be that it caught fire?¡± All might asked Nezdu. The principal was awfully quiet, and all might could sense the lingering tension in the air. ¡°Nezdu-san¡­¡± ¡°Someone. Is responsible for this mishap.¡± The principal said in a cold stilled way, very uncharacteristic of the cherry principal. ¡°There is no scent of any trace of smoke or circuit failure. That I can tall with my nose.¡± This made All might¡¯s hair stand on edge. For something to make even Nezdu angry¡­ ¡°But¡­who could be responsible for this?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. But that person, or group, mean no good will for doing this.¡± The furry¡¯s hands clenched tightly into fists, if care is not taken his claw could tear open his palm. All might cautiously tapped the principal¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Uh, Nezdu-san¡­¡± The principal calmed his agitated nerves by huffing out a pent out heavy sigh. His small onyx eyes lay unto All might¡¯s quaint blue¡¯s. ¡°Let¡¯s head back before-¡± A ringing of a cell phone interrupted the two individuals. Nezdu picks up the phone and is relieved to hear that the students have been evacuated. What¡¯s even more surprising is that someone has stopped the zero pointer. ¡°Young Bakugo defeated the robot ?!¡± All might said in bewilderment. Nezdu nods in affirmation. ¡°That boy is really something else Yagi.¡± Despite everything, All Might couldn¡¯t help but smile with a broad grin on his face as eyes gleaming with pride. ¡°He indeed showed the heart of a hero today.¡± Nezdu hums in agreement, but his eyes still wonder back to the mystery at hand, the decayed mainframe systems. If it isn¡¯t fire, or power failure, then who is responsible for this? ______________ In a laboratory filled with different apparatus and various sets of upright capsule, just beneath showcasing grotesque figures of abhorrent beings. Many had their brains exposed while some were still in the making. However, one stands out as the unique one among them all. In the dimly lit lab of Doctor Garaki, the air was thick with the hum of machinery and the scent of antiseptic. Tubes and wires stretched like the veins of some twisted organism, connecting to the large containment pod in the center of the room. Inside floated Void, his powerful frame suspended in a viscous green liquid, his eyes closed as he remained in a state of stasis. Garaki was meddling with some panels, showcasing the vitals and stats of the submerged nomu, humming with satisfaction at the stable procedures going smoothly. And at the far end of the lab, was a chair isolated from the tubes and wirings. This one rather has medical equipments attached to it. An IV slowly dripping its liquid down the body of a shadowed body. The person, had many small tubes attached to the body. Like a life line, they couldn¡¯t be removed because they helped to stabilize his body. His head a disturbing sight as the eyes were nowhere to be seen, hollow even as the face was an accumulation of scarring tissues that were prominent in its features. An oxygen mask covered half of the face. Even with his condition, the person seemed to be relaxed as he had his hand on his head. The other tapping on his lap. This man, the underdog ruler of evil, is all for one. The enemy of the symbol of peace himself. ¡°Doctor. Any reports yet.¡± The person asked, his voice gravely deep and ominous. Garaki turned to all for one. ¡°The alterations are responding steadily my Lord.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± The soft hum of machinery ringing in the dark laboratory. A portal came swirling to life, reforming back to a human figure was Kurogiri. All for one¡¯s hollow eyes settled at the new entry. A wistful smile forming on his face. ¡°Ah Kurogiri, I see you are back.¡± Kurogiri gave a slight curt bow to the master of darkness with his hands professionally clamped to his back. ¡°Master..¡± ¡°I believe the sabotage of that meddling school¡¯s exam was a success?¡± All for one asked. ¡°True. Unfortunately, there was nobody to retrieve or any dead candidate to bring back.¡± This made all for one¡¯s face to contort to a deep frown. Garaki seemed to take this more personally. ¡°No dead body huh? That would have been useful to create more nomus.¡± ¡°There is one person you will be interested in.¡± Kurogiri said. ¡°Oh? And which is..?¡± ¡°The quirk of the child Katsuki Bakugo. His quirk is very powerful.¡± All for one was thinking who that person was, until it picked to him. ¡°Oh. Midoriya¡¯s childhood friend correct?¡± Kurogiri was a bit surprised but didn¡¯t show it. ¡°You know of this person Void was formerly associated with, master?¡± ¡°Oh I know everything of Void¡¯s past life. Even the day he was born¡± Kurogiri found that sentence cryptic. Master knows useful information of a target, from allies to those useful to create to nomus. But this one is a bit¡­unusual. He believes master is hiding something but has no right to push further or ask. Garaki was grumbling about the failure to retrieve the dead body. ¡°Still a waste in my opinion.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry doctor, there is always next time to get our opportunity.¡± All for one turns to the sleeping Void in the tank, his body submerged into the green liquid filled tank. ¡°Don¡¯t you agree with me, Izuku-kun.¡± Chapter 7: Ones path It has been¡­ how long now exactly? 4, 7, 11 hours now? He¡¯s not entirely too sure. But if there is one thing Void is certain of; is that he will consider breaking the hand of that short pint scientist. Because the damn doctor had been scraping his finger on the capsule he has been inside for God knows how long. It is not necessarily the electricity jolt activation that had awaken him, it is rather subconsciously the grating sound of contact. More specifically, skin contact. Void thinks that he might have serious internal bleeding soon, because he feels the accumulation of bulging veins around his temple and neck as his eyebrows dim with frustration. Every drag of the doctor¡¯s fingers is increasing the old fart high likelihood of getting a fractured hand. Tap, tap, tap. Deciding to finally open his eyes, he sees the very face he wishes not see first thing in the morning. Garaki¡¯s petulant hands were on the glass frame, imprints of his fingers plastered on it due to his very much unwanted disturbance. The old man was waving his hands at the submerged nomu, his wrinkled face crinkling with a smile that might very much be on the edge of creepy. As expected, Void doesn¡¯t respond to his greeting instead opts to settle his glowing green eyes at the mad scientist¡¯s face. ¡°Void-kun. Are you awake?¡± A very much obvious question that didn¡¯t need any answer. ¡°Void-Kun?¡± His voice sounded like it was distant due to him being in the tank, adding more layers of grating irritation of the doctor¡¯s already gruffy voice. Void kept his contact on the doctor¡¯s face for a while until he shifted his gaze to the control panels then back at the doctor¡¯s; conveying a short message. ¡°Ah, right.¡± Garaki, understanding what the nomu was signaling about, reached for the release button and pressed it down. All the viscous green liquid in the tank were sucked up to a drain hole below before the glass gave way its opening, allowing the hulking figure himself to step out of it. Void cracked his stiff neck and sour body, relishing from being kept in that stasis position for a long while. ¡°You know, it¡¯s not really nice to ignore someone who is asking for your well being¡­¡± Then again, Void is still not listening to him as his neck gave a popping sound of bones when he craned it sideways. The sentient nomu¡¯s attention shifted to his new cloths on a table not too far away from him, his legs began walking towards there. Void quickly dressed up to his new makeover; a grey sleeveless tank top with black overall baggy trousers. But before he could wear his accustomed black hoodie, he realized something was wrong as he gazed at the written imprint on the grey tank top¡¯s front: ¡°#1 Doctor favorite¡±. That needed to be fixed, pronto. His sharp green eyes landed on the doctor¡­whose body was all of a sudden inches away from his. ¡°So do you like it? I customized it myself.¡± Garaki said with pride, very much aware of how displeased his creation was. The doctor knew that Void resented his usual antiques of trying to ¡°bond with his creation¡±, but he wouldn¡¯t stop until Void loves him back; that¡¯s the way how it is supposed to be. So how would the nomu reciprocate his love back? Simple, Void did the best thing that he could think of, re-wearing the tank top the wrong way; inside out. Satisfied with getting the ridiculous tag on his cloth out of sight, he wore the black hoodie over the grey tank top. The doctor was displeased but he couldn¡¯t care anymore less. Lastly, and certainly not the least in his opinion, was his metal mouthguard. Void¡¯s large hands reached out to the mouthguard and clamped it in place over his mouth; hiding his scarred lips and most especially hiding those freckles that plagued him to no end for some reason. ¡°How long was I out exactly?¡± Void¡¯s deep voice resonated around the facility. Garaki gave Void a sour look then huffed with sadness. All the time¡­ ¡°Well you have been out for approximately 18 hours to be exact.¡± ¡°Modifications?¡± ¡°I have been able to combine a quirk called sight with your analysis quirk. Now you can be able to see the quirk a person possesses as well as some relatable data of the person¡¯s biometrical structures¡­ or something close to that.¡± Void raised an eyebrow at what the doctor, who currently is flipping through his clipboard in hand, was referring about. ¡°Are you certain about that?¡± Void asked, his stoic cold voice tinged with curiosity. ¡°See for yourself.¡± Void turned to the doctor and to his surprise immediately self activated on its own, showing the quirk the scientist possessed as well as some other information he couldn¡¯t quite place. Lights akin to heat signatures surrounded the body of the old man with varying colors, ranging from red which shows the body¡¯s major heat source to lesser regions that give off the color blue. He could even see pinpoints of where Garaki¡¯s quirk was surrounding his body. Then there was the dwindling activity of cells and arteries around the locomotive limbs; something that intertwines well with Garaki¡¯s quirk and its function. QUIRK: LIFE FORCE The quirk status resonates well with what he is looking at. Useful quirk¡­ ¡°The quirk sight has the ability to see internal structures of an individual¡¯s biology up to molecular levels if concentrated on deeply, and combined with your analysis quirk that helps you know the quirk of someone and its weakness you can easily be able to evaluate a person¡¯s quirk far more easily.¡± Garaki explained as Void examined himself for further testing. And indeed, he could see the internal structures of himself and where his quirks were flowing in him. That was until his vision blurred and an intense migraine found its wat to his skull, forcing him to abruptly shut off the reformed quirk. ¡°Oh by the way it would be best not to use it for extended period of time. You might experience mental strain.¡± Garaki said as he saw the pained expression of the nomu. Void¡¯s blurry gaze set on Garaki with an angry stare. ¡°And you didn¡¯t bother to tell me in the first place?¡± Garaki shrugged off the question, ¡°I wanted you to learn about the quirk first, then overuse repercussions set in. You should have catch up by now, you are an intelligent nomu afterall. The first of your kind¡­¡± Void glared at the scientist. ¡°I know that already. Stop reminding me of the obvious.¡± Garaki looked intently at Void¡¯s reaction. A devious idea popped to his mind. Two can play that game. ¡°Oh I know¡­¡± A delirious smile craned its way to his mouth. ¡°¡­Kyusei.¡± The name addressed to Void made him snap in anger as he grabbed the collar of the scientist, crouching down to his eye level. ¡°Don¡¯t. Refer. To. Me. As. That. Name. Again¡± Every word punctuated with suppressed venom, his hands tightening around the collar of the lab coat he had unfavorably grown accustomed to seeing on a daily if not weekly basis. Garaki chuckled, clearly unfazed at the sudden outlash, like he had been expecting that to happen. ¡°Why not? It¡¯s the name I gave you before you were soon called Void by the public. A name that reflects your perfection- my Kyusei. You should take pride in it.¡± Void¡¯s expression darkened, and a low growl rumbled in his chest. ¡°You are threading on thin ice. Doctor.¡± His jaw tightened under the metal mouthguard, his body shaking from the tremendous amount he had to do to ensure he didn¡¯t just end Garaki¡¯s life then and there. ¡°You resent the name? You resent what it means? But you are Kyusei. You are high above all the nomus I have created throughout the years. An accumulation of years¡¯ worth of research spent on you, you should be honored boy. You¡¯re the ultimate Nomu. My masterpiece.¡± This only made the hold on Garaki¡¯s labcoat tighter, Void¡¯s other massive hand shot out to his neck. It was done with such force that the clipboard clattered to the ground. Void lifted the doctor off his feet effortlessly, bringing him face to face with his glowing green eyes, now blazing with fury. ¡°Tell me Garaki. What makes you think that I won¡¯t snap your neck this instant. The offer is really tempting you know.¡± For the first time, a flicker of unease crossed Garaki¡¯s face, but it was quickly replaced by his usual smirk. ¡°You seem to be forgetting your place, Kyusei¡± He taunted, his voice maddeningly calm despite the situation. ¡°You are a nomu, just with your brain intact. You are master¡¯s nomu; You are my nomu.¡± Void¡¯s grip tightened, his knuckles whitening as the rage boiled within him. He drew the hand from the collar back and curled his fingers to a fist, ready to strike. But before he could, pain exploded through his body. The metal nek brace around his neck emitted a deafening crackle as volts of electricity coursed through him. Void roared in pain as his body convulsed violently. His grip on Garaki slackened, and the doctor fell flat on his ass and stumbled back. He adjusted his coat with a smug grin as Void crumbled to his knees, the electricity forcing him into submission. ¡°You forget yourself, Void.¡± Garaki said, revealing a remote he had in his pocket now on display on his hand. The very thing responsible for the electrification. ¡°You may be my favorite creation, but I will not tolerate rebellion. You exist because of me. Without me, you are nothing.¡± Void writhed on the floor, the glow in his eyes dimming momentarily as the electricity subsided. He gritted his teeth, panting heavily as humiliation and anger swirled in his chest like a storm. He wanted to tear Garaki apart, to end the mad man who relishes in his agony during his so called modifications. Like he was some sort of weapon, a tool with no feelings. But he couldn¡¯t, because master says so. He is a tool, a nomu with just a better upgrade. Nothing more, nothing less. Whatever master says is right. But this. This man standing in front of him, is just the apprentice of master. Hiding behind master and using that as leverage to think he can just command him like master does. He has no power, just a senile short man who master dimmed important enough to stay by his side. He is a coward because he can¡¯t control him like master can, using cheap shots to get his way. The door hissed open, and a new figure stepped into the room. All for one¡¯s imposing presence filled the space, his voice smooth yet commanding. ¡°What seems to be the issue here, Doctor?¡± Garaki turned to him, bowing slightly. ¡°Just a minor outburst, my lord. It seems our Void is still struggling to fully embrace his purpose.¡± All for one¡¯s gaze shifted to Void, who had managed to push himself to his knees, his head bowed low. ¡°Is that so?¡± All for one inquired as his shoes stepped closer to where Void was kneeling, every step echoing like the drums of finality, making Void¡¯s breathing slightly spike up. He could see master¡¯s two legs at the front of him coming to a stop. Even with the obvious height difference, the shadow of master makes him feel little and small compared to the aura of authority master carries in his presence. ¡°Void, explain yourself.¡± All for one said, his tone calm yet laced with shimmering mix of menace and frozen disappointment. Void¡¯s hulking body tensed, his body automatically forcing itself to look smaller as he bowed lower, his forehead nearly touching the ground. ¡°I apologize, master¡­¡± He said, his voice straining from the uneasy feel he is getting from master¡¯s penetrating stare on his bent back (Even if he doesn¡¯t have an eye for that: lol). ¡°¡­It won¡¯t happen again. I was acting out of foolishness master.¡± ¡°See that it doesn¡¯t happen again.¡± His voice cold and authoritative. ¡°You are my weapon, Void. My sword in the dark. Any sign of rebellion is a sign of failure, and you know very well I do not tolerate failure.¡± Void¡¯s glowing eyes remained fixed on the floor as his master¡¯s words pierced through him. ¡°Yes master.¡±, he whispered. Silence was all that remained for a while. Void didn¡¯t dare lift his head up. Does master see his answer not convincing? Or had he said something wrong? Thoughts raced through his mind as master hadn¡¯t moved from his front. That was when All for one crouched down and placed a hand on Void¡¯s hair and ruffled it a bit, the nomu involuntarily flinching; thinking master wanted to punish him. The reaction from Void only made All for one chuckle. ¡°Ah Void, I¡¯m not angry at you. Not anymore. You can raise your head now.¡± Void hesitantly raised his bowed head, slouching his back so as not to dwarf his master who was kneeling slightly above his face level, a soft smile was on his face. Like a father looking down at his son, or in this case; a master tenderly looking at his creation. ¡°You might have setbacks at times, but-¡± All for one¡¯s arms reached out to wrap around Void¡¯s massive back, giving him a hug. Void stiffened a bit but was calmed by the warm hand that held his head in the hug, his master comforting him reassuringly. ¡°-You are also my greatest creation. You have exceeded every expectation I had, my dear Void. I love what you¡¯ve become. I love the weapon you are.¡± All for one voice laced with sickening affection. Void¡¯s eyes widened slightly at the praise. Despite everything-the pain, the anger and humiliation he got from Garaki¡¯s assault-he couldn¡¯t help the faint spark of something that stirred within him. Satisfaction and happiness. A twisted sense of pride, his conditioned heart clung to those words like a lifeline, as if they somehow validated his existence. ¡°Master¡­¡± His cold stoned heart clung to the praise his master gave to him. His master¡¯s word was final. His master¡¯s word is always true. His master was everything to him. All for one stood again, turning his back to Void as he spoke. ¡°Don¡¯t let this mistake weigh on you. You performed your mission flawless. That hero you eliminated had been a thorn to society for far too long. You¡¯ve proven yourself time and time again Void. You are truly remarkable.¡± Void¡¯s hands which had been trembling moments ago, stilled. The anger and humiliation began to fade, replaced by a cold hollow pride. ¡°Thank you master.¡± He said, his voice quiet but steady. Garaki watched the scene with a knowing smile, his gnarled hands folding behind his back. The rebellion that surged inside Void a moment ago had been extinguished easily with a few carefully chosen words by his Lord. As much as Void hated the name Garaki had given him, as much as he despised being reminded of what he was, the control All for one held over him was absolute. That alone showing just how manipulative All for one can be. Using a telepathy quirk, All for one called for Kurogiri to open a warp gate. The reply instantaneous as a purple spiral swirled in front of the three occupants in Garaki¡¯s lab. ¡°I believe that should be your exit. Take some rest Void. You have earned it.¡± All for one said. Void rose slowly to his feet, the pain from the earlier shock still coursing through him but ignored it. His glowing eyes were cold, devoid of the fury they held minutes earlier. He bowed deeply to All for one. ¡°I will not fail you again.¡± All for one smiled, satisfaction well hidden in his voice. ¡°I know you won¡¯t, Void. You are perfection itself.¡± Void bowed his head one more time as he headed for the warp gate, but not before secretly giving Garaki a side glare, something Garaki himself didn¡¯t miss. The nomu¡¯s hulking figure disappeared as the gate closed, transporting back to the bar hideout. Doctor Garaki looked up at his Lord, a small sense of uncertainty cross his face. ¡°I hate to disagree with you my Lord, but Kyusei hasn¡¯t reach the near perfect state you claimed for him to be.¡± All for one¡¯s hollow eyes settled on Garaki, ¡°True. That¡¯s why his next test will ensure for him to become that.¡± The overlord of evil turned around to leave the vicinity, going deep into the lab where the nomus were being kept in their containers, Garaki following suite to catch up to where his lord was going. ¡°Another combat test? But he had completed that months ago. Now all he does is training against the other nomus, and none of them can put a scratch on him.¡± The doctor said as they walked side by side, carefully avoiding wires or anything that could trip them as they passed through hordes of capsules holding variety of nomus. Reaching further down the lab, they entered another section that had nomus that looked unique; each one with a dark blue coloring, exposed brain and some red scars on their body; their capsules even showing it as the viscous liquid preserving the submerged nomus were purple instead of the usual green or greyish color. They were dubbed as High end Nomus by Doctor Garaki himself as these said beings had more quirks than all nomus in the low, middle and high tier. Although their sentience was more than all nomus classified before, it falls short drastically in comparison to Void¡¯s own. Making Void all the more unique and an enigma even if he wasn¡¯t in the high end nomu tier as his own quirks unfortunately fell short to a regular high end nomus¡¯, hence he is still lacking in become the ultimate perfect nomu. Ironic how he is dubbed the ultimate creation but still fell short on the necessary amount of quirks like the high ends. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°What about these high ends. Is one ready for testing already?¡± Garaki shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m afraid none are ready for the testing stage yet. And hood is nowhere near completion. There are still some quirks I desire to add to the nomu.¡± All for one¡¯s face turned to curiosity. ¡°Oh, and what would that be?¡± Garaki lit up with delight as he told All for one the quirks he wished to acquire. All for one¡¯s face was in surprise despite his composure. ¡°You still wish to acquire Erasure?¡± Garaki nodded his head in affirmation. ¡°The deceased body¡¯s quirk that formed Kurogiri is okay¡­but I¡¯ve always preferred the Erasure quirk more.¡± ¡°Remember doctor, Eraser head is no longer a child that you can easily find a way to kill. It was luck that he was out for his hero internship during that day, he is a full grown man with experience at his side. Capturing him won¡¯t be easy.¡± Garaki knew fully well what All for one was implying, but he couldn¡¯t give up on the possibility that he could still acquire erasure. He must get his hands on it as soon as possible. But there is always the next best thing if he can¡¯t have what he desire. ¡°I know my lord, so that¡¯s why I can settle for the other one.¡± All for one was impressed by the doctor¡¯s tactical mind. True Erasure is extremely powerful as it can easily negate quirks, the other one however¡­made erasure look like child¡¯s play. ¡°I¡¯m impressed you have thought that far doctor. But how will you acquire the two pro heroes¡¯ quirk. The other one will be much more difficult to get than Erasure you know.¡± ¡°I know my Lord. But that¡¯s a risk I am willing to take.¡± The two villains kept discussing as they headed to the end of the large facility room holding the high ends. Another room awaited at the end. All for one turned the knob and entered the dark room, the only thing illuminating the place was the small led lights and monitors that were stationed there. Garaki followed closely behind, looking ahead at what All for one had his sight on. ¡°By the way doctor, how has this one been doing. It has been almost 5 years since I last saw this nomu in making.¡± Garaki knew what all for one was talking about as he looked on at the large capsule in the center of the cramped room; the only capsule here in fact. Inside was a nomu, a tall hulking nomu that even surpassed the size of Void. Its brain is exposed like the others, and its skin was dark blue like the high ends they had passed before. But there was something about this one that carried power, a terrifying amount to boot. The nomu was suspended in the container pod with purple liquid that has been preserving it for a long time, its body hunched and cradling; like an unborn child in a mother¡¯s womb. It had several red scars crisscrossing its body most especially the arms and had a unique beak shaped mouth that had a creepy permanent grin plastered to the far end of its beak jaws. Its eyes are milky white and lacked pupils since it was in stasis, near dead state. Bubbles fizzled from under the tank around the viscous liquid. ¡°It should be ready in a few days¡¯ time. Why do you ask?¡± Garaki inquired. A gleeful smile found its way to All for one¡¯s face. ¡°Good. This would be Void¡¯s final combat test.¡± The short scientist eyes nearly bulged out from his skull. ¡°My lord you can¡¯t be serious. This nomu has been modified and specifically designed to take All might at 100%! If Void goes on a sparring match with him, it would kill him instantly! Besides, this nomu is the one that is meant to defeat All might first before Void even came to the picture!¡± All for one only laughed in reply to the anxious doctor. ¡°You seem to lack faith in the very creation your hand love probing on all the time. Have you forgotten that even if it was under a year Void had been made, he still took a whole 2 decades worth of nomu research. Thereby even surpassing this one that is only half a decade.¡± ¡°That-that is true.¡± The brow of the scientist was beading with sweat. He still isn¡¯t sure this was a good idea. ¡°But still, Nomu-027 has been modelled to take on All might. Void¡¯s current strength is just slightly above a high tiered nomu¡¯s. The gap is incredulously wide my lord.¡± All for one¡¯s gaze was still settled on the nomu in statis, his smile never leaving his face. ¡°You are underestimating Void too much; he has one thing that every nomu lack: The brain of a human. His intelligence from his previous body Izuku Midoriya makes him all the more dangerous, hyper smart¡­and cunning. He quickly adapts to any situation even in pressure, and thanks to removing that disgusting inferiority complex from him last year, his knowledge is far more efficient than ever. Why do you think I gave him that analysis quirk all those months ago, because it suits him.¡± ¡°From what I have conducted, Void¡¯s quirks are 5 including one of them that is recently upgraded.¡± Garaki counted with his hand. ¡°Could it counter Nomu-027 quirks: Strength rivaling All might at 100%, superspeed, and most especially Super regeneration and shock absorption?¡± All for one shrugged the scientist concerns. ¡°A nasty combination of quirks true. But Void is very adaptive and will find a way to win for sure. And besides, if he is able to defeat this nomu; then I believe an upgrade of new quirks should be due by then.¡± ¡°My lord, but what if the quirk overloads the quirk integration node in Void¡¯s brain. We could risk our very first sentient nomu-¡± The icy stare All for one gave Garaki made the scientist cower in fear, stopping his questioning midway. ¡°Then ensure that the modifications are stable and don¡¯t short circuit the nodes. We can¡¯t have my ultimate creation faltering when the time comes. Isn¡¯t that right doctor.¡± Garaki, ever the loyal lapdog of all for one, nodded his head in agreement. ¡°Ye-Yes my Lord. I¡¯ll make necessary adjustments where needed.¡± ¡°Good. Time is of the essence, because UA will be resuming with its newly batched students in 2 weeks. And my eyes in the school is among them.¡± _______________________ Bakugo stared at the setting sun as he was basked in the tranquil light coming from it. His feet were steeped in the soft tingling sands of the beach that were being washed ashore. Honestly, what was he even doing here again? The ash blonde reached into his pocket to get his phone. 6:23 pm; that¡¯s what the time said. A tic mark appeared on Bakugo¡¯s forehead. It was getting late, he had been here for over 3 hours and he still hasn¡¯t shown up. What the hell is keeping that old man long?! Well, he really can¡¯t blame him at this point. He must be busy with the tuition job he had taken up. If anyone ever told him that the number one hero will become a teacher soon, he might likely call the person crazy. Heck, he didn¡¯t even believe when he had told him himself, that was until he saw it himself. A week prior; Oi Brat! You¡¯ve got a letter! Mitsuki Bakugo, Katsuki¡¯s mum called out to him from the front door. Currently, said teen was lifting a dumbbell with his right arm¡­ the very arm that he has been warned not to use for any excessive strain work for a while. Making him remember what he was told a few days ago; He doesn¡¯t remember much after beating the zero pointer, but he remembered waking up in a hospital bed and to his surprise Ochaco who was sitting on a chair beside his bed. Apparently, she wasn¡¯t the only one there; four eyes and Shinsou were waiting for him to wake up. The first thing he was greeted with was the profuse crying of roundface who was glad he was okay, thanking him profusely for saving her. He would have made a reply if not for the near bone crushing hug Ochaco was giving him and something soft squishing his face...her chest. His face turned cherry red from the direct contact of her freaking boobs on his damn face! Is she doing this on purpose?! Luckily for him he didn¡¯t have to dwell on that as four eyes and Shinsou were asking for his wellbeing. The doors opened and it was revealed to be the UA school nurse; recovery girl. The old lady had explained what had transpired the last few hours; and proceeded to reprimand Bakugo of the risky move he pulled off in the exam. Also, she had cautioned him that his overexertion of his quirk had resulted in his right arm being slightly charred, a vertical scar visible on the shoulder as it exposed some skin. Recovery girl said that his arm might take a while to be fully functional and recommended he should rest it for a week plus. Back to the present, Bakugo frowned at the red scar on his right arm. He knows his old hag would probably scream her head off if she saw him doing this but he had to. Because he had to get stronger. It looks rough sure, but it was worth it. He had saved people and he felt good about it. Besides, the hug Ochaco gave him wasn¡¯t all that bad¡­it felt nice. Bakugo immediately slapped his face to clear his thought. Was he still thinking about the fucking boobs?! ¡°Bakugo Katsuki!!!¡± Oh, his mother was still calling for him. Dropping the weight on the floor, he walked out of his room and went downstairs. As expected, his mother wasn¡¯t too happy about his delay. On her hand was a letter with a red stamp, and on that same stamp was the UA academy logo. Bakugo¡¯s eyes widened a fraction, could it be¡­ ¡°The exam letter is here. Results are out.¡± Mitsuki said as she gave her son the letter. Bakugo¡¯s hands were shaking, why? Because he isn¡¯t certain if he had passed or not. He took the letter but his mother noticed the slight worry on her son, making her sharp eyes soften. ¡°Hey, I know you¡¯ll do great. So don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Bakugo looked at his mother, he didn¡¯t say much but understands she was encouraging him. Walking back to his room, he kept looking at the red stamp on the letter. He just hopes his mother is right. Bakugo closed the door to his room and set the letter down on the table beside his bed. He doesn¡¯t know how long he had been staring at the letter, until he took even breaths to calm his nerve. His hands reached for the seal to open. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with¡± he muttered to himself, not knowing his mom had craned his door open to watch her son silently. Just as soon as he opened the letter a device fell off it. The blonde teen raised his eyebrow; where was the freaking letter? It turned out the letter was the letter itself as a hologram of All might in a yellow tuxedo suit popped out. ¡°I AM HERE¡­DISPLAYED AS A HOLOGRAM!¡± All might said with a booming voice, his iconic smile displayed on screen. Bakugo stepped back in surprise. ¡°Hah?! All might?!¡± He knew the hologram is a recorded one but he was surprised to see the number one pro hero talking. What was he doing in UA?! This has to be a joke right?... ¡°There¡¯s been quite some catching up to do. But you might be wondering: Why am I here? Well, to put it simply, I am in town to be a teacher in UA.¡± Bakugo¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. So he really wasn¡¯t joking afterall. ¡°Congratulations on partaking in the entrance exam young Bakugo. You have shown diligence and courage in taking such a hard exam.¡± All might explained. ¡°But unfortunately, despite excelling in the writing part, you scored pretty low in the practical. And as you know that is the most important part of the exams was the mock battle which truly evaluates how one could do in a potential hero situation. And scoring low in that part means you have failed the UA¡¯s exam.¡± Bakugo looked down in something akin to shame and resolution. He knows that he scored low, lower than most students infact on the practical. The writing aspect can only go that far, but still¡­ it felt so depressing. Bakugo¡¯s hands balled to a fist, gritting his teeth in frustration. Goddamit¡­that means he would have to apply somewhere else or worse; attend a normal non hero high school. So much about his dreams to entering UA. Mitsuki who was still hiding was worried at the defeated look her son was donning. ¡°BUT-!¡± ¡°-A hero is defined as someone who puts one¡¯s life on the line to save people. Before I elaborate on that, take a look at this video.¡± All might clicked a button and a tv beside him came to life. On the screen it showed a girl with brown hair and a boy with purple hair. They were standing in front of the pro hero present mic. Bakugo recognized the two teens immediately. ¡®Um, Mr Present mic. I was wondering if it is possible that I could share my points with someone.¡± Ochaco said. ¡°His name is Bakugo, and he has red eyes and ash blonde hair that is spiky.¡± Ochaco explained as she tried to describe how he looked like. Present mic tilted his head. ¡°Is there a reason you want to give out your points to this Bakugo by any chance.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that, I wanted to thank him for what he did for me. If it wasn¡¯t for him, I wouldn¡¯t be here in one piece.¡± ¡°I would also like to share my points as well¡­actually those are his points. I¡¯m to blame for Bakugo¡¯s low point score. Had I not used my quirk on him, he would have scored higher.¡± Shinsou said as he rubbed his neck in guilt. The Voice hero just ruffled their heads, giving a placating smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it little lads. UA knows how to handle this situation. You can count on us.¡± The video paused as All might turned back to the front. ¡°So what am I trying to say. If a hero is meant to have the quality of self-sacrificing; then UA will be having lip service for not counting your other actions. Because UA didn¡¯t only focus on villain points!¡± All might said, on the TV showed his ranking for the exam result; FIRST PLACE?! HOW?! ¡°Rescue points are also given out in the exams. Teachers also voted on your rescue grading point, and I myself included. Bakugo Katsuki; rescue points: 105!!!¡± Bakugo¡¯s eyes widened in disbelieve. ¡°Combined with your attack points: 119 points!¡± All might hand reached out like an invitation gesture. ¡°Not only had your actions saves a person, but it had saved many others, moving a lot of teachers at your efforts. CONGRATULATIONS YOUNG BAKUGO! YOU SCORED FIRST PLACE IN THE ENTIRE UA EXAM! Come, to your hero academy.¡± The hologram ended; Bakugo¡¯s room was gravely silent. He couldn¡¯t believe it, he couldn¡¯t fucking believe it!!! He scored first place! Tears brimmed his eyes from the swelling feeling of relief and joy in his heart. Bakugo tried to forcefully glare away the tears, but they still kept on coming. Bakugo reached his left arm to clean away the tears, gritting his teeth at the emotions he was leaking out. His body was ragged with hiccups of silent crying, a cry of happiness. Drops of tears fell on his short as he kept on crying. ¡°I did it D-deku¡­I r-really did it.¡± Bakugo said, his voice disheveled from his silent cries. He didn¡¯t when his mother had entered his room, or when her arms enveloped him to a hug. But he still kept on crying, ignoring that his mother was there. This was where it begins for him, he would amend his mistakes and prove to be a true hero. Not one who only looks out for himself. Bakugo cleared his mind from the memory lane as his eyes were still set on the sun. Looking behind him, he saw the heavy dump of garbage at the back. The one that had taken 10 months for him to clean up. This was Takoba Municipal Beach Park; the place he was currently at and the place he had set for his training ground over the past 10 months. It had taken a lot of effort but in the end he was able to clean the years¡¯ worth of heaping trash, all accumulated over time from people and washed up items from the sea. This was supposed to a lone training exercise for himself, but a certain someone had taken it upon himself to also help his training regime and train him. Speaking of said person¡­ ¡°Young Bakugo!¡± A lanky tall man who was running his direction called out to him from afar. He had blonde hair and two long bags on each side of his face, he was wearing baggy clothing that looked so out of place for him. His body looked skinny and frail looking as he got to better view. But if anyone knew better, looks can be deceiving. Bakugo knew that one for sure. ¡°Took you long enough old man. You said I should be here by 3:00 pm, and you came 3 hours late.¡± Bakugo said in annoyance, his voice however was lacking its usual bite. The man finally reached his side, panting from exertion ad his running. ¡°Forgive me young man. I was busy with schedule. School work can be hectic you know¡­¡± ¡°Sure. If you mind counting this as well¡± Bakugo said as he pulled out his phone. There on the screen was the daily hero news; and what was stated under it was the recent activity done today. ¡®The symbol of peace in action: All might resolves 5 crimes in 3 hours!¡¯ That was what is written as the headline. The now revealed individual who goes by Toshinori Yagi; best known publicly as All might; released a nervous chuckle. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it.¡± Bakugo could only snort at the weak excuse the symbol of peace could come up with. ¡°Tsk, off course you couldn¡¯t. You are a hero afterall.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The two individuals stared at the evening sky as they stood a few paces side by side from each other, not saying a word for a while. It was Yagi that broke the silence. ¡°By the way Bakugo, good job in passing the exam.¡± Bakugo looked down his wet feet, refusing to look into the eyes of the experienced pro hero. Even though it was clearly stated that he had passed the exam, he still felt like he doesn¡¯t deserve it not in the slightest. His inner demons are very much making sure of that. All might could see the sunken expression of Bakugo and gave the young teen an encouraging squeeze on his shoulder. ¡°You are still thinking of young Midoriya?¡± Yagi asked softly. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hey-¡± ¡°Deku was meant to have one for all. To be your successor, right?¡± Yagi was silent at the statement for a while. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Then why do you bother to train me? I¡¯m not worth your time. Despite me refusing to inherit one for all, why do you still bother to watch me after all this time. I-I¡¯m just a liability to you All might.¡± Bakugo said, his hands balled into fists by his side. Yagi knew the kid was hurting again. It is true, the young man has refused to take the mantle of being his successor; the next user of one for all; saying he wants to earn his power with his own strength. He respects the boy¡¯s determination. But that doesn¡¯t mean it is right to downgrade himself. ¡°I don¡¯t see you as a liability, young Bakugo. The training I am giving you sure is out of context from my initial objective. But that doesn¡¯t change the fact that a hero is also one that is meant to help aspiring ones grow. And that¡¯s you Bakugo.¡± The ash blonde finally raised his head to look at him. ¡°Irrespective of your rough past and relationship with Young Midoriya, it shouldn¡¯t define who you are. It is what you decide to do now that defines you not the past. You have a fire that is roaring inside you, a flame that is thirsting with the heart of a true hero. And as your mentor, I want to see it grow to be a fine hero, even if you don¡¯t want to be my successor.¡± Bakugo turned his head back to the sandy floor. ¡°Thanks¡­All might.¡± And once again, it was quiet among the both of them. Yagi suddenly turned to his buff form. ¡°Sooo, are you up for some few laps around the beach?¡± All might asked. He got no response, making All might raise his eyebrow in concern. ¡°Young Bakugo?-¡± Bakugo tensed. He shoved his hands into his pockets, looking away. This was it¡ªthe moment he¡¯d been dreading. He had to ask. "...There¡¯s something I need from you." Bakugo said, his voice clearly tense like he wasn¡¯t ready for what he was about to say. All might tilted his head in curiosity, ¡°Oh? What is it?¡± Bakugo clenched his fists as his face began growing red. Why was this so fucking hard? This looked a lot more difficult than he had thought in his head. It wasn¡¯t like he was asking for a favor or anything sentimental. It was just a simple request, for crying out loud. Finally finding his voice, Bakugo reached into his pocket and pulled out something All might hadn¡¯t seen for a long while¡­ An All might autograph pamphlet back in his early golden age. And Bakugo hand was outstretched to his face even if he can¡¯t reach him. "Don¡¯t make me say it twice, old man! Just... gimme your damn autograph!" All Might blinked, surprised by the request. Then, his expression softened into a warm smile. "Ah, so that¡¯s what this is about. I must say, I didn¡¯t expect this from you, young Bakugo." He said with a kind voice. Bakugo, already embarrassed by his inner child¡¯s mind request, glared in defense to keep face for his pride. "What¡¯s that supposed to mean?! You think I¡¯m some kind of fanboy like Deku or something?!" He quickly froze at the name, his anger faltering for a moment before he regained his composure. "I just thought... I dunno. It¡¯d be cool to have it. Not like it matters or anything." All Might studied Bakugo closely, noting the mix of emotions playing across his face. He wasn¡¯t just asking for an autograph¡ªthis was about more than that. It was about connection, acknowledgment, and perhaps even respect. "I¡¯d be honored to give you my autograph, young Bakugo. May I have the pamphlet?" Bakugo held it out, his hand trembling slightly. "Here. Just make it quick, alright?" All Might took the notebook, his smile never wavering. He reached into his coat pocket for a pen, then paused. "You know, young Bakugo, an autograph isn¡¯t just about the signature. It¡¯s about what it represents. Are you sure you¡¯re ready to carry what this means?" "What are you even talking about? It¡¯s just a stupid signature!" Bakugo yelled as he frowned impatiently. All might shook his head but still kept his smile. "No, it¡¯s a symbol¡ªa bond between us. By signing this, I¡¯m acknowledging your growth, your potential, and the hero you¡¯re striving to become. Do you understand?" Bakugo stared at him, his mouth opening and closing like he wanted to argue, but no words came out. For once, he couldn¡¯t come up with a retort. He clenched his fists and looked down, muttering under his breath. "...Yeah, whatever. Just sign it already." All Might chuckled softly and carefully wrote his signature in bold, flowing letters: "To Young Bakugo: Keep striving for greatness. - All Might." When he handed the pamphlet back, Bakugo stared at the signature for a long moment. His face was unreadable, but his grip on the autograph tightened. "...Thanks." Bakugo said quietly, a tinge of awe and happiness found in his gruff voice. All might nodded in acknowledgement "You¡¯re welcome. And Bakugo, remember this: You don¡¯t have to walk this path alone. You have your future classmates, your mother, and even me to lean on if you ever need it." Bakugo¡¯s head snapped up, his fiery gaze locking onto All Might. "Don¡¯t get the wrong idea, old man. I don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s help! I¡¯m gonna be the number one hero on my own!" Aaand he¡¯s back. All might thought with a sweatdrop, wasn¡¯t he sentimental a few minutes ago? "Of course you are. But even the greatest heroes need a little support sometimes." Bakugo scowled, but there was no real heat behind it. He stuffed the autograph into his pocket with surprising gentleness, fearing that any rough movement might ripple the paper in half. With that being set aside, All might cleared his throat and asked the explosive quirk user if he was ready to start their usual training. Bakugo looked back at the pro hero, a determined look set on his face. ¡°You bet I am damn ready. You?¡± Bakugo said as he cracked his knuckles and neck, to which All might just responded with a chuckle. ¡°A hero never backs down from a challenge, young Bakugo.¡± ¡°Save that for the running.¡± All might burst into a fit of loud laughter. ¡°HAHAHA! Now that¡¯s the spirit! Alright then, in that case¡­¡± A gust of wind blew as All might blitzed to the front, already reaching a far distance with his speed. ¡°I AM BEGINNING WITH A HEADSTART FIRST!!! BETTER KEEP UP YOUNG BAKUGO!!!¡± Bakugo¡¯s eyes twitched at the sudden jumpstart All might had given himself. His hands began to ignite with explosives, sparks crackling in the evening air. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be, number one. Then allow me to reciprocate in the same manner!¡± Bakugo couldn¡¯t help the competitive grin he had on his face as he set off into the air with his quirk¡¯s firepower. He was slowly gaining ground to meet up with All might until they were neck to neck. ¡°If you¡¯re gonna play dirty, then allow me to level the playing field old man!¡± With that said, Bakugo released a small wave of explosion to propel himself further. All might was now behind him. ¡°I¡¯LL TAKE THAT AS A CHALLENGE, SHONEN!¡± Pumping more power to his legs, All might ran faster to catch up with his leading student. For now they can both forget about their responsibilities and their burden, and focus on the present as they trained for the remaining few hours. Chapter 8: Into the fray An average person who doesn¡¯t attend UA would think that navigating your way around the classes for UA academy would be a tedious task. Given the fact that the school¡¯s outward appearance is extremely large. If one were to be attending UA in person, they would find that ironically a lie. Standing by the front of a door; if that¡¯s what one would call it; was the ash blonde himself Bakugo Katsuki, his new school uniform donned like all students who attend UA. He had been walking around the hallway of the large building, his red eyes scanning for any sign that might indicate Class 1 A. What he certainly wasn¡¯t expecting was a big ass sign showing the word CLASS 1 A, heck it was practically yelling that it was the goddamn. And where do you think the school administrative kept the sign¡­Simple: The sign was literally the door itself. Bakugo isn¡¯t sure if UA was concerned with students getting lost in the school premises or showcasing they had enough resources to do batshit crazy stuff. To top it off, the door was stupidly big, far exceeding All might¡¯s height. ¡°Tall ass door.¡± Bakugo muttered to himself. His hand found its way towards the door handle, turning it to the side to open. Then he found himself hesitating, until he took a breath to calm himself. It¡¯s just like a regular class room, regular teens and all the normal shit¡­just on a little grander scale; Bakugo reassured himself. He released a heavy sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Bakugo opened the door, and saw the usual regular; students having conversation among themselves, others sitting on their seat¡­and one was already sleeping on a desk on the first day of school. Few seats were empty, showing that there were still more students to soon arrive. And as expected, they are entirely new people he has never seen in his life. What he wasn¡¯t expecting was to find some a certain person he actually recognizes from the bunch of teens. Lida was seated with his eyes fixed to his desk when he noticed the crane of the class door, stepping out was a very much recognizable ash blonde teen. So he took it upon himself to greet the teen himself. ¡°Bakugo!¡± Said person swiveled his head to the source of the voice. Lida came walking in bold strides towards him until they were a few meters apart. Another thing Bakugo wasn¡¯t likely expecting was for Lida to bow to him. ¡°Forgive me for my presumptuousness back in the exam. When you had defended Shinsou, I thought you were a brash and unreasonable person. Especially as you had risked your life to take down that zero pointer. But then I realized, that the unreasoning person here¡­was me.¡± Bakugo was stunned at what four eyes was telling him, but this had certainly gotten quite the number of students¡¯ attention. Four eyes didn¡¯t seem deterred as he kept on talking as he raised his head in the process. ¡°You must have realize it too right, that there was something else apart from the combat points. They must have been testing us, to gauge how we will react in another different situation. That must have explain the extreme dangerous simulation they had put in place. You must be really clever to pick up on that quickly before anyone.¡± Bakugo frowned at Lida¡¯s assumption. ¡°That was no simulation arranged by the staffs.¡± Bakugo knew that one for sure, because All might had explained to him why the Zero pointer suddenly acted out of place. A week ago: Takoba Beach ¡°So it wasn¡¯t a fluke afterall.¡± Bakugo said. All might, now in his deflated form, nodded grimly. Currently they had just finished their training session on the beach and it was already night time. With their daily routine done, All might had decided to tell Bakugo the reason why he had such a bogus amount of rescue points. As it turns out, the initial rampage of the zero pointer had been planned but not the second wave that had nearly led to a genocidal mass murder. ¡°When we had attempted to shut it down manually, we realized the mainframe machines itself had been destroyed. Almost like¡­¡± ¡°It was a coordinated attack. Somebody or some people had planned for this to happen.¡± Bakugo finished. All might nodded in agreement. ¡°Exactly. It certainly wasn¡¯t any staff members, because when we checked the security footage, all we saw was a dark warp gate and a hand that reached for the security camera before it went blank. The security camera had even gotten the same fate as the mainframe system. It was left in ashes.¡± ¡°Ashes? The criminal has a fire quirk?¡± ¡°No, there was not any trace of smoke to begin with. We speculated more of a disintegration quirk. And no member of the staff in UA possesses such a destructive quirk. To make matters worse, their accomplice has a warping ability. A rare one at that.¡± All might turned to the stricken teen beside him. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t stepped in to stop the amok robot, a lot of lives would have been lost that day.¡± ¡°So the bastards left that as a warning?¡± Bakugo asked with a hint of worry and obvious growing anger. ¡°I may not be all knowing, but if there is one thing I know for sure¡­is that villains would always come back. Young Bakugo, you would need to be careful. Because there is a high likely chance of the culprits reappearing in UA grounds again.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do that out of the assumption of knowing anything. I just did it because that¡¯s what a hero would do.¡± Bakugo corrected. Lida was stunned at the answer Bakugo gave him. ¡®So he really didn¡¯t know anything?¡¯ Lida thought in wonder. The surprise was short lived as the door was once again opened by another arriving student. ¡°Oh Bakugo! You made it in the exams!¡± A bubbling voice of the new arrival called out. Bakugo could definitely tell who that was. He and Lida turned their heads to the door front. Standing near the front door was Ochaco, with her signature matching almond brown hair and eyes. Her smile bubbling as ever, practically glowing with excitement and cheerful energy as the made her way towards the duo talking. Lida waved in a formal friendly manner, but Bakugo didn¡¯t make any response to the approaching girl because his attention was caught on something else entirely out of place for someone like him. Bakugo¡¯s crimson eyes involuntarily zeroed in on her uniform. Her uniform. For reasons he couldn¡¯t explain, the sight of her looking so polished and professional in the UA outfit made his brain short-circuit. He blinked once, twice, a scowl forming and faltering at the same time as he struggled to process the image before him. ¡°What the hell¡­¡± he muttered under his breath, quickly averting his eyes to the window as if it would erase the mental image. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t. And dear gracious Lord she was still coming closer! Unaware of his inner turmoil, Ochaco spotted Lida as well almost immediately and gasped, her face lighting up. ¡°Oh, Lida, you¡¯re here too!¡± she called, practically skipping over to them. ¡°Hi! Can you believe it? We¡¯re in the same class! Isn¡¯t that crazy?¡± Bakugo flinched at her cheerful tone, snapping his gaze back to her. ¡°Tch. Great. Just my luck,¡± he grumbled, though his voice lacked its usual venom. He was too distracted by how¡­ put-together she looked. Was it the uniform? Why was he even noticing this? Everybody was wearing the damn same thing! So why is hers looking different to him?! Ochaco either didn¡¯t hear him or chose to ignore his tone. ¡°I was hoping I¡¯d get the chance to thank you properly for saving me during the entrance exam! You were amazing! Seriously, I don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done if you hadn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Oi, shut up!¡± Bakugo hissed, his face flushing slightly as he glanced around. Several other students were already looking their way, intrigued by the loud, bubbly girl and the explosion boy. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say that so damn loud! And you have already thanked me before, it¡¯s getting on my nerves!¡± ¡°Oh, sorry!¡± she whispered, leaning closer with a sheepish grin. ¡°But I really mean it. You were so brave, and I was so inspired by how you fought that Zero Pointer. And then to think we¡¯d end up in the same class? It¡¯s like fate, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Fate?!¡± Bakugo¡¯s voice cracked slightly, which only made him angrier. ¡°What are you even talking about, Round Face?¡± Ochaco tilted her head, confused. ¡°Round Face?¡± ¡°Yeah, you,¡± he snapped, gesturing vaguely toward her cheeks. ¡°You¡¯ve got this¡­ round thing going on. Like a damn mochi.¡± Ochaco blinked, then burst out laughing. ¡°A mochi? Oh my gosh, that¡¯s so random!¡± She clutched her stomach as she laughed, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. ¡°Do I really look like a mochi to you?¡± Bakugo¡¯s face burned. ¡°Whatever! Just forget it!¡± he growled, slamming his feet on the floor. ¡°And stop laughing, you idiot!¡± Lida, ever the diligent student, found Bakugo¡¯s outrage as inappropriate. ¡°Bakugo Katsuki! Is this the proper way to converse to a lady? Show some respect to your classmates!¡± The blue haired teen¡¯s hands set to a chopping motion as he corrects the explosive quirk user. Ochaco didn¡¯t seem to mind as she kept on giggling, eventually she wiped her eyes and smiled at him. ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll stop. But seriously, it¡¯s kind of cool that we¡¯re in the same class, isn¡¯t it? I mean, what are the odds?¡± ¡°Yeah, real cool,¡± Bakugo said sarcastically, crossing his arms. ¡°First you bother me during the exam, nearly strangled me to death with your ¡®immense gratitude¡¯, and now you¡¯re bothering me here. Fantastic.¡± ¡°Bother you?!¡± Ochaco gasped, feigning offense. ¡°I wasn¡¯t bothering you! I was just¡­ expressing my gratitude!¡± ¡°Well, do it quieter,¡± he grumbled, though his tone lacked its usual bite. ¡°And stop smiling so much. It¡¯s creepy.¡± Ochaco¡¯s grin only widened. ¡°Aw, is someone shy? Is that why you¡¯re acting so grumpy?¡± Bakugo glared at her, his ears turning red. ¡°I¡¯m not shy, you damn mochi!¡± As their banter continued, the door once again opened revealing new comers who glanced at the battering duo with looks. Among them was the brainwashing quirk user himself; Shinsou Hitoshi. The purple haired teen looked confused and surprised that Bakugo, Ochaco and Lida had ended up in the same class as him too. ¡°Either this is indeed coincidence, or just by fate we meet again.¡± Shinsou muttered aloud, catching the attention of the three students who were in a batter. Bakugo narrowed his eyes at the purple haired teen. ¡°You believe in that shit too eye bags?!¡± This made said person raised his eyebrows. ¡°Eye bags?¡± Lida face was now appalled. Does this guy really not know the names of the people he is badly nicknaming?! ¡°Bakugo, show some respect for your classmates! I thought you were supposed to be the mature one!¡± Lida scolded his classmate as his hands frantically moved in a chopping motion. This certainly caught Bakugo¡¯s attention, as his scowl fully set on the speedster. ¡°Hah?! Trying to make a point four eyes?¡± Lida was about to retort when his gaze settled on what was something that was crawling its way towards the classroom¡¯s front door. Like a caterpillar¡­ an oversized yellow caterpillar to be exact. ¡°If you are here to make friends and arguments, then you can pack up your stuff and leave now.¡± A deep gruff voice called out from the oversized caterpillar which turned out to be a sleeping back. It seems that their discussion (If that¡¯s what one would call it) would have to be put on hold as this caught Bakugo, Ochaco and Shinsou¡¯s attention instantly; being the closest to the door obviously. There in the yellow sleeping bag was a face with black messy hair sprawled from the front. His face had a shaggy beard with half lidded eyes that looked like he just woke up from sleep, or might need more depending on how you look at it. ¡°Welcome to UA¡¯s hero course¡± The man said as the bag opened a little to pull out a juice box and drank it dryly. Getting looks of confusion from the four students. Then the mystery man with shoulder length black hair came out of the bag, gaining every student¡¯s attention as he went to the front of the classroom board. The man¡¯s attire was easily recognized by Shinsou, Lida and Ochaco. His black long sleeve shirt with matching pants that fit with his boot, his utility belt and scarf was more than enough for a ringing of a bell for the three. This was the underground hero who was among the other pros in the UA exam: Eraser head. Not that many know him as he keeps a low profile, most of the students seated were having skeptical looks at the secretive pro hero. ¡°It took 8 seconds before you all shut up. That can¡¯t possibly work, time is too precious for that. Rational students would understand that.¡± His gaze settled to the four students that are still settled near the entrance. ¡°If you are done gawking at me, then I suggest you all should listen up.¡± Then he returned back to the others. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Shota Aizawa. Your homeroom teacher.¡± This resulted in a lot of shocked gasps and expressions from every student. Ignoring their shocked expressions, Aizawa pulled out a blue tracksuit with red and white linings from the yellow sleeping bag; the letters U and A could be seen cleverly imprinted if one should look closer; before folding the bag. ¡°Let¡¯s get started. Put these on and meet me outside in 10 minutes.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Few minutes later ¡°Quirk assessment test?¡± Currently all students in class 1 A were now gathered outside of UA building in the P.E grounds, each of them wearing the same sport tracksuit shown by Aizawa. Now normally, it is known for the common practice of every freshman on their first day of school to be given a welcome ceremony. One did expect that UA would do the same thing, but that thinking just got blown literally in their faces. ¡°But what about the welcoming ceremony, or the guardian counsellor meeting?¡± Ochaco asked in bewilderment. Murmurs of agreement could be heard among the other students, Aizawa however was all the more nonchalant at their concerns. ¡°This is a hero school; you won¡¯t be having time for any sort of frilly niceties. You all are very much familiar with this school¡¯s freedom in the campus, well that freedom also applies to the teachers as well.¡± ¡°Physical tests are something you are familiar with in your time during middle school. But were barred from using your quirks during these tests. The country still hasn¡¯t gotten around standardizing or stabilizing such records on average performance levels. That would be blamed on the part of the ministry of education.¡± Aizawa¡¯s tired gaze settled on Bakugo. ¡°Bakugo, you scored the highest in the entrance exam; almost surpassing All might¡¯s record that is the highest in the history if UA exams. How far could you throw a softball in middle school?¡± This earned looks from every student, many gawking their eyes at the blonde teen. Ochaco, Lida and particularly Shinsou were the most surprised.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡®A score that rivals All might¡¯s?!¡¯ That was very much the thought that was running through everyone¡¯s mind. A certain bi colored haired teen looked at Bakugo intently with a scrutinizing gaze. Bakugo does his best to ignore the gasps and looks he was receiving from his classmates and answered Aizawa¡¯s question. ¡°67 meters.¡± Aizawa nodded his head, throwing a softball his way to which Bakugo easily caught. ¡°Good, now try using your quirk this time. As long as you¡¯re in that circle, anything you do is fine. Don¡¯t hold back and don¡¯t be reckless.¡± Bakugo set his gaze on the ball he was currently holding as he matched to the center where the circle was. He did a few stretches before swinging his right arm, sweat accumulated on his sweaty palm. ¡®I¡¯m just gonna set this one out with a bang.¡¯ Bakugo thought as he launched the ball into the air, explosion booming into the air. ¡°DIIIIEE!¡± ¡°Die?¡± Everyone thought with a sweatdrop. The ball launched high above the ground, swirling in a rotating manner till it landed a good distance away. Plopping down and coming to a stop, its surface scorched with smoke rising. ¡°Before anything else, one must know what they are capable of. This is a rational metric that will form the basis of your hero foundation.¡± Aizawa said as he pulled out a device that showed how far Bakugo¡¯s soft ball pitch reached. ¡°905.2 meters?!¡± Many exclaimed as their jaws dropped at the result. The shock quickly octave to excitement, the students already wondering how they will use their quirks to show off their skills. ¡°That¡¯s unreal.¡± A student with balls for hair exclaimed. (This sounds wrong ¡­just wrong for a sentence) ¡°We can really use our quirks now? That¡¯s the heroics department for you.¡± Another student with red hair said. ¡°Awesome, I wanna go next. That looks fun!¡± A student with pink skin said with childlike excitement. ¡°That looks fun huh?¡± Aizawa said in a cold ominous voice that made everyone freeze. That sounded foreboding to a high degree. ¡°You have three years to spend here and you plan on having good times and games huh?¡± When Aizawa raised his head to face the anxious students, a grin close to being delirious was seen on his face making their blood run cold. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s make a new rule. There are 8 physical tests that you are to partake on today. Whoever ranks last in the total points will be rendered hopeless¡­ and will be expelled.¡± Many were now having second thoughts. Even Bakugo felt that was too extreme. ¡°Oi, sensei. Isn¡¯t that taking it too far. We just got in here you know. And a lot of us had to literally crawl our ass to pass the exams and proven ourselves. You can¡¯t just expel us over a simple test.¡± Aizawa turned his mocking grin to the now scowling teen that furrowed his brow. Bakugo wasn¡¯t prepared for the malicious chuckle that emitted from Aizawa, as he pulled the hairs obscuring his face to reveal his tired grey pupils that radiated an unwelcoming amount of clear unadulterated happiness. ¡°Idiot, you seem to be forgetting about what I said earlier: This is my class; with my freedom I can dispense students as I see fit. Pushing your limits is the definition of becoming a pro hero. If you wanna be a hero, then push yourselves to the brink. For the next 3 years you will spend in UA, hardships will be thrown at you. Go beyond plus ultra lads. Welcome to UA academy.¡± Never meet your idols, they tend to disappoint. Or in this case, surprise you. Shinsou always thought that the pro hero Eraserhead was more of a chill person. He definitely wasn¡¯t expecting him to be chill with expelling freshmen over a simple test fail. If Shinsou¡¯s memory serves correctly, as it normally does. Then that would mean this next 8 physical tests would determine if he will be expelled or not. Given the fact that his brainwashing quirk doesn¡¯t suit most of the obstacles for his criteria, then he¡¯s utterly fucked if he does this wrong. _________________________ Somewhere else; He is utterly fucked. The warehouse smelled of oil, rust, and desperation. Broken crates and flickering lightbulbs cast long shadows, but the figure who cowered in the middle of the room had no time to notice the details. He was on his knees, his face battered, blood dripping from a split lip onto the cold concrete floor. He had managed to run away and found the warehouse to hide in. The distant hum of a portal closing signaled the arrival of his doom. And then, he stepped into the light. Void. His coal-black uniform blended with the shadows, but the pulsing, sickly red glow of his scars illuminated the jagged metal mouthguard concealing his lower face. His eyes burned with a detached, icy green light that seemed to pierce into the soul. He approached slowly, hands in his pockets, posture relaxed¡ªas if this wasn¡¯t a mission of violence but a casual stroll. The man on the floor¡ªShin, once a loyal subordinate of All for one¡ªchoked back a sob. He pressed his trembling hands together in a futile display of submission. "Void," Shin gasped, his voice hoarse. "Please¡­ I didn¡¯t mean for it to go this far. I swear! I was¡ª" Void tilted his head slightly, his glowing eyes narrowing. He said nothing, his silence louder than any threat. His gaze was utterly devoid of humanity. Shin began to stammer, panic rising in his chest. "It¡ªit was a mistake! I was going to come back to him! I¡ªI would never betray him! I¡ªI just wanted to¡ª" Void¡¯s deep, gravelly voice cut through the man¡¯s rambling like a blade. "You¡¯ve already been judged." His tone was calm, almost serene, and that made it all the more terrifying. Shin flinched, his eyes darting toward the exit. His breathing quickened as he realized his pleas were falling on deaf ears. The realization of inevitable death hit him like a freight train. Void crouched, meeting Shin¡¯s terrified eyes. His voice dropped to a whisper, so low it almost blended with the hum of the fluorescent light above. "You have¡­ twenty seconds. Run." For a moment, Shin stared, frozen in place as his battered mind struggled to process what had just been said. Then the countdown began. Void¡¯s voice was cold and emotionless, each number ticking like a clock of doom. "Twenty." "Nineteen." Shin scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain lancing through his twisted ankle. He stumbled toward the dark corridor leading to the exit, his body screaming in protest with every step. "Eighteen." "Seventeen." Blood dripped from Shin¡¯s side where Void had already inflicted deep gashes. His vision blurred as he ran, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The warehouse seemed to stretch endlessly, every corner a potential death trap. "Fourteen." "Thirteen." Void didn¡¯t move from his spot. He stood still, his glowing eyes locked onto the path Shin had taken. His hands remained in his pockets as he slowly began to walk forward, his footsteps soft yet deliberate. He didn¡¯t rush. He didn¡¯t need to. "Ten." "Nine." Shin collapsed against a wall, his body trembling. He glanced back, praying that Void wasn¡¯t following. But the predator wasn¡¯t chasing him. No, Void was merely stalking him, the sound of his boots echoing faintly in the distance. "Six." "Five." Desperation clawed at Shin¡¯s chest. He pushed himself off the wall, limping faster despite the unbearable pain. The exit was just ahead, the dim outline of freedom taunting him. He rounded the final corner, his heart racing. "Three." "Two." And there Void stood. Waiting. Leaning casually against the wall, Void blocked the only path forward, his glowing eyes cutting through the dim light. His lips curled into something that might have been a smirk behind the mouthguard. "Time''s up," Void said, his voice carrying an almost playful undertone¡ªmocking, cold, and final. Shin froze, his body locking in place as fear overtook him. "No... no, please! Void, I¡¯ll do anything! I¡¯ll¡ª" Void didn¡¯t let him finish. In one swift motion, he closed the distance between them, his hand shooting out to grab Shin by the throat. Shin clawed at the iron grip around his neck, his legs kicking uselessly as Void lifted him off the ground with ease. "You betrayed him," Void said, his voice devoid of malice or anger. It was simply a fact, a statement of the crime. "And this... is your reward." Void¡¯s glowing eyes stared into Shin¡¯s wide, terrified ones. For a brief moment, Shin thought he saw something¡ªsome flicker of humanity, of mercy. But no. There was nothing there. Even if it was there, it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. With a sickening crack, Void twisted Shin¡¯s neck. His body went limp instantly, his eyes rolling back as his lifeless form dangled in Void¡¯s grip. Void lowered the corpse to the ground with eerie care, as though handling an object rather than a person. Anyone who dares betray master is doesn¡¯t deserve any sort of pity at all. He crouched and wiped the blood from his bandaged gloves onto Shin¡¯s shirt before standing, his hands once again sliding into his pockets. But something fell off the corpse¡¯s pocket that caught his eye. A picture of Shin and a woman with a little girl and baby boy, and they were all smiling. Void could only conclude to one thing¡­this was his family. His hollow green eyes looked at the supposed wife of the man, she had lush blue hair that matched perfectly well with her soft green eyes. Green eyes¡­. For some reason this woman in the photo looked like someone he had seen before. Or knew. Izuku dear Void gritted his teeth in pain and clamped a hand to the side of his head. A sudden burst of pain erupted as his mind flashed the image of a distorted figure having green hair, a warm smile on her face as she was handling a plate of food to awaiting little hands. Eat up ok The flash immediately ended; Void looked down at the image in cold anger. Something about that picture is fucking up his mind. With annoyance, he picked the picture and tore it to pieces, clearly not wanting to see that woman¡¯s face. The torn picture fell to the ground on his feet, Void¡¯s breath coming out in slight uneven paces like he had jogged a few miles. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to stabilize himself, until he was back to the perfect cold monstrosity that he is meant to be. Nothing more, nothing less. He is a weapon, and weapons don¡¯t need to feel. A portal opened behind him, Kurogiri¡¯s misty form materializing from the void. "Well done," Kurogiri said, his voice calm as always. "All for one will be pleased." Void nodded wordlessly and stepped through the portal. Just before disappearing, he glanced back at the lifeless body on the floor. His glowing green eyes flickered once, and then he was gone, leaving nothing but the corpse and silence in his wake. The warehouse returned to its eerie stillness, the only sound the faint hum of the overhead light. Shin¡¯s lifeless eyes stared at the ceiling, his face frozen in an expression of terror, and the room seemed to echo with the unspoken message of his demise: betrayal would not be forgiven. Beside the corpse, the pieces of the torn photo blew to the wind and scattered everywhere. However, one piece of the photo laid close to the corpse, and that piece had the part of the woman¡¯s face smiling. Almost like the two inanimate things were hoping to comfort each other figuratively. ____________________ UA Academy All 8 physical tests had been done. Many excelled in some particular ones thanks to their quirk, while others had to rely on physical prowess to get theirs done. Shinsou actually combined both. But it was specifically the softball throw where Shinsou made use of his quirk. He had made use of a student that seemed to have the strength for that, and it had gotten a lot of eyebrows and looks; judging looks; from many of his new peers. But hey what can he do about it, he was very much quite accustomed to these kinds of things. ¡°Alright, with the test out of the way here are the results.¡± Aizawa lazily said as he showed the assessment result via hologram. All the students held their breaths as they surveyed their names, hoping not to be the last person in the list. Shinsou¡¯s breath hitched as he finally caught sight of his name in the list, to his immense surprise he was actually 15th. A smile tugged his lips unbeknown to him Aizawa was watching him closely. He won¡¯t say it out loud, but he appreciates those who have quirks that might seem meaningless at first glance but are actually useful if used in versatile ways¡­. Like his. If trained well, the boy¡¯s quirk could one day be formidable to an extent. Until then, he¡¯ll just have to see how each of his students grow. Bakugo looked at his name on the screen and was ranked 3rd, lagging behind Momo Yaoyorozu who is first and 2nd to Todoroki Shoto. Speaking of the latter, the ash blonde couldn¡¯t get rid of the feeling of someone watching his every move ever since his softball throw. When Bakugo took a glance behind him, it was definitely the half and half himself scrutinizing his very soul a few feet away. Shoto¡¯s face was dead set on him not even reacting to being caught looking, instead glaring coldly at Bakugo. Bakugo just raised his eyebrow instead as the dual-colored haired teen turned his face the other way as if nothing happened. What the fuck?... Before Bakugo could mule on his thought, Aizawa¡¯s voice caught everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°By the way, I lied. Nobody is getting expelled.¡± Flabbergasted looks adorned most of the students¡¯ face. Except for one student who looked disappointed. ¡°Off course it¡¯s a lie. This was all to push us to the limit to do our best, how could anyone seriously not have gotten that?¡± Said a girl with long black hair tied into a spiky ponytail with a large strand hanging on the right side of her face. This was Momo Yaoyorozu, one of the four students who got admission into UA through recommendation. ¡°Alright then let¡¯s get back to class, your first subject for the day would soon start. Any questions?¡± A student with small horns and pink skin raised her hand. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What¡¯s our first subject sir?¡± A cruel yet disturbingly innocent smile adorned Aizawa¡¯s face. ¡°English.¡± Audible groans and wails resounded round the entire P.E grounds. ____________________ The hideout had been awfully quiet since Void¡¯s arrival. Safe for the occasional rants of Shigaraki as he demanded for Void to play video games with him. Kurogiri meanwhile was busy cleaning the bar as usual, glancing a time or two at the ranting Shigaraki. ¡°Goddamit Void! Just one.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I said just one game.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I am your master and I demand for you to obey me!¡± ¡°Correction, young master. Try again.¡± ¡°Still your master.¡± ¡°Invalid take.¡± Shigaraki¡¯s eyes twitched at the blatant disagreement of the indifferent nomu. So he decided to take up another route to convince him. ¡°Okay, why not?¡± ¡°You cheated last time, so no. I don¡¯t feel like engaging with a cheater.¡± Shigaraki, left with no option, had the galls to climb up the couch the two were currently sitting on and pressed the game console in his hand close to Void¡¯s cheek. The cold eyes of the nomu looked at the now grinning Shigaraki. ¡°Come on, I know you want a rematch. Or are you still salty about last time.¡± Shigaraki taunted. Before Void could reply, the voice of All for one emerged from the screen. ¡°Unfortunately, there won¡¯t be time for game rematches young Tomura. I would like a word with Void myself.¡± Shigaraki wasn¡¯t too pleased by his sensei¡¯s interruption. ¡°Sensei! Now¡¯s a really bad timing for that. This is the second time this week you summoning him. I thought you said that I own-¡± ¡°Shigaraki Tomura.¡± When Sensei said his full name, he knows he is being serious. Void stood up from the rickety couch giving his full attention to his master. ¡°You call for me master?¡± ¡°Change of plans Void. I was hoping to keep this for later, but I believe now would be the best time to conduct your final combat test.¡± Void¡¯s eyes widened a bit at the sudden proclamation. That came out of nowhere. ¡°What will the test consist of master?¡± ¡°I plan to keep that a surprise until you reach here.¡± All of a sudden Void found difficulty in breathing, then grey metallic goo emitted from his mouth until it wrapped all over his body. His hulking figure dissolving till he disappeared. Shigaraki was stunned at the unexpected teleportation. Kurogiri on the other hand was worried, very much unlike him. The misty figure turned to the screen at the top. ¡°Master, I hope it¡¯s not the test I¡¯m thinking is.¡± He certainly hope not. ¡°What if it is the one Kurogiri?¡± All for one enquired. ¡°He isn¡¯t ready to face that kind of thing at his current level master, please reconsider!¡± ¡°If he wants to defeat All might, he will have to prove himself that he can tackle this little observation. Oh, it seems he¡¯s here already. I¡¯ll call back when needed.¡± ¡°Master-¡± The voice was caught off. Shigaraki meanwhile was confused at what the two were discussing about. ¡°Oi Kurogiri, what kind of test is Void doing exactly that is making you act up?¡± Kurogiri silently looked back at Shigaraki, he wants to tell the young prot¨¦g¨¦ but can¡¯t. All for one made him promise he won¡¯t say a thing bout the test. So he went back to cleaning a glass to distract his troubled mind. Shigaraki¡¯s eyes twitched; why was everyone ignoring him today?! ¡°Kurogiri-¡± ¡°I have been sworn into secrecy by master not to utter a word about this. He believes you might react badly to the answer. That¡¯s all you can get from me, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Shigaraki is not satisfied with that kind of answer. Sensei is hiding things from him now?! ¡°Whatever, I¡¯m pretty sure Void would clear whatever kind of test Sensei gives him. He always comes out on top.¡± Shigaraki angrily flopped to the couch and play his video game by himself. Kurogiri was greatly doubting Master¡¯s tactic in this test. If done wrongly, Void might not make it out of this one alive. Secret underground lab; training facility All for one and Garaki stood at the edge of a massive room waiting for Void, a large glass observation cube ring in the center. All for one took a glance at the short doctor who had been tapping his feet non-stop, Garaki had warned him that this might be a bad idea¡­but maybe he was just too curious for his own good to see how this goes down. The sound of drenching goo echoed in the large room, in the glass cube emerged Void who seemed to have materialized from the grey ooze. All for one noticed that the teleportation had taken a little slower to take hold than he had expected. He¡¯ll have to work on that. ¡°Ah Void, glad to see you make it out in one piece. This is the first time I¡¯m actually testing that quirk. Hope that didn¡¯t cause too much trouble.¡± Void couldn¡¯t answer because he was stuck in a slight coughing fit, clearing his airways from that awfully metallic stench of a goo. ¡°Not¡­really.¡± Void noticed he was inside a glass cube reinforced with heavy steel metal. He looked at the only two individuals outside from the supposed fighting ring. ¡°I assume it¡¯s another combat test. But where¡¯s my opponent?¡± The answer came quickly than intended as All for one pointed to something behind him. Void noticed his shadow suddenly dwarfed in size, replaced with the shape of a much bigger and bulkier figure. Void craned his head to the back, and was instantly regretting it. There behind him; was a hulking nomu with its brains exposed and a pair of dead eyes attached to it. It had a bird beak for a mouth with a very unsettling grin. Its skin was dark blue and was wearing a pair of yellow shorts and metal skull kneecaps. Red scars that seemed to be pulsing ridded its body. But that wasn¡¯t the most disturbing part to Void, it was the way its dead eyes suddenly locked unto him as it craned its head down to look at him fully. This one, dwarfed him in size to almost a foot plus. Despite the brainless state this nomu was in, undeniable sheer power and superiority pulled out from the nomu. Garaki didn¡¯t seem to mind the built up tension, his face was instead wrapped in twisted sense of happiness. Two of his ultimate creation, who will come on top and who will fall. As much as this was exciting, it was concerning at the same time. He still couldn¡¯t help the worry of Void being able to overcome this obstacle, he sure hopes his Lord knows what he is doing. All for one¡¯s condensing voice called out from his mask. ¡°Void, meet your next adversary. If you can defeat this nomu right here, you shall earn the honor of facing against All might himself. Surely this won¡¯t be hard to pull off for a nomu with sentience, right Void?¡± Said person now turned his body to face the creature that dwarfed him, taking a step back as he tries to gauge the competition¡­if that was what one could call it. This was no ordinary test. This almost felt like his execution. Something about this nomu felt completely different. Different from the ones he had taken down before, that one Void knew for sure. His instincts for the first time in a long while were screaming at him one word he couldn¡¯t agree anymore to¡­Run. Garaki turned his head to where the two occupants in the specially designed observation cage room were in. ¡°Nomu, do your job.¡± With that sentence from the doctor, the nomu sprang to life at the simple command. It dashed to Void¡¯s position instantly, giving him no time to react and raised its large hand into the air to a fist¡­then brought it down with a mighty swing to Void¡¯s face. The ground shook at the impact with dust and debris. A reverberating earthquake rocked the foundation of the underground location they were currently residing in. BLOOPER #1: Aizawa: Alright any questions? Mina raises her hand Aizawa: Yes Mina: Where do babies come from? Aizawa: ¡­ Everyone: ¡­ Aizawa: Next question please. Chapter 9: Battle of wills- Part 1 The cube shook violently as dust built up in the air, coagulating the entire vicinity with mass of debris and fog. Garaki instinctively shielded his face as air gushed out from the vents in the cube ring accompanied with debris. All for one merely summoned an air compressed shield from his variety of quirks, small gravels flying through just fell on impact from the shield. The earthquake had been reverberating round the area nonstop for some time before it had quieted down. And throughout that whole time, there has been no movement in the cube ring. ¡°My lord, permission to call this test off?¡± Garaki asked frantically. The doctor was hoping that his lord would reconsider his choice, but all he just did was watch intently the still dust accumulated ring. ¡°Void. Can you still stand?¡± The dust finally settled down to reveal the figure of the large nomu¡¯s hand fisted deeply in the ground. A few meters away was Void himself, he had surprisingly dodged that but not uncharred. His arms are lifted up to his face in a defensive position, the arm sleeves of his black leather jacket completely destroyed revealing cut through skin and raw muscles. Sweat dripped from Void¡¯s brow as he narrowed his eyes at the nomu a few feet away from him. ¡°Master¡­this is no ordinary nomu.¡± Void gritted out as he stood back up. ¡°Well that¡¯s the surprise of this test. You can¡¯t always be expecting things to go the way they always are.¡± The opposing Nomu was gargantuan; easily twice Void¡¯s size; effortlessly dragged its hand out from the hole it created from its fist and stood at full height. Its brain throbbed grotesquely, fully exposed and pulsating with eerie vitality. Its Embedded eyes peered lifelessly into Void¡¯s glowing jade from sunken sockets, and its wide beak twisted into a permanent, manic grin. Its massive, sinewy arms flexed as it stomped forward, each step reverberating through the area. It radiated raw, unyielding power¡ªa beast created for destruction. ¡°This Nomu,¡± All for One¡¯s voice continued, ¡°was designed to rival All Might. Its strength alone surpasses anything you have faced. But you are my ultimate weapon, Void. Show me that you are deserving of the title.¡± Void didn¡¯t respond as the nomu strode forward whilst he stepped back to keep distance between him and his opponent. He simply squared his shoulders and lowered into a fighting stance; his muscles coiled like a spring ready to snap. He couldn¡¯t afford to fail. The Nomu attacked first, moving with unnatural speed for its size. It lunged with a thunderous roar, its massive fist careening toward Void. He sidestepped narrowly, the shockwave from the strike tearing through the floor and sending debris flying. Seizing the opportunity, Void retaliated immediately as he raised his left hand to make contact with the most vulnerable part of the nomu; the brain. Pulling in a decent amount of energy, Void unleashed a concentrated amount of his quirk: Repulsion into his now glowing hand and aimed directly at the Nomu¡¯s exposed brain. The mass in the nomu¡¯s brain inflated and contorted, dark energy crackling a mix of red and black unto the nomu¡¯s brain making it stop in its track. Void only looked on in apathy as the nomu released a strained shriek as its brain grew in size more and more, one of its embedded eyes popped out with the artery connected to it. QUIRK - REPULSION: This ability works like a magnet, but purely on the repulsive side. By exerting the energy in his body, Void can convert it to generate repulsive energy from his body or hands creating invincible force around a concentrated area. This energy creates an invisible "push" that drives objects, air, or even organic material away from a focal point. The quirk can be adjusted for range and intensity, from a subtle push to an explosive force capable of pulverizing objects or organs. Void channels his repulsive energy into the target¡¯s body, focusing it into a sharp, localized point. Void can direct the repulsive energy not just on the surface of an object but deeper into its structure. This allows him to bypass external layers like skin or armor and directly affect internal components, making the force bypass the outer skin or defenses without causing visible external damage. Once inside, the repulsive force builds up and expands outward rapidly, like an invisible explosion. The energy disrupts ANYTHING; ranging from internal composition of a material to tissues, ruptures organs, and shatters bones from the inside. Void''s Repulsion quirk is a unique ability that generates powerful, controlled repulsive forces that he can direct toward specific objects, surfaces, or even internal structures. The destructive applications of this quirk come from Void''s ability to manipulate the force with precision, allowing him to target areas externally and internally. Combined with his tactical skills and his other quirk Anatomize; there is every single good reason why someone would want to avoid getting to his bad side like the plague. In a sickening display of art, the brain erupted to gory pieces and spilled to the ground. The nomu¡¯s body twitched before falling backwards. Blood oozed from the head till it reached Void¡¯s feet. Satisfied that his opponent has stopped moving, Void turned to face his master and Garaki. ¡°It seems there has been a bit of an exaggeration concerning this nomu¡¯s abilities, master. I really do hope the doctor haven¡¯t been giving you misinformation concerning his creations.¡± All for one merely chuckled at Void¡¯s proclaims. ¡°Impressive, I wasn¡¯t expecting you to have pulled of this initial testing this quickly. However¡­¡± The sound of gurgling and twitching filled the air, and it was coming from the downed nomu. Void¡¯s head snapped down to look down and saw that the brain was¡­repairing itself?! The brain mass stitched itself, reforming the damaged brain back to its original shape and size. With some physical strain, the beaked nomu¡¯s legs bent inwards and began using the momentum to pull itself upwards till it stood back up. Void¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief; this can¡¯t be right; once a nomu¡¯s brain is severely damaged there is no way to fix such damage. Not only was that theory crumbling before his very eyes, the nomu also had a regenerative quirk. Wasting no time to contemplate how this was possible, Void unleashed a powerful blow of his combined with repulsion and punched the side of the nomu¡¯s head meant to blow it clean off. Unfortunately for him, the only effective thing he could achieve was make the neck snap to the side emitting a snapping noise as a bone popped out from the neck, while the nomu¡¯s unnerving eyes still locked contact with him. Any victory Void thought he had attained was very much short lived as the nomu craned its broken neck back to place, the regenerating ability kicking in as it shifted the neck properly. ¡°What the hell¡­!¡± ¡°It seems you are starting to get it now. This is not the average nomus you are very much used to seeing Void. This is a special one that have been kept hidden for a long time till now. Its super regeneration and shock absorption will make your usual tactics... insufficient.¡± ¡®Makes a lot of sense now.¡¯ Void knew Garaki had been making varieties of special nomus, but none he had seen with his own eyes despite how often the doctor¡¯s laboratory is an occasional field trip for him. Could this be one of them? ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about timing as for today, take this as an opportunity to evolve further and improve your tactics. By the time you have completed this obstacle, All might won¡¯t be a problem to defeat. Who knows, there could be a reward waiting for you if you are able to complete this task. Do what you have to do to win and prove to me why you are my ultimate creation, Void.¡± The two contenders in the cube ran at full speed to meet at the center, both cocking their fist back till they collided. Going for a second hit, Void delivered a clean uppercut with his other fist. The shockwave struck true, sending the larger Nomu stumbling back slightly¡ªbut it quickly regained its footing. Its Shock Absorption Quirk had dampened the blow, leaving it almost unfazed. Void¡¯s glowing eyes narrowed further. This would not be an easy fight. The Nomu roared again, charging with relentless aggression. Void weaved through its strikes with precision, his smaller frame allowing him to evade the powerful but clumsy blows. He countered with brutal efficiency, his claws slashing at its limbs and torso, aiming for critical points. But every wound he inflicted closed almost instantly, the Nomu¡¯s Super Regeneration rendering his efforts futile. Meanwhile All for one and Garaki watched the fight that was close to a stalemate, one having an advantage over the other but that was it. All for one wasn¡¯t certainly having it. ¡°He¡¯s handling an All might level strength at 40% pretty well. Let¡¯s turn this up a notch shall we. How about¡­ at 100%.¡± ¡°My Lord, I thought we agreed on half of the nomu¡¯s power!¡± Garaki said with eminent worry. ¡°Now, now doctor. Where¡¯s the fun in that?¡± All for one replied back, his hands folded behind him as he watched the match up before him. ¡°Nomu, attack with full force. No holding back.¡± Those words made Void pale inwardly, his indifference face betraying him with his eyes widening. It was still holding back?! Hearing the command, the nomu¡¯s speed and strength picked up to the point Void could barely keep up as it swung its massive hands to grab hold of the dodging sentient nomu. A massive hand caught Void mid-dodge, slamming into his side and sending him flying across the cube ring. Void crashed into the reinforced steel wall with a sickening crack, the impact leaving a crater behind him. He fell to the ground in a heap, coughing dark red blood as he forced himself to stand. His body was already aching, but he pushed the pain aside. Pain was irrelevant. The Nomu didn¡¯t give him a moment to recover, charging again with the force of a freight train. Void barely rolled out of the way in time, the ground where he had been standing shattering under the impact. Just for him to be backhanded straight to the other side, once again leaving a massive crater on impact despite his attempt to tank the blow. Before Void could straighten his back, the nomu had dashed to his side instantaneously, raising both hands to fists and rained it down on Void who was now entirely on the defensive. Void, using the strength he has is having immense difficulty in holding up the nomu¡¯s descending fist as they are locked in a power struggle. The ground cracked underneath them as the two powerhouses try to subdue the other in their hold.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°So this is what it feels like to face the true strength of All might¡­¡± Void gritted out as the nomu¡¯s larger hands was lowering down against Void¡¯s raised hands slowly but surely even with Void giving it his all. ¡°¡­I am so fucked.¡± _________________________ It is surprising that all the worry of being expelled by their teacher had happened just yesterday. Class went by like how normal schools always did, the only new thing they had been taught was the subject called ¡°Hero Ethics¡±. To put it short, it¡¯s like learning moral ethics only that you replace the morals with heroics¡­also UA seem to love tormenting their students with learning English properly. Present mic; their English teacher; explained why taking the foreign subject seriously is important: ¡°You freshmen have no idea how cool studying English is. Heck, you could end up being as cool as me!¡± (As a wise man named Aizawa once said; he¡¯s too eccentric for his own good) Yeeeaaaaah¡­that¡¯s a no thanks for majority of the class. The only reasonable thing they could pick out was for one to find communication easier in outside countries. Classes went by till it was already afternoon, what they weren¡¯t expecting was who their next teacher was going to be. ¡°I AM HERE¡­COMING THROUGH THIS DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!¡± All might bellowed out as he dramatically flung the door open. Many students¡¯ faces lit up with awe and delight at the sight of the famous number one hero. ¡°No way! That¡¯s All might!¡± ¡°He really is teaching in UA!¡± ¡°Is that the silver age costume? That¡¯s so manly!¡± A student with spiky red hair said as he pumped his fists. Indeed, All might was clad in his silver age attire. A rare sight as he had dropped the old hero costume nearly a decade ago. Once again, the symbol of peace strode dramatically to the front podium of the class, as many of the class 1 A students looked on with vigor. Bakugo could only raise an eyebrow at All might¡¯s overexaggerated walking. ¡°What the hell All might? That¡¯s no way a normal person walk.¡± Bakugo muttered quietly to himself. This wasn¡¯t surprising, as he has been used to All might¡¯s a bit over the top personality¡­but come on why the hell does he has to bring it along with him here?! He¡¯s a teacher for God¡¯s sake. But not that many would care as his classmates are still glued to the gallant appearance of the #1 pro hero. ¡°I will be your teacher for today based on the subject: Foundational hero studies. Brace yourselves, because this afternoon we¡¯ll be having¡­ BATTLE TRAINING!¡± All might said as he pulled out a card stating the word ¡®battle¡¯ in bold capital letters. Exited gasps and voices surrounded everywhere as many began conversing among themselves. ¡°Battle training. Like actual hero fighting stuff?¡± ¡°Man this is gonna be fun!¡± ¡°And that¡¯s not all. You would also be needing this as well.¡± All might elaborated as he pushed a remote button in his hand, revealing electronical slide doors that each have suitcases with numbers ranging from 1-20. ¡°Get suited in your hero costume and meet me outside!¡± A few minutes later- UA Academy: Ground Beta All might stood at the center of UA¡¯s hero training grounds waiting for the students to arrive. His smile stretched further as he sees them slowly emerging out, all clad in their hero costumes. Some were a bit basic, others extravagant, others¡­revealing to say the least. But nonetheless the kids all look great donning their hero costume. ¡°As they say, the hero is defined by their dress. And my do I say, you all are looking good.¡± Complimented All might with his hands on his hips. The sun rose high in the sky, as Class 1-A gathered in the training grounds for their practical test. The students, now in their hero costumes for the first time, buzzed with excitement. Bakugo leaned against a wall, arms crossed, attempting to look nonchalant but radiating an aura of pure annoyance. His grenade gauntlets gleamed in the sunlight, matching his fierce scowl. Along with the pair of grenades gauntlets on each of his arm, he wore a black slim fit sleeveless shirt and a mask with a unique design. Small metal braces were along his leg and shoulder, serving as balance. Initially, he had thought of redesigning his hero costume when he took a look at the doodle sketch he made as a child. But surprisingly, the costume suits him very much even if he never said that out loud. ¡°Wow Bakugo, you look good on your costume!¡± A female voice chirped, the bright voice cutting through the chatter. Bakugo glanced toward the source of the noise¡ªand froze. ¡°Who the hell approves that kind of costume?!¡± he thought as he looked at who and what had caught his attention. Ochaco¡¯s hero costume fit her like a glove. It was a slim, sleek design that hugged her figure perfectly, emphasizing her curves in ways that Bakugo did not want to notice. But, of course, his traitorous brain decided otherwise. Ochaco who had caught sight of him was waving enthusiastically, jogging over with her usual bubbly energy. His eyes narrowing as he tried (and failed) to look away. His face was rapidly heating up, and his usual scowl twisted into something halfway between anger and panic. Bakugo¡¯s brain screamed at him to look away, but he was rooted to the spot. ¡°Hey, Bakugo!¡± she greeted, coming to a stop in front of him. She beamed up at him, completely oblivious to his internal crisis. ¡°What do you think of my hero costume? I should have sent the hero department my designs instead of them customizing it for me. But it does look cool, right?¡± Bakugo blinked, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. His brain short-circuited, offering nothing but static as he tried to form a coherent response. God bless whoever designed this costume. Wait, what? ¡°I¡­ Uh¡­¡± he stammered, his voice unusually gruff. He tore his gaze away from her and stared intensely at a random patch of grass. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I guess.¡± Goddammit Bakugo! Get your shit together!!! Ochaco tilted her head, confused by his awkward response. Then, she took a good look at him and gasped softly. ¡°Wow, Bakugo! Your hero costume really shows off your muscles!¡± she blurted out before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened as she realized what she¡¯d just said, her cheeks flushing pink. ¡°I-I mean, not in a weird way or anything! It¡¯s just, uh, you¡¯re¡­ really fit!¡± Bakugo snapped his head toward her, his eyes wide. ¡°What the hell are you saying, Round Face?!¡± ¡°I-I was just making an observation!¡± she stammered, waving her hands defensively. ¡°I mean, look at you! Your arms are huge! Do you lift, like, all the time?¡± Bakugo¡¯s face turned crimson, a tic mark appearing beside his forehead. ¡°Of course I lift, idiot! I¡¯m a damn hero-in-training! What, you think these muscles just grow on trees or something?!¡± Ochaco giggled nervously, still a little flustered but starting to find his reaction amusing. ¡°No, no, I didn¡¯t mean it like that! I just¡ªwell, I guess I didn¡¯t expect you to be so, um¡­ built.¡± ¡°Built?!¡± Bakugo yelled, his brain spiraling further into chaos. He clenched his fists, trying to ground himself, but the sight of her hero costume kept flashing in his peripheral vision. ¡°Tch. Whatever,¡± he muttered, looking anywhere but at her. ¡°Your costume¡¯s stupid, anyway.¡± Ochaco blinked, taken aback. ¡°Stupid? Why? What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s too tight!¡± he blurted out, immediately regretting it. His face burned as he realized what he¡¯d just said, and he quickly added, ¡°I mean, it doesn¡¯t even look practical! How are you supposed to fight in that thing?!¡± Ochaco looked down at herself, then back at him with a frown. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not that bad! It¡¯s designed to help me control my Quirk better. And besides, it¡¯s not like your costume is super practical either! Those gauntlets look really heavy.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not heavy, dumbass! They¡¯re perfect for blowing stuff up!¡± he snapped, grateful for the distraction. But then she gave him that cheeky smile; the one that always made his chest feel weird; and he knew he wasn¡¯t off the hook yet. ¡°Oh, I get it now,¡± Ochaco said, her grin widening. ¡°You¡¯re just embarrassed because you noticed how good I look in my costume, huh?¡± Bakugo¡¯s eyes widened in horror. ¡°What?! No! That¡¯s not it at all, you damn mochi!¡± ¡°¡®Mochi¡¯ again?¡± she giggled. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really doubling down on that nickname, huh?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± he barked, crossing his arms and looking away. ¡°I don¡¯t care how you look, alright? Just focus on the damn test!¡± Ochaco tilted her head, clearly unconvinced. ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re acting really weird today, Bakugo. Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯M FINE!¡± he roared, causing a few nearby students to jump. ¡°Those two have been at it since yesterday. Are you sure they don¡¯t have something going?¡± Sero questioned to a student named Denki Kaminari beside him. The latter gave a wry smirk at the bickering duo afar. ¡°Nah, they totally do. Hey, check this out.¡± Bakugo was seriously about to lose it. That was when he felt an arm wrapped around his neck, and saw a face he doesn¡¯t recognize at all. ¡°Well I think the costume looks good on you. Pretty sure Bakugo definitely noticed too.¡± Kaminari said with a sly grin. ¡°Didn¡¯t you, buddy?¡± ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± Kaminari couldn¡¯t get the privilege to introduce himself to the annoyed Bakugo (Which is somewhat a good thing) as another student joined the group. ¡°I think it¡¯s perfect Ochaco, your costume looks amazing! You totally nailed the cute and badass combo.¡± Ochaco beamed at the compliment. ¡°Thanks Mina! I was a little nervous about this, but hearing that makes me think it isn¡¯t that all bad.¡± ¡°THAT¡¯S IT!¡± Bakugo exploded (figuratively, not literally), storming off toward the other side of the training field. ¡°I¡¯m leaving before I lose my damn mind!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve picked yourself quite the man Ochaco.¡± Mina teased making Ochaco blush. ¡°Oh no, no, no. We aren¡¯t a thing! He¡¯s just a friend!¡± Ochaco defended. Kaminari and Mina just gave each other a look, very much saying ¡°That¡¯s what they all say¡± silently. Meanwhile Bakugo didn¡¯t get that far as he heard another familiar voice. ¡°Bakugo I must say your costume looks striking.¡± He turned and saw a suit of metal¡­a knight¡­A literal. Fucking. Knight. Costume. Bakugo blinked, recognizing the voice owner. ¡°Glasses? The fuck are you wearing?¡± ¡°This is my customed hero clothing? Why ask the question?¡± Lida asked confused. Bakugo snorted at the blue haired teen¡¯s choice of wear. ¡°You look like a general knight from the 1400 AD.¡± Lida was shocked at the crude remark. ¡°The medieval ages?! Those gauntlets you have on look like more trouble than my appearance. It is very questionable to me.¡± ¡°Hah? You have a problem with that tin can glasses?¡± ¡°Tin can glasses?! Bakugo, are you that terrible with nicknames?¡± ¡°I name whatever I see fit Shitty glasses!¡± And it went like that back and forth just like that. During all the bickering, the number one hero could only look on with a strange mix of awkwardness¡­and pride? ¡°Well¡­young Bakugo seems to be socializing pretty well¡­?¡± All might cleared his throat to get the students¡¯ attention. ¡°All right, so before we begin. Any questions?¡± Many hands were raised, as well as many questions asked at the same time. Making All might sweatdrop as he regrets saying that in the first place. ¡°O-okay. Let¡¯s see what we have here.¡± All might muttered as he pulled out a manuscript from his pocket¡­and began reading it out aloud word for word. Off course they all understood All might¡¯s response, but was it necessary to read from a book? Every last one of class 1 A sweat dropped at All might¡¯s novice antique. ¡°He really is a rookie teacher huh?¡± Almost everyone thought. ¡°So, in other words, this exercise is moved two steps ahead of the mock battle test most of you undertook in your exams by taking part in an indoor battle instead. Surprisingly, most run-ins with the worst villains occur indoors. That¡¯s why I have elaborately prepared this Combat Battle for you all to be experience in handling situations like this.¡± All might explained; not from the book this time. ¡°For this battle test; You will be paired up into ten teams of two; one plays the hero while the other plays the villain. Inside each building, the villains are hiding a bomb-¡± Terrified screams filled the air. ¡°DON¡¯T PANIC! IT IS FAKE!¡± Reliefs resounded the air. ¡°As I was saying, the FAKE bomb is kept with the villains and each team gets 5 minutes of preparation before the actual exams begin. In order for the heroes to win, they must either capture both villains or secure the weapon before time runs out. But for the villains to win, they either have to capture both heroes or protect the weapon until time runs out. 15 minutes is times for this test and I shall intervene if the situation escalates too far.¡± ¡°And now for the exciting part¡­drawing the lots!!!¡± All might bellowed as he presented a box with random alphabets. Each student drew their lots and saw their respective roles either as the hero team or villain team. The tension in the training grounds was palpable as All Might announced the pairings for the battle trial exercise. Murmurings sprang amongst themselves, excitement and apprehension in equal measure. Each pair was tasked with either protecting or retrieving a mock bomb in the simulated urban setting. ¡°All right students, for our first match. Team A; the hero team; will be up against Team D; the villain team! Members of each team please step up and proceed to battle building B.¡± ¡°Wow, guess we are a team huh?¡± Ochaco nervously giggled as she turned to her partner. Bakugo; who was holding a copy of the building¡¯s blueprint looked back at Ochaco. ¡°Yeah, I guess¡­¡± Inside he was screaming in panic. HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO CONCENTRATE WITH THAT COSTUME SHE¡¯S WEARING?!!! Jokes aside, if they were the hero team, and team D was the villain team. If his ears worked properly, then that would mean they were up against¡­ Bakugo felt an icy chill up his skin with the mix of a piercing gaze locked unto him as their opponents passed by them. The ash blond team turned, only to find his eyes locked to Todoroki¡¯s own. With a silent stare down, Shoto left with his partner to the building, but not before glaring at Bakugo. A bump on the shoulder brought the explosive quirk user back from his thoughts. ¡°Come on. We¡¯re up.¡± Ochaco said, her voice trying to sound uplifting despite the tension moments earlier. Bakugo silently nodded as he followed suit to the same destination. Bakugo¡¯s eyes narrowed as he mentally prepares for the upcoming battle. The first combat battle was about to commence. Team A vs Team D¡­ Bakugo Katsuki and Ochaco Uraraka VS Shoto Todoroki and Shinsou Hitoshi. Chapter 10: Battle of wills- Part 2 Katsuki and Ochaco have reached the front of battle building B where Shoto and Shinso have taken their position inside. Only 3 more minutes is left for each team before the actual combat begins, as they prepare their plans they have in store. Normally Katsuki wouldn¡¯t have necessarily too much of a problem with anything relating to fighting; heck this was the fucking thing he loves the most; but something about the other team makes him feels uneasy. He has had his fair share of Shinso¡¯s quirk (Fucking pain in the ass); and now he has to deal with the half and half Bastard who has been watching his every movement ever since the quirk assessment test. So far, he seems to have an ice quirk; a direct counter to his that requires heat to emit his nitroglycerin sweat. But why does his senses tell him that there was more to his quirk than meets the eye. The ash blonde shook his head. Whatever, now¡¯s not the time to ponder over unnecessary hypothesis. ¡°So, you nervous Bakugo?¡± Ochaco asked as she walked closer to him, a blue print copy of the building also in her hand. ¡°Should be asking you that instead round face.¡± Katsuki off handedly replied as he scrunched his eye to get a better detail of the paper he was holding. ¡®Why the fuck are the wordings so fucking tiny?!¡¯ Katsuki thought with gritted teeth, an apparent tic mark forming on his forehead. Confusion etched unto Ochaco¡¯s features, giving way to annoyance as she fully comprehended what that sentence had meant. She didn¡¯t have time to respond because the buzzer rang indicating the beginning of the combat test. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Katsuki said as he took a glance at his partner, the gravity manipulator reciprocating with a nod. Inside the battle simulation building, Katsuki crouched low, scanning their surroundings His body pressed against the wall as he listens in for any signs of movements in the quiet corridor. Seeing the cost clear, the ash blonde signaled for Ochaco to move in. ¡°Listen up, we all know half and half has ice powers from the test we all took. He certainly looks like he has more power he is storing up his sleeve so watch out.¡± Ochaco nodded in acknowledgement. "What about Shinso?" She inquired. Katsuki couldn¡¯t help the slight frown that creases his brows. "That guy¡¯s a pain in the ass. His Quirk can brainwash you if you answer him. Just don¡¯t say anything if he talks, got it?" Ochaco nodded, but she could see the weight in Bakugo¡¯s expression. He was focused, almost uncharacteristically so. "So what¡¯s the plan?" Ochaco asked. Katsuki smirked, a spark of his old confidence shining through. "We¡¯re gonna give them a reason to panic." ________________ In the Villain¡¯s designated room, Shoto and Hitoshi stood quietly, their expressions serious. Hitoshi couldn¡¯t help but notice the stark contrast between his hero costume and his partner¡¯s. The dual haired teen wore a matching white shirt and trouser along with equally matching white boots (Serious color riot), while he on the other hand wore a black shirt and trouser, black fingerless gloves along with a pair of white combat boots. The only gears he had in place was a capturing weapon tape, one very similar to the pro hero¡¯s Eraserhead along with a voice modulator he wore on his mouth. Hitoshi fiddled with the capture cloth along his fingers, honestly he didn¡¯t really understand how to use it but he had always wanted to try out what his idol always used on an everyday basis. It can¡¯t be that hard to use¡­right? The purple haired teen took a glance at the other that was directly opposite from him. Ever since the first day of school, Hitoshi had been observing his peers. Some are energetic, some quiet, some an entire enigma; Like Todoroki. The guy barely talks, barely converses and rarely expresses. If one looked at the eyes of the teen, they held a cold intensive stare that you can¡¯t help but feel uncomfortable about. Hitoshi himself was a quiet type, but something about this guy just put him on the edge. Speaking of the devil, the teen in thought was walking his way. Standing a few feet away from him. "Shinso, you said you got information on Bakugo¡¯s Quirk weakness. Is that true?" Shoto asked his partner with a cold stoned face. Oh, he had forgotten about that. Hitoshi nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. When I had him brainwashed, he revealed that his Quirk needs sweat to work¡ªnitroglycerin from his palms." ¡°So I other words, if he doesn¡¯t has access to heat there won¡¯t be any sweat, hence his explosions will weaken.¡± Shoto concluded. Hitoshi was surprised at how fast the teen was able to catch on easily. ¡°Y-yeah. That¡¯s about it I guess.¡± Satisfied with this discovery, Shoto turned his back against Hitoshi and proceeded to walk out the door as soon as the buzzer rang. ¡°Good. His brute force doesn¡¯t intimidate me, but his unpredictability does. We¡¯ll use his aggression against him. You¡¯ll focus on guarding the bomb. I¡¯ll take care of Bakugo." Shoto said as he reached the doorway. "And Uraraka?" Hitoshi asked. That made Shoto pause in his steps and look back at the teen. ¡°You can¡¯t simply walk into the battle ground and not have a plan.¡± The purple haired teen scolded. He hoped this made Todoroki reconsider his decision. Except it didn¡¯t. "She¡¯s not the real threat here. As a matter of fact, I don¡¯t see Bakugo as a threat now I know the mechanics of his quirk...Thanks for the concern though." That was all Shoto said before leaving. Hitoshi narrowed his eyes at his retreating figure, what makes him think he can handle Bakugo on his own. Weren¡¯t they supposed to be a team? ¡°You¡¯d better know what you are doing Todoroki.¡± Mumbled Hitoshi, his back leaning on the wall opposite the ¡®bomb¡¯. Now then, Ochaco needs contact to something in order to activate her quirk. Hitoshi looked around the room that was littered with boxes of various sizes.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Might as well stack them away. ________________________ Katsuki and Ochaco had successfully made it to the second floor. So far none of their opponents have showed up, which was starting to make the ash blonde worry. Were they waiting for them? Can¡¯t be. Could they be planning an ambush? Most likely. So far they haven¡¯t located the bomb¡¯s location, and there was only 3 floors left. That was until the sounds of footsteps was heard against the concrete floor above them. Katsuki¡¯s ears immediately picked up on the sound and halted Ochaco in her tracks. It seemed the person heard their rustle as the footsteps came to a halt¡­a few meters above them. Suffocating seconds passed until the footsteps continued their way forward. Katsuki released a sigh he didn¡¯t know he had held back the whole time likewise Ochaco. However the moment was short lived because he suddenly felt chills and cold air coming from behind him. His eyes immediately caught the thin layer of ice that was forming around the wall they leaned on. Forming rapidly without stop as frozen ice coated the entire hallway floor they were standing in. ¡°Shit! Ochaco move!¡± Katsuki yelled as he saw huge chunks of ice forming on the floor below them. He pushed her out of the way on time, because a huge glacier of ice sprung from the ground Ochaco was previously standing on. The explosive quirk user looked down and saw the ice had erupted from the ground below them. The entire floor was covered in frost and huge layers of ice, turning them into a slippery, treacherous maze. Spikes forming from the bigger ones. ¡°We need to move. This place isn¡¯t safe anymore.¡± Katsuki said as he began prepping his explosives to clear a path for them to pass. Concentrating a good amount of power, he blasted through the layers of ice till they reached the stairways only to be greeted with a glaring surprise. The entire lower floors have been frozen as well, and that included the stairways to get upstairs. Bakugo clicked his tongue in annoyance. Guess up it is then. Kicking the frozen doors down, cold chilling chilling air gushed past their bodies, Ochaco shivered from the cold breeze. Just like the previous floor they came from; it was no surprise that this floor would be coated with ice. "Tch. Figures he¡¯d try this crap." He glanced at Ochaco. "Keep moving, don¡¯t stop for anything. I¡¯ll clear the way." They advanced cautiously, with Katsuki blasting smaller ice walls to clear a path. Suddenly, a voice echoed through the halls. ¡°Bold move to be coming up here. I¡¯m surprised you even made it without being frozen.¡± That was the only heads up they got until a wave of ice, far bigger than the ones they had passed through came their way. Katsuki had to lift Ochaco up without any warning and blasted to the air. It was a good thing he did so, because the huge wave of ice effectively blocked their exit way, also reducing the size of the room to a tenth. Katsuki landed down safely with the aid of his explosives. ¡°B-B-Bakugo! You can put me down now!¡± Ochaco yelled while subconsciously holding on tight to the boy. Said person was confused by the sudden outburst and realized something¡­ he was still carrying Ochaco in bridal style. Also realized her thighs were really really smooth. The fuck?! ¡°R-Right.¡± Katsuki stammered as he set her back on her feet. Footsteps garnered their attention as the culprit of all this came to view, one eye shimmering an eerie red that was a result of his half of his body covered in ice. ¡°Huh. You dodged that too. Guess I underestimated you.¡± Shoto said off handedly as he looked at his opponents. ¡°Half and half bastard. The hell¡¯s the meaning of all this? You could have killed us with that last attack!¡± Katsuki growled through gritted teeth. Shoto stopped in his tracks a good distance away from the two. ¡°I have no intentions of killing anyone. However, I do have intentions of not letting any of you two out of my sight.¡± The ice in the hall ahead of them suddenly erupted, forming sharp spikes that blocked their second route to escape. It was clear intentions. Todoroki certainly didn¡¯t them going anywhere. Shoto looked at his adversaries with calm gaze, like this wasn¡¯t a 2v1 battlefield. The numbers might be against his favor, but certainly not the firepower. "You¡¯re wasting your time, Bakugo. I¡¯ll take you both down right here." Katsuki smirked, raising his fists. "You think some ice cubes are gonna stop me?" He taunted, slight twitch in Todoroki¡¯s brows made the insult all the more sweeter to Katsuki. With well placed timing, Katsuki lunged forward, propelling himself with an explosion, aiming a direct blast at Shoto. But Shoto anticipated the move, raising a massive wall of ice to block the attack. The explosion shattered part of the ice, but Shoto countered with another wave, forcing the ash blonde back. "I heard about what you did during the entrance exam. Impressive. But don¡¯t think that makes you better than me." Todoroki said coldly as he set his pensive gaze at Katsuki. ¡°Well then, then I should be considering myself blessed because half n¡¯ half heard the news.¡± Katsuki said with sarcasm, blasting another set of attack at the ice wielder as he dashed forward. The two clashed fiercely, Katsuki¡¯s explosions and Todoroki¡¯s ice colliding in a cacophony of sound and smoke. Katsuki dodged shards of ice with quick reflexes, returning fire with well-aimed blasts. Summoning a huge amount of power, Katsuki fired at Shoto who dodged. ¡°You missed.¡± Said Shoto as a resounding explosion came from the back. Katsuki only grinned. ¡°Nah, you missed.¡± It only took Shoto a few seconds to realize his slip up as he turned around. The layers of ice blocking the stairways to up had been destroyed. Katsuki glanced at Ochaco, signaling her to move. ¡°Ochaco!¡± Getting the message, Ochaco began running to the now opened exit. Shoto narrowed his eyes at the sudden development. ¡°You aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡± He said as he tried to freeze the area again, but Katsuki intercepted him. "Your fight¡¯s with me, pretty boy." Katsuki grinned as he punched Shoto¡¯s abdomen, sending the teen stagger back a few feet. ¡°You¡¯ll regret that.¡± Shoto said in a low voice as he stomped his foot to the ground summoning a huge glacier of ice heading Katsuki¡¯s way. ¡°YOUNG TODOROKI!! THAT¡¯S GOING TOO FAR!¡± All might¡¯s voice rang from Shoto¡¯s com. link. But the noise from the surroundings made it hard to decipher what the symbol of peace was saying. And it was already too late as the attack was few distance away from his target. Katsuki just grinned at the incoming attack, might as well bring up his own A-Game. He stretched his left arm forward, his other arm cocked backward as it reached the pin on his left arm¡¯s gauntlet. ¡°Get a load of this half n¡¯ half!¡± Pulling the pin out, it unleashed a massive explosion that shattered Shoto¡¯s ice and forced him to retreat. The blast created enough of a diversion for Ochaco to reach the stairs and head to the next floor. ¡°Now that¡¯s settled. How about you stop holding back and let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Katsuki said as he looked at Shoto. This made the teen¡¯s eyes slightly narrow. ¡°So you noticed?¡± ¡°Tsk, I¡¯m not stupid. The whole time all you¡¯ve been doing is just freeze the entire block. Nothing else.¡± A sly smirk appeared on Katsuki¡¯s face. ¡°So why don¡¯t you show me what you got. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re too afraid to handle the heat. Shoto Todoroki¡± Shoto¡¯s right hand flared with ice. ¡°Fine then. Don¡¯t blame me if you lose.¡± The ash blonde teen grinned at Shoto¡¯s acceptance. ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± _________________ Rattled breathing and gasping came from the lips of Void, once again dodging the other way to avoid the sonorous punch of the hulking nomu. ¡°How long have I been going at this?¡± Void said to himself as he somersaulted out of the incoming attack. He had been targeting the Nomu¡¯s joints in an attempt to weaken its movements. Still, the monster¡¯s sheer durability made it almost unstoppable. Each time Void managed to damage it; the wounds closed within seconds. Each strike he landed was met with double the force in retaliation, the larger Nomu battering him against walls and floors. Void¡¯s body screamed in protest, dark blood dripping from numerous wounds, but his expression remained cold, unyielding. He couldn¡¯t give up now. He can¡¯t back down from this fight. His master is watching, and he had vowed to never disappoint him ever again. Void¡¯s battered body rose to his full height, green glowing eyes stare down at the approaching nomu. ¡°Bring it on. You full sack piece of shit.¡± The nomu reared its head backward and charged full force at Void. Despite the outmatching situation, Void couldn¡¯t help but grin beneath his mouthguard. His hands charged with his repulsion quirk and dashes towards the nomu.