Bakugo aimed both hands forward and detonated an explosion to create distance from Allen.
When he landed, he stumbled and fell onto his back, but he hardly cared. He fixed his gaze on Allen, a mix of fear and disbelief filling his eyes.
"Bastard..."
Bakugo spat the curse from deep in his throat as he tried to suppress the unpleasant feeling growing in his chest.
'Move, Katsuki Bakugo! I'm the strongest! Get up! I won't stay pathetically on the ground!'
Bakugo bit his tongue and started to stand up, but halfway through he froze at Allen's words, which pierced deep into his mind.
"You retreated? A good decision..."
Allen's eyes slowly opened. There was something different about them. His irises had changed to a blood-red color, and within them, above the pupil, there was now a small black droplet-shaped mark.
"...!"
Everyone felt the change in Allen, but Bakugo, being the closest, felt it most intensely.
"Y-you... what are you?" Bakugo asked as he stood up. The veins in his arms bulged, and blood surged through his arteries. This wasn't a response born from the will to fight—it was an instinct of self-preservation.
Bakugo felt danger radiating from Allen.
Allen remained standing in the same spot without responding. His eyes stared into nothingness, as if lost in thought. This was a natural process, one that only happened the first time he used a new template.
'This is different... losing my brothers, losing my clan, losing my best friend...' Allen was flooded with an overwhelming amount of negative emotions, memories, and foreign will.
For a moment, Allen saw a silhouette standing in front of him: long black hair, red eyes, red armor. It looked at him with disgust, as if Allen's mere existence was something repulsive.
'You are...' Allen narrowed his eyes, feeling all the "weight" that came with this template. An ordinary person would have been devoured by it.
– The concept of hope is nothing more than surrender. Abandon it –
Allen smiled. "Hope is not surrender. On the contrary, thanks to it you can keep living, even when the world is a piece of shit."
– Love is unnecessary… power is everything… that is why you lost. You cling to bonds that are nothing but weakness –
"You're wrong. If I'm strong, it's because I have something to protect. If I lost that, power would be completely meaningless."
– Humans cannot reach true happiness… they waste themselves chasing a happiness that will be taken away by someone else –
"I think I'm quite happy..."
– A false happiness. You are at the mercy of a monster who could decide to end your world on a whim –
"I know. That's why I'm giving it my all—to protect my loved ones and my home."
– You never stop forming bonds wherever you go. Those ties will only bring you suffering –
"Yes, but that's because they matter to me. Not forming bonds out of fear of pain is a child's excuse, Madara."
– ... –
"If you've run out of arguments, step back. You won't be able to change me. I'm not a brat—I have accepted absolute darkness and come back from it!"
– Oh... alright, take everything! –
The silhouette vanished from before him as Allen's body was flooded with a massive amount of "energy." At the same time, he felt pain in his eyes, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.
"I am not him..." Allen murmured as his eyes regained their glow, retaining their distinctive red hue. Not only that—one tomoe appeared, then a second, and finally a third.
'I guess this is the limit before my hair starts growing out,' Allen smiled faintly, with a touch of pride.
In the end, he was only using 30% of the template, but it would be more than enough.
....
MJ – Is that a Sharingan?!
Felicia – Sometimes I worry about how much you know about anime and stuff, MJ. Haha~ Weren't you supposed to be a popular girl into fashion and acting?~
MJ – Shut up, I do it to be helpful, bleh!
Gwen – Don't tease her, Felicia. And actually, I know it's a Sharingan too. It's an ocular power from the world of Naruto, but I'm not sure which template it is yet...
Rogue – Seriously? Isn't it pretty obvious? I just hope Allen doesn't get too deep into the villain role.
....
"I asked you what you are!" Bakugo shouted angrily.
Allen crossed his arms. "You're an arrogant brat for someone so weak."
"What did you say?!" Bakugo growled.
Bakugo's rage overwhelmed every other emotion, allowing him to move again. He pointed his hand at Allen and pulled the detonator pin on his grenade gauntlet.
"I'll show you!"
An explosion detonated, filling the street—but Allen appeared in front of Bakugo in an instant.
Using his palm, he struck Bakugo in the stomach, knocking the air out of him. Then he punched his jaw, disorienting him, struck his chest and shoulder, and delivered a kick to the back of his knee, forcing him down onto his knees.
After a combo of more than a dozen strikes, Bakugo's eyes rolled white as he lost consciousness and collapsed.
"Looks like you're all talk, hero," Allen mocked as he prepared the finishing blow. But at that moment, two shadows appeared behind him.
"Just as I expected—you came, heroes."
Allen turned and took Itsuka's punch and Deku's kick head-on.
Behind him, Iida appeared, grabbed Bakugo, and retreated.
Allen let them escape, but in exchange, he grabbed Deku's leg and hurled him away. Deku rolled across the ground for nearly a hundred meters before finally stopping.
"Are you going to fight me?" Allen asked Itsuka. His gaze softened slightly as he faced her.
Itsuka dropped her serious expression and smiled confidently. "Allen, don't worry about me, and don't hold back. I'm a hero too!"
Allen smiled, satisfied with her answer. "You're a great woman too, Itsuka."
Itsuka blushed happily at his words, but quickly regained her seriousness and attacked Allen with a combination of strikes, showing solid experience in martial arts.
Allen responded with equal skill. The exchange happened at high speed, each punch and kick blocked by the other.
For a moment, the monitoring room was impressed. But one boy clenched his teeth.
"No, that's not it!" a boy said.
Everyone turned to look at him. It was Mashirao Ojiro. He was usually quiet and didn't draw much attention, but now beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Young Ojiro?" All Might asked, confused.
Mashirao Ojiro was a young man with a muscular build and short blond hair, brushed forward. His costume resembled that of a professional karate uniform.
His Quirk was a tail—simple, and some would call it underwhelming—but combined with his fighting skill, it earned him a rightful place at U.A.
"It's not like that. This isn't a fight," Ojiro clenched his fists. "This is absurd. Allen... he's matching Kendo's strength, speed, and technique on purpose. He's doing it to neutralize every one of her movements using technique alone. And that's not even the scariest part—he's reading every one of Kendo's movements before she even makes them!"
All Might turned his attention back to the screen. Looking again, it seemed like an even fight, but Itsuka's face was pale, sweat dripping down her cheeks. It was clear she was under enormous pressure.
Allen, on the other hand, looked calm.
'Young Walker...'
....
"Don't hate me..."
Allen punched Itsuka in the stomach. She staggered back and bent over, clutching her abdomen. It was obvious Allen hadn't hit her as hard as he had Bakugo or Deku, but the wear from the exchange had left her exhausted. She took two steps back and dropped to one knee.
"Not yet!" Deku appeared behind Allen once more.
Allen tilted his head, dodging, then struck Deku in the stomach and chin in a single motion. He jumped and delivered a spinning kick that sent Deku rolling across the ground again.
"I admire your will, heroes, but you won't be able to win." Allen didn't stop there. He brought his hands together and inhaled a massive amount of air.
"This is bad!" Deku felt a chill run down his spine, along with a sharp pain in his head. Soon, that warning became reality.
Allen exhaled fire—enough to swallow the entire street.
'One For All!' Deku ran, but the flames chased him at high speed, flooding the street.
Itsuka stared at Allen's back. She knew she had to help Deku, but she couldn't get up.
'Ugh! I have to be stronger!'
All Might grew worried and even considered intervening, but he restrained himself. He knew Allen and trusted that he wouldn't kill a classmate.
"Damn it!" Deku exclaimed. After using his Quirk so many times, he was already at his limit.
Just as he was about to be consumed by the flames, a wall of ice appeared, sealing off the street.
The sea of fire collided with the wall of ice, creating large amounts of steam but coming to a halt.
"This power? Todoroki-kun?!"
"Midoriya, what are you doing?! It's coming!"
Deku looked at the ice wall as a massive purple arm suddenly burst through it. The arm grabbed Deku, giving him no chance to escape.
"Argh!"
"Midoriya!"
Todoroki raised his hand to attack the giant arm, but froze when he heard Allen's voice behind him.
"Can you still fight?"
Todoroki slowly lowered his hand and turned around.
There stood Allen, arms crossed, as if this fight were nothing more than a game—and it clearly was.
"Allen Walker... I admit it, you're strong, but—"
The temperature around Todoroki began to rise, but at the last moment, he stopped.
'Why?!' Todoroki felt pathetic. He knew that only by using all his power would he have a chance, but he couldn't use it.
Allen punched Todoroki, sending him flying toward Deku. Then he snapped his fingers, and the giant purple arm disappeared.
"Just as I expected—you're weak, hero!" Allen clasped his hands together. "Someone like you can't protect anything."
Everyone felt a chill, especially Deku, who struggled to get back up, sensing a terrifying danger.
"This is bad! This is bad! We have to stop him!"
Todoroki reacted more on instinct than conscious thought and immediately attacked Allen. Iida rushed toward him as well. Itsuka too. Tokoyami sent out Dark Shadow. They all felt it—they had to stop Allen.
Everyone did their best to reach Allen, but at the last moment, he smiled mockingly.
"Just kidding..." Allen said before disappearing in a cloud of white smoke, leaving behind a chunk of rubble.
"Where did he go?!" Iida exclaimed.
....
On a nearby building, Shoji—who had been monitoring—also lost sight of Allen. It was as if he had teleported.
'Where is he?!'
"So it was thanks to you that they were always able to locate me?"
"...!" Shoji froze—Allen was already behind him.
"I'm sorry, but I'm a veteran. I understand the importance of logistics."
Allen clenched his fist and attacked Shoji. Since he was a villain, he didn't mind attacking from behind.
Shoji thought, 'I'm dead.'
But...
Allen's fist struck something hard, producing a sound like hitting solid rock. Immediately, vines attacked him from all directions.
"I was wondering where the last two were..." Allen said as he looked at Ibara. The green-haired girl's vines spread across the entire rooftop.
The beautiful girl wore a white toga. Her green eyes reflected nervousness and fear, yet she stood firm.
"I'm sorry, Allen-san, but I won't let you win so easily," she said, a drop of sweat sliding down her cheek.
"I hope so." Allen smiled approvingly at her. No wonder she was able to advance to Class 1-A.
"Hey, you're really strong!" Kirishima grinned, his body already in its hardened form as he slammed his fists together. "Haha, let's fight!"
"Wait, Kirishima!" Shoji shouted, but it was too late.
The hot-blooded redhead charged at Allen, trusting his hardening.
"Self-confidence is a good thing, but you have to know how to measure your opponents."
Allen met Kirishima with a punch. Kirishima clenched his fist and collided it with Allen's. For a moment, everyone was surprised—but the illusion shattered quickly.
Allen struck Kirishima's abdomen with his other palm. At first, Kirishima smiled, but when he tried to counterattack, a sharp pain pierced through him, twisting his organs.
"Argh!"
"I see… chakra flow can be used like chi…" Allen muttered. "I learned something new today."
Allen withdrew his hand, and Kirishima collapsed to the ground, vomiting as he clutched his stomach.
"Damn it!" Shoji lunged at Allen. His extra arms—previously used to create enhanced eyes and ears—transformed into fists.
Like an octopus, each fist moved independently, attacking Allen at high speed.
"Oh…" Allen observed the attack in slow motion through his Sharingan, waiting until the last moment to strike Shoji in the face—stopping the attack and sending him flying.
He almost fell into the void, but Ibara saved him with her vines. She didn't even think about attacking Allen; in fact, she began to tremble. The difference in power was simply terrifying.
Allen walked past her and stood on the edge of the rooftop. Below, Deku, Todoroki, Bakugo, Iida, Itsuka, and Tokoyami were running toward him. All of them looked exhausted and battered, but still standing and ready to fight.
"I see you're beginning to understand what it means to be a hero, but…" Allen crossed his arms. The tomoe in his eyes began to spin and transform. "You still need to suffer a little more."
Gradually, the Sharingan pattern transformed into three interconnected circular shapes.
...
MJ – Wait! Don't you think Mangekyō is too much?!
Rias – I already feel bad for them.
Eve – Allen, you're going to traumatize them.
"..." Allen smiled and shook his head. 'Alright...'
Everyone thought the second phase of the boss fight was about to begin, but unexpectedly, Allen's eyes returned to their original color and the oppressive sensation vanished.
"Don't tell me…" Deku gasped.
"Yeah, that template ran out," Allen smiled as fragments of light shattered from his body and faded away. Of course, this was all an act—since the Madara template was golden and high quality, he could have used it for hours if he wanted.
"We have to attack him!" Bakugo said while leaning against a wall. As soon as he regained consciousness, he rushed over.
"Oh, really? I see all of you are exhausted…"
Todoroki could no longer endure the cold in his body. Deku was at his limit. Tokoyami was also at his limit. Iida's legs were trembling. Itsuka was physically drained. And Bakugo couldn't even stand without support.
Even if another one of Allen's templates had ended, they didn't have the strength to face him. That realization filled them with helplessness—but unexpectedly, Allen, now back to his normal self, smiled.
"No, you won…"
Beep
The speakers sounded the final signal. The ten minutes had passed, and with them, the heroes' side won.
"HAHAHA!"
A booming laugh echoed from the sky, followed by a heavy landing on the street. When the dust cleared, they saw All Might standing proudly with a huge smile.
"You all did wonderfully! The heroes' side is the winner!"
"We won…?" Deku gasped before his strength gave out and he collapsed unconscious.
"Midoriya-kun!" Iida exclaimed.
Itsuka breathed a sigh of relief and ran toward Allen as he landed on the street. Without hesitation, she threw herself into his arms and pouted.
"I'm sorry…" Allen apologized for the blow he had dealt her earlier.
"I'm not angry," Itsuka said while hiding her face. She had asked him not to hold back, so it was natural that Allen treated her like any other opponent.
But a girl's feelings are as deep as the sea and incomprehensible as the universe. On one hand, Itsuka was glad Allen fought her seriously—but on the other, there was a trace of unfairness in her heart.
'Maybe it's because I defeated Momo without hurting her?' Allen thought as he gently patted Itsuka's head, ignoring the stares of the other students.
"I know there may be some lingering frustration in your young hearts, little chicks, but victory does not always come from defeating the villain. You protected the innocent, and that is always the most important thing!" All Might declared.
Those words made most of them feel better—except for Todoroki and Bakugo, who felt frustrated at being weaker than Allen.
....
After the conclusion of the test, Allen went to get Momo, and together they headed to the monitoring room. After all that, it was the other half of the students' turn.
Of course, the other half did something far more normal than facing Allen.
It was a paired battle between villains and heroes. The objective was to deactivate a bomb guarded by the villain pair.
In this round, Toru teamed up with Uraraka as the heroes, while Mina and Tsuyu played the villains. Unfortunately, the latter didn't stand a chance.
The combination of Toru and Uraraka's Quirks was terrifying. Using Uraraka's "Zero Gravity," they reached the top floor of the building, and with Toru's invisibility, they reached the bomb without any trouble.
Once all the students had finished, All Might gathered them at the exit of Ground B.
"Alright, with this, our first class comes to an end!" All Might declared, and everyone returned to their classroom.
Allen took a small detour after receiving a message from Nemuri. This disappointed many students who had a multitude of questions for him—from how his Quirk worked, to how he had become so strong, and even questions about his relationships with Momo, Itsuka, and Toru, who had shown suspicious closeness to him.
Unfortunately, all of that would have to wait.
...
In Principal Nezu's office, he turned off his computer screen and looked at the woman, who was leaning against the wall.
"What do you think, Miss Nagant?"
"It was to be expected from that brat, but it bothers me that this might draw unnecessary attention to him… I suppose it was inevitable."
Lady Nagant left the office, and Nezu watched her back without stopping her.
In the end, he shook his head.
"I never imagined Allen-kun would have so much trouble with the opposite sex. I suppose those are human matters that are difficult to understand," Nezu smiled before looking out the window. "Still, I'm glad Allen showed such strength—especially in these uncertain times, when villains are beginning to move…"
===
A/N: 🍷🗿