Unlike the audience, who after Allen's words and Kaminari's determination were excited for the fight, Allen's Chat didn't take this very seriously. After all, it was like sending a hydrogen bomb to fight a coughing baby—and even then, they were being generous to Kaminari. However, no one expected Allen's fourth template to be Iron Man.
The Chat had mixed reactions. Some, like Thor and Hulk, were annoyed, hoping Allen would use their powers, since in none of those cases had he used them to their full potential.
Others laughed at his choice. He was virtually the strongest human that could exist, yet he decided to use armor—a technological suit made by Tony Stark—something absolutely no one saw coming.
Tony himself, who was in his workshop relaxing, spat out his bourbon the moment he saw the floor open up and reveal his armor.
As the armor pieces covered Allen's body, Tony felt both flattered and frustrated. Allen had used an old model—the Mark 42—and even the outdated assembly system. However, watching the armor being assembled piece by piece with the precision of a surgeon and the beauty of machinery in motion, he couldn't help but fall into a trance.
"Jarvis, why did we stop using the old assembly system?" Tony said, staring at the ceiling.
"For efficiency, sir."
"Damn it." Tony covered his eyes. "When did I lose my style?"
It was true that the new methods of suiting up were faster and, as a result, made him less prone to danger. But he couldn't deny that the old assembly method was damn cool.
....
"Allen Walker is using armor! Does that even count as a Quirk?!" exclaimed Present Mic.
Back at the U.A. stadium, everyone had expected Allen to use the Quirk he displayed during the Cavalry Battle. It made sense, and many had anticipated a fight between users of similar Quirks. But betraying all those expectations, Allen chose to put on technological armor instead.
"Wait! What is that?! A robot?!" Kazuho exclaimed from the stands.
"Oh!" Koichi's eyes lit up. "It's a power suit!"
"What's that?" Knuckleduster snorted without interest. He wanted to see clean punches, blood, and fractures, though he had to admit Allen had style.
"Master..."
Nejire blinked with innocent eyes. She had many questions and looked to Ryuko for answers, but when she turned to the Dragon Hero, she noticed she wore the same puzzled expression.
"I'm not convinced..." Mirko crossed her arms, trying to understand Allen's intentions, but like Knuckleduster, she preferred bare-knuckle fights.
Unexpectedly, neither Kaina nor Nemuri showed any reaction. They knew Allen's powers better than anyone, and although it didn't seem like it, this armor was also part of his Quirk.
On the other hand, the younger students' reactions varied—from confusion to Mei and Melissa, whose eyes sparkled with excitement when they saw the armor.
"I don't get any of this, but you can do it!" Toru shouted in support of Allen.
"Um… you can do it!" Ochako, though slightly doubtful, also cheered for him.
Momo had a bead of sweat on her cheek. She almost felt sorry for Kirishima, yet she still stood on Allen's side.
Itsuka thought the same as Momo and shrugged.
"You can do it, honey~" Mina shamelessly cheered for her crush.
Jiro, standing beside her, looked at her uncomfortably. She couldn't understand how this girl had no shame in broadcasting to the four winds that she liked Allen.
From the 1-B section, Setsuna also supported Allen boldly.
"Don't hold back, haha!"
Reiko and Yui watched their friend in silence, who seemed to be enjoying the situation.
....
"Hey, are you underestimating me?!" Kaminari growled in annoyance.
"Underestimating you?"
Allen's voice sounded slightly robotic from inside the armor, but his momentary confusion was still noticeable.
"Allen, why aren't you using a Quirk?!"
"...?"
Kaminari felt offended and pointed at him. "That thing you're wearing!"
In this era, technology was quite advanced. It was, after all, a century after the time Allen usually arrived in worlds similar to his own.
It was even further in the future than the era Rebecca came from, so a power suit wasn't something irrational. However, of all people, it was surreal for Allen Walker—the one who could emulate, modify, and create any Quirk he wanted—to use armor.
"Oh..." Allen chuckled. "This is also my Quirk."
"Huh?"
Kaminari's brain short-circuited, and then his few neurons connected. It was true—there was no way someone could have prepared that suit for Allen, much less brought it into the arena. The only possible explanation was that Allen Walker could also create technology with his Quirk!
"Are you ready?" Allen said, startling Kaminari, but he immediately reacted.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Denki Kaminari unleashed his Quirk. Electricity wrapped around his body and spread across the entire arena. Kaminari knew that no matter what Quirk Allen used, he would win easily—even if he held back, even if he gave him an advantage, his chances of victory were worse than winning the lottery. So Kaminari decided to bet everything on a single attack.
"I have my pride too!" Kaminari sharpened his gaze and pushed his body beyond its limits. "Plus Ultra! Two million volts!"
An explosion of electricity blinded everyone present for an instant.
"Kaminari doubled his voltage..." Aizawa murmured in surprise. He knew better than anyone his students' limits, and Kaminari had only reached 1.4 million volts during training.
"Incredible!" shouted Present Mic. "Denki Kaminari wasn't intimidated and went beyond! As expected of a U.A. student—PLUS ULTRA!"
Kaminari gasped as he tried to stay conscious. Unexpectedly, he even avoided going into an overload state, proving he had given it his all.
"Ha..." Kaminari smiled with difficulty. "As expected..."
"You did well..." Allen said, standing before him. His red-and-gold armor didn't have a single scratch.
Unfortunately for Kaminari, ever since the Mark 7, Iron Man's armors had been capable of handling even the power of one of Thor's lightning bolts—that's at least two hundred million volts.
There was no chance of victory.
Kaminari collapsed to the ground unconscious, a result that surprised no one. However, his courage left the audience impressed, and he earned their applause.
"What is that armor?" David, who knew the most about technology there, was stunned. In a world where Quirks were the center of everything, that armor gave off a strange sense of oppression. "Where did he copy it from?! Or is it his own creation?!"
David could tell that the armor didn't run on magic—it was truly technology, meaning it could be replicated if one knew how it was built.
"Victory for Allen Walker!" Present Mic shouted. This time there were no insults or anger from the audience. Even a blind person could see that Allen had won effortlessly, yet he had still given Kaminari the chance to give his best. He might be a shameless bastard, but at least no one could reproach him for this victory.
....
Allen entered the tunnel, no longer wearing the armor, where he encountered none other than Todoroki.
"..." Allen didn't feel like making any comment, so he walked past him. However, Todoroki's voice made him stop.
"Do you know what a Quirk marriage is?"
"...?"
"In the past, there was a practice among families to create descendants with the best Quirks through arranged marriages."
"That sounds like something from the nineteenth century, not the twenty-second."
"It is. It was abolished in modern times, but that didn't stop many from practicing it back then—including Endeavor..."
Allen turned to Todoroki, now understanding quite a few things.
"That's why you resent your fire Quirk so much?"
"...Yeah"
Todoroki's voice grew colder.
"...That man is obsessed with All Might. Since he was young, he always wanted to surpass him, but he couldn't through his own strength, so he changed his objective..." Todoroki clenched his fists. "He won over my mother's family and forced her into marriage. After that, he began trying to create a child who could inherit both his Quirk and my mother's at their maximum potential!"
"And that should be you..."
Todoroki relaxed and turned toward Allen.
"I'm here to destroy that dream. I wanted to surpass that bastard—and All Might—without using his Quirk..."
"That's arrogant."
"Yeah, I've already realized that. Still, people can't change easily. Even if I were to win, it wouldn't make me happy if that bastard smiled."
"I see. Then do whatever you want." Allen turned his back to Todoroki and began walking away. "However, there's one thing you're wrong about. That Quirk isn't your father's—it's yours. It always has been, and it always will be. It's a shame to live chained to someone else."
"..."
Todoroki remained silent before he began walking toward the arena.
....
As he stepped out, he was greeted by a roaring ovation.
"Before you all—Shoto Todoroki! The rising genius, one of the strongest of his generation and the son of the No. 2 hero!"
At Present Mic's words, everyone cheered except Todoroki himself. However, he knew that as long as he didn't surpass his father, he would always be known as "Endeavor's son."
"On the other side, we have a man who can withstand anything! A young man with ambition and willpower—Eijiro Kirishima!"
Although the support for him was smaller, he was still met with cheers. Kirishima felt a bit surprised and pleased, but he soon put on a serious expression, remembering Allen's words. It was easy to get lost in support, fame, and recognition.
Once Kirishima reached the center, he grinned. "Todoroki, now we'll see who's the best!"
From the stands, Bakugo watched in silence. Among all the students in Class 1-A, Kirishima was the one who got along best with him, so even antisocial Bakugo could consider him a friend.
"Don't let your guard down..." Bakugo muttered.
"Everyone ready? Begin!" Present Mic shouted.
Kirishima didn't stand a chance in a long-range fight, so he immediately charged at Todoroki.
Todoroki took a step and froze the ground toward Kirishima. The redhead smiled and jumped, dodging the ice.
"That won't work!"
"We'll see about that..."
Todoroki, who had already anticipated that move, opened his hand and launched an icicle at Kirishima.
"Hardening!" Kirishima activated his Quirk and shattered the chunk of ice with his fist.
"Wow, this duel is intense!" Present Mic hyped up the crowd.
"It's only natural. They know each other well and can anticipate what the other will do..." Aizawa added.
Todoroki didn't stop his assault and sent more icicles flying. Kirishima broke them one after another as he closed the distance between them.
"I've got you!" Kirishima grinned as he came within a few steps of Todoroki.
Todoroki's expression didn't change as he exhaled a cold breath before moving his hand and trapping Kirishima inside a block of ice.
Todoroki knew that thanks to Kirishima's hardening, it was difficult to damage him, but he didn't need to do that, so he trapped him in ice. After all, Kirishima's strength wasn't supernatural, so he couldn't easily break free from the ice.
"Oh no! Is this the end for Eijiro Kirishima?!"
"It's over..." Todoroki said as he turned around and began walking toward the exit. But at that moment, the ice started to crack.
"Don't underestimate me!" Kirishima growled as he broke free, surprising the audience, who shouted in excitement.
"No, it's over..."
Without even turning around, Todoroki froze Kirishima along with half of the arena. The sheer amount of ice—and the fact that it had taken Todoroki only an instant to produce it—left everyone speechless.
Even Present Mic was amazed.
"V-victory for Shoto Todoroki!"
....
Todoroki entered the tunnel, and once he was out of the public's sight, he leaned against the wall, panting. His ice Quirk had a side effect—a limit, much like Kaminari's—and that was that it affected the user when overused.
In Todoroki's case, it caused hypothermia and frostbite—something he could easily counter with his fire side, but he avoided doing so, especially today, with the father he hated so much watching him.
Just as Todoroki was about to keep walking, he met Bakugo's eyes. Bakugo stared at him silently, expressionless.
"...!"
"Tch. I don't give a damn about your goal. I'll beat you, Deku, and that bastard!" Bakugo continued walking, leaving Todoroki speechless.
....
While that was happening, Allen had another problem. Just as he was about to return to his seat, he heard Kaina's voice behind him.
"Allen is unnecessarily popular," the woman said coldly.
Allen turned around with a smile. "Well, it's part of my charm, I suppose you could say."
Kaina smiled, "Come with me."
"Can I refuse?" Allen asked, sensing that Kaina seemed quite upset—even more than Nemuri.
"No."
Kaina grabbed Allen's hand and led him somewhere out of sight—or so it seemed.
A few minutes later, Allen found himself cornered against the wall in the women's restroom by Kaina, who placed her hand dominantly beside him.
To Allen, this was far more interesting than intimidating. His eyes were filled with curiosity about what Kaina was going to do.
"Is there something you'd like to explain to me?" Kaina asked seriously.
"For example?"
"Everything!" Kaina grabbed Allen by the collar and pulled her face closer to his. "Why did you make everyone hate you? What were you planning in the obstacle race? And what exactly is your relationship with Itsuka Kendo?!"
....
Gwen – sigh That last one is the only thing she really wants to know.
MJ – Kaina is so easy to read, haha~
Shizuka – I want to know too, Allen~
Akeno – Ufufu~ We know better than anyone the charm my little brother has. It's no wonder she ended up falling~
Juvia – Juvia is conflicted... On one hand, she's jealous that Allen-sama is close to other women, but on the other hand, she's happy that more girls can see his charm~
Tony – Tsk. If there's anything more obscene than his absurd strength, it's his ability to seduce women. Even I'm jealous.
....
Allen smiled before moving his face closer to Kaina's as well. "Do you really want to know?"
Kaina blushed slightly but didn't stop glaring at him in annoyance.
"Fine. But before I talk, I'd like to know something. Why do you care so much if I have a relationship with some girl?"
Kaina looked away for a moment before pressing him again.
"Because I'm your guardian. I have to make sure you don't ruin your life over some youthful nonsense!"
Allen narrowed his eyes and moved his body closer to Kaina.
"...!"
Feeling his breath—and of course his presence—Kaina took a step back until her back hit the wall behind her.
"It's curious that someone who usually leaves her clothes lying on the floor, is lazy in the mornings, smokes, and drinks is lecturing me about ruining my life."
"Ugh..."
Kaina did not argue to counter that, and the roles reversed. Now she was the one pinned against the wall.
"Are you going to answer now?"
Allen became bolder while Kaina refused to speak. At this point, anyone who saw them would feel embarrassed.
Inside her mind, Kaina was in chaos. She didn't believe Allen would go beyond his usual teasing flirtation just to mess with her. Even if his personality changed 180 degrees, there was no way he would dare kiss her... right?
That thought was shattered the moment their eyes met.
That mischievous smile and piercing gaze said otherwise. Kaina knew she had to stop something from happening, yet her body froze while her mind stopped processing information.
In that brief moment, every thought faded into the background, leaving only the heartbeat and breathing of two people.
Just as their lips were less than an inch apart, the sound of the stadium crowd exclaiming in shock and disbelief echoed in the distance.
Allen let go of Kaina and stepped back, narrowing his eyes. "If I remember correctly, Bakugo and Tetsutetsu should be fighting right now. I wonder what happened?"
As tempting as it was to keep finding out how far Kaina would let him go, he couldn't ignore that strange bad feeling he'd had all day.
"I'll head out first, sis," Allen said, leaving the beautiful Lady Nagant in the restroom.
Kaina didn't respond and simply watched him go. Once alone, she splashed her face with cold water, then looked at her reflection in the mirror. The blush on her cheeks made her angry, and she punched the mirror.
"That little bastard! How dare he treat me like one of the girls he flirts with all day!"
Whether out of pride or to reclaim her position as the older one, the purple-haired woman swore to teach Allen a lesson.
====
A/N: Even if there is some kind of redemption for Endeavor in the future, at this point in the story he was a bastard. 🍷🗿
If you want to read more, there are up to ten chapters ahead on Patreon.
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