All the girls fell silent after Midnight's intervention, however, there were sparks in the air. Nemuri—no, Midnight—was a woman difficult for the other girls to surpass, because she was Allen's guardian, which gave her a special position.
"Midnight-sensei, if you participate, wouldn't that be unfair?" Momo said, stepping forward. Over the past few months, she had realized she couldn't hold back out of respect for Midnight if she wanted to surpass her—both as a hero and as a woman.
But she had a point. If it were a fight, they wouldn't stand a chance against a pro hero. If it were an intelligence challenge, they might have a shot—but in the end, they would still lose to this woman who, despite appearances, was very intelligent.
"You've got guts as always, Momo," Midnight praised her for having the courage to stand up to her, before smiling mischievously. "Don't worry, I don't plan to cheat or use my position to win a date with Allen."
'This isn't a date!' both the teacher and the male students thought, but no one said it out loud.
Midnight approached Momo and whispered something to her. Momo blinked in surprise before nodding, then used her Quirk to create a handful of wooden sticks, only one of which had a red tip.
At this point, even Kota understood the game.
"Simple, isn't it?~" Midnight said, winking at Allen.
Allen, who had been silently watching this unfold, finally spoke. "Well, at least that would make things fair."
The girls exchanged glances. This would leave everything up to luck, which balanced things out.
"You're okay with that?" Reiko asked on Allen's side. She wasn't one to talk much, except with her close friends—and Allen, of course.
Allen shrugged and replied casually, "Is there any man who would complain about having a cute girl or a beautiful woman fighting over a date with him?"
Reiko blinked, then stepped forward. "I'll participate too."
Seeing that the girls were about to start some drawing or competition, Aizawa began to grow impatient.
"Whatever, just hurry it up."
One by one, the girls stepped forward to draw a stick, and little by little, disappointed groans could be heard. Until finally, the red stick appeared—leaving everyone surprised.
Once it was over, Aizawa threw his bandages toward several unfortunate students from Class 1-A and 1-B, including Kaminari, Monoma, Mineta, and Sato. They were heading to "special" classes due to their poor performance in general academics.
Kaminari screamed and cried pathetically, saying he also wanted to enjoy his "youth" and be embraced by a cute girl in the forest. As for Mineta, he also cried while revealing his plan to scare the girls in hopes that one of them would show her chest.
The girls looked at Mineta as if he were human trash, while Aizawa glared at him with anger. That only made him scream louder as he was dragged away.
The Pussycats also got into position. Pixie-Bob, Tiger, and Mandalay stayed at the starting line, spacing the students apart with enough distance between them. Meanwhile, Ragdoll entered the forest—she would head to the goal ahead of time to wait for those who managed to reach it after overcoming the obstacles.
Class 1-B went first, entering the forest ahead of the others, but it seemed they had a different mission—one that involved Class 1-A. That much was obvious, as before leaving, some of them looked back with mocking smiles and playful malice.
Five minutes passed, and Shoji and Tokoyami were the first to go. Then it was Todoroki and Bakugo, who entered the forest together.
Several others passed by before Allen, and just before it was his turn, he heard a faint scream from Setsuna and Reiko, who had already entered the forest.
Hearing this, he couldn't help but use his X-ray vision through the forest, and what he saw made him laugh. It was Yui dressed as a ghost, scaring the girls.
....
There were no Pixie-bob's beasts in the forest. After all, what they were aiming for was a more subtle, eerie atmosphere.
"I'm not satisfied..." Mina growled.
"There's nothing we can do, we lost," Setsuna sighed.
The two of them had entered the forest together since they couldn't go with Allen. A hundred meters behind them were Ochako and Toru. The same distance behind them were Momo and Itsuka, and last of all were Allen and Jiro—who didn't even know how she had ended up in this situation.
"What's wrong?" Allen smiled.
"It's nothing," Jiro said, feeling embarrassed. She wasn't like the other girls—she had never intended to get too close to Allen, at least not romantically. But it was like a curse—every time she tried to keep her distance, circumstances brought them together, and when they didn't, the shameless guy approached her himself.
'This guy...'
Jiro pressed her lips together. Allen had seen quite a few embarrassing sides of her. For example, she liked playing her guitar, but not in public—she would hide in an empty classroom after school to practice.
She still remembered when Allen suddenly appeared sitting in front of her and applauded. Of course, she had been happy that someone showed appreciation for her music, but ever since then, it had become even more embarrassing to face him.
"By the way, how's the training? Do you feel stronger?" Allen asked with curiosity. He already knew everyone had improved, but he wanted to hear it from her directly.
Jiro grabbed her earlobes before giving a small smile while looking ahead. "Yeah, it's a strange feeling... but every time the pain fades after training, I feel like I'm getting stronger."
Allen smiled. "I'm glad."
"...!" Jiro looked away. She couldn't understand how someone like him—arrogant and shameless—could have a smile like that.
Allen felt like teasing Jiro a bit more, but suddenly he stopped. He raised his gaze and sensed it—the temperature of the forest had increased by a degree. He could also smell a faint, unpleasant odor in the air.
Using his microscopic vision, Allen noticed a faint gas beginning to spread through the forest.
"Bastards!"
Without hesitation, Allen clapped his hands. The force was enough to disperse the smoke. Jiro, who hadn't expected this, was knocked down by the wind. Once it settled, she looked at Allen with disbelief written all over her face.
"What happened?!"
Allen didn't respond. Instead, he scanned the area with his X-ray vision.
At the Pussycats' shelter, Aizawa was with Vlad alongside several students who were in remedial lessons. However, outside the complex stood a man—he had black hair and blue eyes, with burns all over his body, as if patches of healthy skin were stitched together with charred flesh using piercings. He wore a black, somewhat torn trench coat, giving him a dark and edgy appearance.
[Soya Todoroki (Fake) "Dabi"
Quirk: Blueflame
Type: Emitter]
Dabi had appeared near the complex, seemingly waiting to ambush them. However, Allen didn't pay much attention to that situation.
'Aizawa won't lose to that mud doll...'
His focus shifted elsewhere—deeper into the forest, closer than the complex. There, Ochako and Toru had encountered Himiko, who greeted them with a smile.
Allen narrowed his eyes. While Himiko Toga was his childhood friend, that didn't mean she was kind. On the contrary, she was a villain. Still, Allen chose to trust Ochako and Toru—both had not only been trained by Mirko, but also by himself.
Once again, Allen used his vision to scan across the forest—and what he saw next made him grit his teeth and crack the ground beneath his feet.
Back at the starting line he had left ten minutes ago, Mandalay and Tiger were facing two villains. Behind them were Deku and Iida, but as expected, the heroes weren't letting them fight.
As for the villains—
One had green skin and looked like a lizardman from a fantasy world. He dressed like a ninja in a way that reminded Allen of Stain.
[Shuichi Iguchi "Spinner"
Quirk: Gecko
– Body adhesion
Type: Mutant / Transformation]
The second was a muscular man, almost as big as Tiger. He had shoulder-length reddish hair and thick lips. He wore a melon-colored summer shirt, jeans, and sunglasses.
[Kenji Hikiishi "Magne"
Quirk: Magnetism
Type: Emitter]
Both were clearly villains, but what made Allen begin to radiate a suffocating presence was what lay at their feet—Pixie-Bob, unconscious, with a wound on her head. But beyond that, the one called Spinner was stepping on her.
Allen was about to head straight to that battlefield, but he clenched his teeth, smashed a tree into pieces, and held himself back. Mandalay and Tiger were there—two pro heroes. However, in the forest, there were only students. If he lost control and gave in to his anger, he might end up letting someone more defenseless die.
"I'm sorry, Jiro," Allen said to the girl, who looked worried. She had to be scared—Allen had suddenly started acting angry out of nowhere. "I'm using my telescopic and X-ray vision to assess the situation. Both the complex and the forest are under attack by villains. These guys waited for a moment like this, when everyone would be separated..."
"I see," Jiro said, immediately plugging her jacks into the ground. "I'll help!"
"That would help," Allen smiled, then checked the farther areas. In the distance, he spotted two individuals who hadn't moved—they were probably villains waiting for their turn. There was also a hooded villain running through the forest with a sadistic grin, heading toward where the Pussycats were.
Unohana – This one is dangerous… he reeks of blood...
Batman – At that speed, he'll reach that green-haired boy, Midoriya, in five minutes.
Diana – Prioritize those in immediate danger.
Allen nodded.
Shoji had been attacked by a disturbing villain, but managed to escape.
Tokoyami had lost control of Dark Shadow, but hadn't injured anyone.
Bakugo and Todoroki were about to encounter a villain.
Itsuka and Momo were heading toward the source of the poisonous gas.
All scenarios were dangerous and posed risks to the UA students, yet Allen hesitated. Something bothered him.
"What's the objective?!"
He was there!
The very same guy who had made All For One retreat twice, the same one who had achieved monstrous feats, the one who was practically a second All Might—and even so, these people had chosen to attack.
"Do they underestimate me?"
His voice was low and heavy. The feeling in it wasn't directed at anyone else—it was a question to himself.
Jiro froze and looked at Allen. There was no need for him to shout to show how furious he was.
There were countless heroes in the world. Just as Japan had All Might, there were many number-one heroes across the globe—each with their own legends, villains, and feats. But in Jiro's eyes, there was only one Allen Walker.
'I don't know what kind of villains attacked… but they made the one person in the world they absolutely shouldn't have angered… angry,' the girl thought, feeling something close to pity.
"Jiro, find as many people as you can and take them to the Pussycats' Shelter. Avoid combat if possible." As soon as he finished speaking, Allen disappeared.
....
A few minutes earlier...
Ragdoll had been at the finish line when the first students arrived—Shoji and Tokoyami.
The cat hero decided to surprise them by jumping out from behind a tree, which worked and made her laugh. The two said goodbye to Ragdoll and started heading back.
Not long after, Todoroki and Bakugo arrived. Both remained silent, unwilling to exchange too many words.
After they passed, two minutes went by as Ragdoll waited for the next students—but strangely, no one came.
"This is strange… I know—Search!" Ragdoll's amber eyes lit up as she used her Quirk.
Everything seemed to zoom in, and the students appeared before her eyes.
"Hmm? What?!!"
Ragdoll's expression hardened as she realized several people were neither teachers nor UA students.
"Who are they?! This is bad!"
As a veteran hero, Ragdoll immediately sprang into action. She was about to use her communicator to call her teammates and report the enemies—their location and weaknesses.
At that moment, a shadow appeared behind her.
Ragdoll reacted instinctively, delivering a kick—but her foot felt like it hit concrete. The intruder didn't even flinch.
"..."
When she got a proper look at her enemy, Ragdoll's eyes widened in shock.
It was jet black, with a thin, unnatural body. Its head extended forward, its face hidden in darkness—only a pair of golden eyes and a wide, toothy grin were visible.
Beyond its appearance, the sense of danger this monster emitted was so chilling that Ragdoll took a step back. A professional hero—famous and experienced—had stepped back in fear. And she was right to do so.
Because the next moment proved it.
"You… are… cat…"
'It spoke?!' Ragdoll gasped. In twelve years of hero work, she had never seen a creature like this. Her instincts screamed at her to run.
This thing didn't feel like a naturally born being—it was an aberration, something a mad scientist had created in a lab.
"Must… kill…"
Its hand transformed into a blade, and the Nomu moved at a speed beyond a human's reaction time—even that of a hero.
Ragdoll saw in slow motion as that blade approached her chest—but she couldn't react.
'Am I going to die?'
The last thing she saw was that sinister smile and those glowing eyes.
....
At the League of Villains' bar, Shigaraki enjoyed a drink. With Kurogiri's help, he could move back and forth from the battlefield.
"Among the Pussycats, that woman is the most troublesome… that's why it's best to eliminate her…" Shigaraki said, staring at a glass. "Without her, they're practically blind."
"That will make him angry…" Kurogiri muttered.
"That's the point," Shigaraki grinned in a twisted, corrupted way. "Just imagining that bastard's face when he sees that woman split in half—it drives me crazy."
"..." Kurogiri sighed internally.
It wasn't a secret that Allen had a strong fondness for women. While there were no explicit scandals, he was almost always seen surrounded by girls—whether at UA, at home, or while working as a hero.
Even knowing that women were Allen's weakness, not a single villain targeted them. It was an unspoken rule in the criminal world—don't go after Allen Walker's girls. And yet, there was someone who dared to do it right in front of Kurogiri.
"You're going to sacrifice your companions, after everything it took to gather them."
Shigaraki paused briefly before wiping the smile off his face. "Hey, hey… what are you saying, Kurogiri? He's a hero… they don't kill, right?"
"And if you're wrong?" Kurogiri asked, narrowing his eyes.
Shigaraki burst into laughter. "Then it'll just prove Allen Walker is just like us! Hahaha!"
Kurogiri silently watched him.
The plan was simple: the [High-End] Nomu would keep Allen occupied, while the rest of the League would handle killing his companions—all to break the hero, all to destroy the legend just as it was beginning.
"All the pieces are in place… now it's just a matter of breaking the strongest hero~"
====