Things had changed.
In the original timeline, the attack on the Pussycats' base had two purposes. One was Ragdoll—her Quirk, since it would allow All For One to see again after originally losing his sight in his battle against All Might. However, that didn't happen in this world. Even so, Search was a Quirk just as troublesome—or even more so—than Aizawa's, making its neutralization a priority.
That was bad news for Ragdoll.
The one sent for this task wasn't a villain, but a High-End Nomu… That was the name given to the creature—an aberration born from what was once human, a monster capable of storing multiple Quirks at the cost of what it used to be.
Normally, Nomu were obedient creatures with no self-awareness, created to follow their masters absolutely. But the "High-End" was different. They were the closest thing to the evolution of humanity—or at least that's what their creator, Doctor Kyudai Garaki, believed.
Kyudai Garaki had many names, but he was usually known simply as "Doctor." This man observed his creation in action through a miniature drone.
"Only a few hours since being released, and Hood already can speak. How wonderful~" the man said, his eyes reflecting pride and pleasure.
This middle-aged man—bald, short, overweight, with a thick mustache, wearing a lab coat and round goggles—was a monster worse than his creations.
A mad scientist who saw people only as experiments and potential resources. He lacked empathy, morality, and ethics. He was All For One's most reliable ally.
"How wonderful..." the Doctor said, his smile widening. This achievement brought him one step closer to his masterpiece. "I warned them that Quirks would destroy society. I warned them… but they didn't listen. That's why I'll prove it—I'll force them to evolve..."
Garaki stood up. "Now, Hood, show them what you're capable of!!"
....
Ragdoll watched as the jet-black blade was about to cut her down.
There would be no epic battle. No clash of wills. No power-up. The difference between them was too great, and so Ragdoll would die in silence.
She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain that would end her life—but it never came.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself face-to-face with the ugly visage of the Nomu Hood… but its expression was confused.
"Not… there…"
Ragdoll also noticed that Nomu's blade arm had disappeared.
'Step back, Tomoko.'
"...!" Ragdoll reacted instantly upon hearing a familiar voice in her head. She jumped backward and flipped away, creating distance between herself and the Nomu.
The Nomu didn't attack. Instead, it looked at its hand for a moment before it regenerated in just a couple of seconds.
"Instant regeneration?! What is this thing?!"
The shock of the High-End's abilities was so great that Ragdoll dropped her usual cheerful persona, her expression turning serious.
"Don't worry, leave it to me."
Ragdoll felt a warm hand on her shoulder and heard that voice again. She hadn't known him long in person, but the moment her eyes landed on Allen, all the fear she felt—from being so close to death and from facing that monster—vanished without a trace.
In her eyes, only the face of that young man existed.
However, something was different. Even though there was a faint smile on Allen's lips, he wasn't smiling.
"What an abomination… and how pitiful..." Allen murmured, catching the Nomu's attention. "Born from a desecrated corpse, shaped by some bastard who abandoned his humanity."
"Who… are… you?"
The Nomu known as Hood showed interest for the first time.
Allen didn't respond. He began walking toward the Nomu, his clothes slowly transforming into his hero suit.
"You… are… dangerous!"
Sensing danger, the Nomu entered combat mode.
....
At the bar, Shigaraki and Kurogiri watched this as well. After all, they were curious about that Nomu, which was supposed to surpass even the Anti-Symbol of Peace Nomu created to kill All Might.
Back in his lab, the Doctor became euphoric.
"Magnificent!" Garaki exclaimed, overwhelmed by the thrill of discovery, the desire for experimentation, and the anticipation of new knowledge.
"Allen Absolute Walker—the hero with the most absurd Quirk of all!"
The Doctor's eyes shone, his breathing quickened.
"It's time, Hood! My creation! Show him your power! Let me see how far you can reach compared to that young man!"
On the screen, Nomu's body began to change. It grew stronger—its arms enlarged, muscles bulging as power accumulated. Jet-like turbines appeared on its shoulders, and as if that weren't enough, a device in its neck injected something into it, instantly driving it into a frenzy.
"Muscle augmentation! Super regeneration! Jet boosters mounted on the shoulders! Transforming arms! Power stockpiling! And on top of that, a creature with overwhelming base strength! AND I just injected it with the new and improved Trigger formula!" The Doctor burst into hysterical laughter. "WHAT DO YOU THINK, ALLEN WALKER?! THIS IS MY CREATION! THIS IS THE NEXT STEP OF HUMANITY! OF QUIRKS! HAHAHAHA!"
....
The Nomu had reached the peak of its power. It was terrifying—a monster with real chances of killing a top-three hero, even the current All Might.
There was no hesitation in its actions. The Nomu would attack with everything from the very start.
In contrast, Allen kept walking toward it. There was no fighting stance, no heroic speech, no mockery, no shamelessness. Allen had no intention of wasting words on a creature like this.
"You… die!"
The ground shattered under the creature's step. At the same time, its turbine-like boosters roared, burning trees behind it as it gained a burst of speed—breaking the sound barrier three times in an instant.
In a blink, the Nomu appeared in front of Allen, its fist harder than steel and carrying the force of a meteor.
"You truly are pathetic..." Allen said.
The Nomu stopped just before hitting him.
Ragdoll, Garaki, Shigaraki—even Kurogiri—fell completely silent.
At first, no one understood what had happened—until the cloud covering the moon drifted away, illuminating the night. That same light passed through a hole in the Nomu's chest.
Its entire torso had disappeared in a perfect circle.
"W-what?"
The Nomu stood frozen, raising its hand to touch the space—finding nothing there.
"Why?... regeneration… not working..." it asked, like a child unable to understand what was happening.
"Who knows," Allen replied, his eyes glowing red. There was no joy, no mockery—none was needed. This creature was nothing more than a corpse, one that needed to return to the earth.
[Template: Shota Aizawa
Origin: My Hero Academia]
The Nomu could no longer attack. It collapsed to the ground, its eyes fading as its body turned slightly gray.
Ragdoll let out a sigh of relief—but also looked worried. She thought Allen had been affected by having to end the monster's life. Of course, it was just a misunderstanding.
Meanwhile, the Doctor slumped into his chair, his face turning pale.
Allen smiled at the girl who looked at him with concern.
"What's wrong?"
"You don't have to carry that alone," Ragdoll said, stepping closer and placing a hand on Allen's arm.
Allen blinked for a moment, then quickly understood why she was acting that way.
"Ah, wait—that's a misunderstanding. I didn't kill it," Allen said, glancing at the Nomu. "That thing wasn't alive to begin with."
"What?!"
"I'll explain later," Allen chuckled, but quickly turned serious again and activated his telescopic and X-ray vision. He wanted to check how the other battlefields were doing.
....
At the Pussycats' shelter, Aizawa faced Dabi. The young man with the "Blueflame" Quirk had gone straight for him, launching a surprise attack.
However, Aizawa wasn't a rookie. He dodged the attack, erased Dabi's Quirk, and captured him. But "Dabi" only laughed before breaking apart—it was just a copy of the real one.
Shortly after, several students from Class 1-B arrived, along with Iida. They had all escaped the forest. Unlike the original timeline, Allen had cleared most of the gas, so only a few had lost consciousness.
Once Allen saw that most of the students were safe at the shelter, he shifted his focus elsewhere.
In another part of the forest, Itsuka and Momo had gone to find the source of the poisonous gas. This was possible thanks to the gas masks Momo created to protect them and Itsuka's deduction—she had realized the gas wasn't dispersing and was actually becoming denser in a specific area.
The two girls found the culprit.
He turned out to be a young villain named Mustard. He wore a school uniform and a gas mask. His Quirk was "Gas," which not only induced sleep similar to Midnight's Quirk, but also allowed him to sense every movement of his enemies within the gas.
Even so, the girls confronted him bravely. But the bastard didn't play fair—he pulled out a Magnum revolver to kill them. Fortunately, Momo managed to create a reinforced shield in time, protecting them from the bullets.
Itsuka used her enlarged hands to disperse the gas, and Momo used a metal staff to strike Mustard on the head, knocking him unconscious.
A victory for Itsuka and Momo.
Allen smiled upon seeing the two of them safe alongside the defeated villain. He never doubted they would win, but it was still a pleasant surprise to see them defeat an experienced villain without suffering injuries.
With that situation under control, he looked elsewhere and narrowed his eyes.
"This will be my target..."
Allen picked Ragdoll up in his arms—leaving her here would be dangerous—and began rising into the sky.
....
"Kurogiri, get everyone out of there right now!" Shigaraki shouted.
Kurogiri remained impassive. In his eyes, this outcome wasn't surprising at all. He never expected the Nomu to defeat the young man that even his master couldn't beat. However, he hadn't expected it to be taken down in a single blow.
'Allen Walker has grown faster than I expected… I don't understand why Master remains so calm despite this...'
"Kurogiri?! What are you doing?! Open the portals already! Can't you see they're all going to be wiped out?!"
Shigaraki's desperation didn't affect Kurogiri, who looked at him with faint disdain. What did he expect would happen? Did he really think he could attack UA with that monster present, play the role of a supervillain, and then escape after killing a few people?
– Tomura-kun is young and impulsive… but that's fine… all those destined to change the world make mistakes… just watch over him and make sure he isn't captured –
Kurogiri's thoughts were interrupted when Shigaraki grabbed him by the collar with a murderous glare.
"What are you doing?! Are you betraying me?!"
The anger and resentment were real. Shigaraki had a broken sense of loyalty. Since childhood, the world had turned its back on him—or at least, that's what he believed. But he wasn't entirely wrong. His Quirk was one of the most dangerous that could exist.
In that state, only All For One had reached out to him. That's why, even though Shigaraki surrounded himself with killers, psychopaths, and bastards, he still saw them as important comrades.
It was contradictory that this same Shigaraki had sent them there without hesitation. But understanding the actions of someone who chooses destruction as a way of life was impossible.
"Calm down. I'll do it—but first, let's see where Allen Walker goes."
"Huh?! Why?!"
Kurogiri sighed. "Shigaraki… you understand that we can only save those who aren't where he is, right?"
"..." Shigaraki fell silent.
Even someone like him knew that facing Allen head-on would only end in defeat. From the very beginning, he had no intention of doing so. From the start, the High-End Nomu had been a sacrifice to keep Allen occupied, while his companions had two simple tasks: "Kill as many students as possible and escape."
It was a game. For Shigaraki, this was all a game. But the moment he saw the Nomu fall without resistance, he realized how foolish and naïve he had been.
Shigaraki released Kurogiri and calmed down.
"Kurogiri… open the portal."
"..."
"Do it in the mountain range where they arrived at the beginning..."
Kurogiri nodded and obeyed. Now that Shigaraki had received a harsh dose of reality, he complied.
....
As soon as the portal opened, Shigaraki stepped through. His expression looked worn down, nothing like the earlier euphoria he had when he believed he was playing a game of chess and controlling the pieces.
Shigaraki looked toward the Forest of Beasts. Dabi's blue flames could still be seen in the distance, but Mustard's gas had already disappeared.
Behind him, the dark portal shifted as Kurogiri emerged.
"Most likely, Allen Walker will prioritize protecting the students, so we should retrieve Dabi, Twice, Magne, and Spinner first."
"..." Shigaraki remained silent.
"Shigaraki, don't let anger control you. One day, you'll have the power to face him."
"When?"
Kurogiri hesitated to answer. He knew his master cared deeply for Shigaraki and had high expectations for him. But realistically, Kurogiri couldn't envision a future where Shigaraki reached Allen's level.
"That…h?!" Before he could respond, Kurogiri felt dizzy, his legs losing strength.
"Kurogiri?! What's wrong?!" Shigaraki exclaimed in alarm. When he turned, he saw two figures not far away.
"We're… under attack…" Kurogiri growled, dropping to one knee.
"Tomura Shigaraki, do you really think I'm going to let you hurt my Allen?!" said a woman with a cold gaze.
"Midnight!"
Shigaraki widened his eyes and tilted his head just before a bullet grazed his cheek.
"It's not just her, you little rascal!" said Snipe. This teacher had come to the camp in secret.
"What's wrong? Surprised to see us here?~" Midnight mocked. "We know you, Tomura Shigaraki—you're the kind of brat who enjoys watching ants drown when you pour water on them. And this mountain range overlooks the Forest of Beasts, making it the perfect place to observe from above."
"Tsk," Shigaraki clicked his tongue.
'Homing bullets while we're under the effect of Midnight's Quirk… that's a dangerous combination…' Kurogiri slowly stood up. 'We're screwed...'
....
At the Pussycats' battlefield, the situation was dire.
Mandalay and Tiger were fighting Spinner and Magne.
Spinner, wielding a weapon made from multiple combined blades, was skilled in combat. However, Mandalay wasn't weak, and at first, the fight was evenly matched.
As for Tiger, he faced Magne, who surprised him by matching his strength. Their exchange was brutal.
Meanwhile, Deku focused on protecting Kota. Although he wanted to help, Mandalay didn't allow it. As a student, he could only fight in extreme situations—like during the UA attacks—but with pro heroes present, it wasn't considered necessary.
Both battles continued, filled with tension. But like any dance, even the smallest mistake could be fatal.
At one point, Spinner broke through Mandalay's defense and aimed his blade at her head. But before tragedy could strike, Deku intervened, destroying Spinner's katana.
"What are you doing?!" Mandalay shouted—but she knew that if Deku hadn't intervened, she might have been seriously injured.
"I'm sorry!" Deku said as he landed. "But I had to do it—Kota can't lose any more family!"
Mandalay couldn't respond to that. Instead, she looked at Kota and clenched her teeth.
"Fine! I'll take responsibility!" Tiger said, blocking one of Magne's kicks.
Mandalay exhaled and took a fighting stance alongside Deku.
"Don't take unnecessary risks."
"Yes!" Deku replied, activating Full Cowl at 35%.
"Damn it..." Spinner, having lost his sword, felt pressured. "Damn heroes, you have no honor—two against one?!"
"Honor?!" Mandalay scoffed. "Says the shameless villain attacking students!"
"They're not students—they're part of society's poison! Hypocritical heroes who only seek fame, money, and glory—not to save people!" Spinner said, glaring at Mandalay with disdain before turning to Deku. "Except you. Stain allowed you to live, so I consider you worthy of being a hero."
"...!" Deku's eyes widened as he remembered the killer he had faced alongside Iida and Todoroki.
"Stain? Just what we needed—a fanatic of that murderer," Mandalay said.
Those words made Spinner furious. To him, Stain wasn't just a killer—he was his inspiration, his idol. Someone who had seen the truth: that society was flawed, that there was discrimination against mutant-type Quirks, rejection of dangerous abilities, that heroes didn't save everyone, and that society ignored people like them and pushed them into becoming villains.
To Spinner, Stain represented someone willing to stain his soul to cleanse the world.
"How dare you..." Spinner pulled several syringes from inside his clothes.
"Wait, Spinner!" Magne shouted upon seeing this, but Tiger took advantage of the opening and struck her in the face.
"I won't let you!" Mandalay said, attacking—but she was too late.
Spinner didn't hesitate. He injected himself with three doses of Trigger. His body began to grow, becoming more muscular.
Gecko wasn't an impressive Quirk among reptile types—it only granted slightly enhanced speed and the ability to cling to surfaces. Otherwise, it was ordinary.
But Trigger existed precisely to change that.
"I can feel it!"
His muscles hardened like a bull's, his skin toughened like a rhinoceros', and his body grew like a grizzly bear's.
"Damn it," Mandalay clicked her tongue. Even so, she didn't stop and attacked. She knew that despite the power, Trigger had a flaw—it robbed the user of their sanity. So she moved in.
But it was a mistake.
The moment Spinner's eyes locked onto her, Mandalay realized he hadn't lost consciousness.
"Die, fake hero!"
"...!"
Mandalay saw Spinner's massive fist aimed at her head. Her Quirk was telepathy—beyond that, even with training, she was still just human.
"Mandalay!" Tiger shouted, but Magne held him back.
"This time, it's my turn~"
"I won't let you!" Deku accelerated at full power—100%—even breaking one of his legs to try to stop Spinner.
Everything was in chaos, teetering on the brink of life and death... until someone burst onto the scene.
"Hey..."
"...!" Spinner froze mid-attack. He didn't understand why, but his body stopped responding.
Not just him—Deku, Tiger, Magne, and even Mandalay stopped moving.
Everyone looked upward, where A red cape fluttered in the night breeze.
It was Allen—holding an unconscious Moonfish.
"Good evening," Allen said with a smile, making Magne and Spinner turn pale.
====
A/N: This chapter was taken down twice on Patreon, but luckily it's less strict here. 👀