All For None

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—a 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—but 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.

"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—and 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—well, 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.