"It's a new world with every new day.
It's a new life with every heartbeat.
Change is inevitable,
but it doesn't have to be feared.
You'll still be you, at the end of it all."
-Unknown
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Approximately 2 weeks ago:
Allen was just about to retire for the day, when his phone wailed out loud, in an ear-piercing volume. His body instantly went stock still, staring at the phone like it was his worst enemy. In a way, it was. For the only one who had his number was none other than All for One. He dragged his finger across the 'Recieve Call' button reluctantly, knowing that his 'boss' most likely was giving him more dangerous work.
He was 'awesome' like that.
He appreciated his efforts, he really did. But, he would only accept a suicide mission after the mission giver was killed, so he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He stared somewhat longingly at the tall building he was living in, but he dismissed it in the same instance. Habits were hard to break.
"Yes-"
"Sweetie, why haven't you called your good old father yet? I haven't been back there in so long... Even the neighbors are listening in, and you know how much they hate us. Hahaha, don't mind them too much, just tell me how your day was. Did you make new friends?"
'...A-All for One? I-It's definitely his voice... The line must be monitored now that we're in U.A.'
"It's just the first day, father. I can't make friends that quickly. The Sports Festival is coming up in two weeks though... I might be able to make friends there, you know. We've watched it before, and there's always been some event where you work together, remember?"
Translation: How do you expect me to have any information on the first day? I expect to get a lot of information at the Sports Festival, where I can see everything up close and in person.
"Oh, the Sports Festival has come so quickly this year! You're going to kick butt, right kiddo? You gotta earn some face for our home, got it?"
Translation: You better not lose face for the League of Villains. Get to the top portion of the tournament-, Wait a second... This guy...
"Pops, you know my quirk isn't that really offensive, right? I can hear that you want me to win, but the other students aren't pushovers."
Translation: I had to disguise my quirk in order to get into school. I can't win if I don't fully use my quirk.
"Pah, there are students that don't have very offensive quirks! You just have to be creative, creative I tell you! You can be first, I know it! But do take care of your body; heaven knows that quirk of yours has some insidious problems."
Translation: That's no excuse, now go get first place. But only to the extent of not revealing your quirk?
He nodded to himself.
That seemed to be what he was saying.
After all, no matter how much All for One enjoyed stringing him along, he wouldn't put that ahead of the thing he had with Shigaraki. He wouldn't put it above the League of Villains, in other words. It did make sense.
'Still... If I don't perform to the best of my ability, hell, even if I do, I'll probably still get some punishment in the worst case scenario... I'll avoid it to the best of my capability, but if the worst comes to pass, then I'll deal with it then. Yep.'
"...I'll try, father. I can't guarantee anything though."
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No translation needed. The line went dull a few moments later, so apparently, All for One was satisfied with the answer he had given the man. He wasn't sure as to how the quirk he made up for himself was supposed to win against... those. The big bads, otherwise known as Todoroki Shouto and Bakugo Katsuki. As much as he detested the latter, he was able to objectively think about their quirks.
Their very powerful quirks, he might add.
He could (maybe) reach the same output of raw power if he was allowed to use his quirk in its' full capacity, but the lesser, hodge-podge version he came up with on the spot came nowhere close. If he wanted to win... If he actually won... The chances of being discovered would increase tremendously. The golden rule of disguises was always to fade into the background, to be the personification of average. But if he followed the whims of All for One, a lot more eyes would be focused on him from now on. If he messed up, even a little...
It wouldn't be pretty.
"Haaahh, this won't be easy... But it's not impossible. That's all that matters in the end," He frowned. "He's still a son of a bitch. ...I suppose being a bitch is better than being a flee, though. He may be a bastard, but he's capable of squishing me whenever the need strikes him."
He would have to play along for now.
'All quirks have a limit... If I just dodge and reduce the damage as much as I can when it matters..'.
Present Day- 15 minutes before Present Time:
'Oh, there he is. My next competitor in this whole farce. I don't know if it's because they're just first years, but no one has any experience whatsoever. They haven't picked up a martial art or anything, despite wanting to be heroes. It's like they just wanted to depend on their quirk for everything. Well, that's probably what it is. In any case, since I'm here I might as well greet him. Good sportsmanship, uh-huh.'
He extended his hand and followed by saying:
"I look forward to our match, Todoroki-san. May the best win."
However, the teen simply ignored the hand that was now awkwardly in his space. Slowly, his eyes narrowed into thin crescents full of indifference. He stood stock-still in place, pinning a blank stare at the hand in midair. Deku stood in place for a little while longer, but Todoroki made no movement whatsoever.
"..."
"...Sorry, was I intruding upon your personal space? I'll go away then."
'I guess this is what I get for trying to be a good person. As if that would ever work. I'm feeling slightly irritated, but since I can't figure out why, I'll just roll with it. I'm of the opinion that irritation is best relieved by beating up the source. It coincides with what 'Sensei' wants too. The match is about to start, so I'll go to my corner. This will be enjoyable, son of the No. 2 hero, Todoroki Shouto.'
"Coming in from the right is Shouto Todoroki! Last time he froze the stage, his opponent, and even the audience! You can bet that he'll do it again, so get your hats and mittens ready, ladies and gentlemen! Without further ado, give it up for the icy hero from Class 1-A!"
The sound the audience made when Todoroki stepped up on the stage was amazing. It also hurt his ears.
"And on the left is our exchange student all the way from America, Allen Bowman! He also hails from Class 1-A, and despite possessing a non-visible quirk, he quickly becomes the center of attention with his stunning intellect and wacky martial art moves!"
The clapping from the audience could only be called subpar, but he held this in higher esteem. Applause... Ever since his senses were 'upgraded' so to speak by his quirk, he could only cringe at it. If his ears were an amphitheater and applause was the sub-woofer, then he was the poor, hapless soul stuck inside without earplugs.
Regardless, now was the time to focus.
The moment the announcer started the countdown, 'Allen' made a show of activating his 'quirk'. Lightly tapping his thigs, and arms in what would be an innocent gesture for anyone except 'Allen'. It was the only thing that he could think of at the time to prevent the color of his lightning from being seen, but all in all, he thought it was a pretty good quirk. It was an excellent exercise to improve his control as well.
He could apply 'hexs' to anything upon contact; its' effects ranged from increasing strength to causing disorientation in the enemy. A curse magician combined with a buffer and a monk. That was what 'Allen' was. He could even hypothetically apply it to his 'allies' as well. It was just science, in the end. The one he was going to use against this enemy was the 'slowed motion of all electrons through outside electrical force'.
In layman's terms, 'Impeded Time'.
The countdown stopped, and he flew forward at ridiculous speeds straight for Todoroki. The teen was clearly caught off guard, but he hurriedly put up walls of ice at a moment's notice. But, they weren't stable. He lightly smirked when his idea was proven true. He flew straight through the ice with nothing but bruises. As he watched the dawning horror on his face, he felt a small well of satisfaction swirl up from deep inside him. Nonetheless, he didn't let his guard down, and it was a good thing that he did.
The kid had grown razor-sharp ice spikes from his body, and it was only Allen's last-minute thinking that saved him.
He kicked the ground hard, giving him some road burns from the sheer speed he was previously traveling at, before going airborne. The height was enough to plant his hand on Todoroki's head - oh boy, was that satisfying - all while not forgetting to send an electric current spiraling around the brain stem.
Hand still on head, he flipped up and around all of the ice spikes. He smiled. The kid wore a look of shock on his face like a champ; seems like he had never expected someone to use his head as a footstool. Shame on him, you should go into a fight expecting everything. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.
He resisted the urge to snicker villainously.
(He blamed Shigaraki; the brat was a bad influence.)
"It wasn't exactly your hand, but I suppose it works, doesn't it? I look forward to our current match, Todoroki Shouto."