Hey guys welcome back to another chapter of A Tale of Two Endlings! I hope you all enjoyed the last one! I don't have anything to say here, so I'm just gonna cut straight to the chase and get into it!

Disclaimer: I don't own -man or BNHA, all rights go to their respective owners.


Chapter Twenty: A Gallant Performance

The breeze brushed lightly against Allen's face as he slowly made his way into the arena. After a few minutes of prep time, they were all rushed to take to the field for the upcoming battle. With every step, he felt his chest begin to tighten—almost as if a python had wrapped itself around his throat. "Will I be able to hold back?" he thought to himself with a frown. The team he was going up against was comprised of Midoriya, Uraraka, Ashido, and Mineta—all of which were powerful combatants. To prove that he was worthy of his station, he'd have to show everyone—including these students—that he was someone who could stand alongside them as an equal. However, since he couldn't use his innocence, he was already at a massive disadvantage.

"Hey," Monoma started, snapping Walker out of his thoughts. "Just stick to the plan and keep calm. Don't worry, even without a quirk, we'll ensure that you fulfill your role beautifully!" For as eccentric as this student was, Allen knew that Monoma meant well and was truly trying to win with every fiber of his being. In some ways, that helped to alleviate a bit of the stress that was currently whirling about his mind.

"Got it," Allen responded as his grip around his weapons' tightened. It was about time for them to begin. "Most likely, Midoriya's team will rely upon a mix of flashy attacks with minimal strategy," he thought as his gaze locked onto the other side of the area. They didn't have a strategist like Yaoyorozu on their team, after all, so they probably didn't have to worry about getting ambushed or anything. That said, there were a few outliers that they had to worry about. Midoriya's raw strength, in particular, was terrifying—but what worried him the most was Shinso's ability. "Brainwashing," he thought as he bit his lip. Having to fight comrades affected by such a strange power was something that he was all too familiar with. Back when he was fighting for his life in Noah's Ark, he was forced to do battle with Lavi in a seemingly endless fight to the death. It was a horrid situation that, at times, lingered with him to the present day. And, even though this competition didn't have their lives on the line, it wasn't exactly something he'd be willing to experience a second time. Luckily, his teammates had managed to figure out a countermeasure—or, at least, a stopgap if one of them got caught by his quirk.

"I've done some research and discovered that you have to provide a verbal response to him of some kind to activate his power," Monoma spoke up again as the boy gestured to one of his ears. "Make sure you stay vigilant and only respond when you're absolutely certain that you're talking to one of us. Knowing 1-A, they probably have a trick or trap up their sleeve to get us to fumble." Without another word, Allen nodded and hastily made his way up into a nearby building. "Uh... what are you doing?" Monoma asked him as he raised an eyebrow. In response, Allen silently raised a finger to his lips and motioned for them to follow.

"Just in case they're nearby, we should do our best to survey the area first without alerting our opponents," Allen thought. When it came to raw power, his team was at an obvious disadvantage, so he'd have to make use of every trick up his sleeve to ensure their victory. "Monoma and the others are all excellent strategists, but in the end, they are still students with very little actual experience under their belts," he thought as he flipped himself up to the building's roof via a small windowsill on one of the crumbling balconies. The second his feet touched the concrete, he made a beeline for the nearest wall and hid behind it. From this vantage point, he was able to hear and oversee the majority of the surrounding area. Usually, gathering intelligence like this would be the responsibility of someone with a suitable quirk. However, on the battlefield, he knew that the best information one could get was the kind that was personally gathered. As he sat there, taking in all the slight twitches and sounds in the air, his teammates continued to stare with almost shocked expressions.

"Those're some strange movements for a student," Monoma mumbled to himself. Truth be told, he went into this activity under the impression that Walker would be mostly dead weight. He knew that the boy was handy in a normal brawl, but when going against heavy hitters like the students in 1-A, he severely doubted how useful a quirkless human would be. However, that doubt—which was shared by the rest of his team—was quickly starting to disperse into a sense of impressed curiosity.

"There they are," Allen thought as he watched the enemy team slowly make their way deeper into the industrial complex. As expected, all of them were clad in their freshly-upgraded suits and looked ready to fight at a moment's notice. It was obvious that they were trying to move as a group to ensure maximum fighting strength. "That's not exactly surprising considering that Midoriya and Uraraka are both in their roster." Those two were exceedingly kindhearted, after all, and with the addition of an unfamiliar teammate—Shinso—they probably decided to stick together to minimize any risk of failure/avoidable injuries. It was a basic strategy, and one that would be difficult to puncture for those unexperienced in chaotic warzones. Luckily, he knew exactly how to shatter their formation and swing the tide of the match in his team's favor. "The main problem here will be Midoriya," he continued as he quietly unsheathed his weapons and narrowed his eyes, "his raw strength is nothing to scoff at. However, he's still just a boy with less than a year's worth of professional training. With a proper application of martial arts, I could delay him while distracting the other four." Back when he was still an exorcist, he was overwhelmingly outnumbered in practically every battle. Over the years, he'd mastered the skill of fighting multiple opponents at once—all of which had different abilities. "I guess it's time for me to earn my keep," he started as he turned back to his teammates. "Hey!" he spoke, "I'm going on ahead!"

"You're what?!" Shoda and the others responded in an exceedingly shocked tone. Even though they all knew that Walker was talented, the fact that a quirkless boy was volunteering to be their vanguard caught them all by surprise.

"He can't be serious," Monoma concluded with a shrug. However, before he had the chance to ask his teammate to explain himself, the boy got up and effortlessly started to sprint off towards the enemy team at a mind-bogglingly fast pace. Without a moments rest, Walker jumped and maneuvered his body through the complex roofs and alleys as if they were nothing more than a straight path.

"Hey, is this okay?" Kodai asked him as she hurried to the front of the group. "He'll reach 1-A in no time at that pace! They've got Shinso and Midoriya together up there! One wrong move and we'll soon be down one man!" They planned to have Walker focus on recon and support. However, by leaping headfirst into the fray like this—by himself no less—he was practically throwing their chance to the wolves.

"I know!" Monoma yelled as he gritted his teeth and started to run. "C'mon, you guys, we've got to hurry!" His gut told them that they only had a handful of moments before Walker crashed into 1-A. "I can understand wanting to prove yourself, man, but you've got to keep in mind that you're part of a team. If heroes were just a bunch of lone wolves nothing would get done!" In his frantic bout of stress, Monoma immediately took command of the others in order to minimize the fallout of their teammate's sudden maneuver. However, even though this was technically the right choice, the boy failed to realize that Walker was acting for their benefit. After all, when chaos was instilled in an enemy's ranks via a sudden ambush, that would be the perfect time to surprise them with a flank or an attack at their rear. Sadly, such a tactic wasn't one that people like students could come up with on the fly. As said strategy was one that was steeped in cowardice, and—perhaps most crucially—a steep sense of malice. On a battlefield such as this, where they were all supposed to be training, such underhanded tactics usually weren't encouraged. And that was for a simple reason: such an ambush relied upon a sudden burst of explosive, and unrelenting, attack power. And when dealing with teenagers who hadn't even been fighting for a year, that was when accidents were the most likely to occur. And, by not understanding this fact, Walker paved the way to—perhaps—the most costly mistake he'd make since his enrollment at U.A. High. A mistake that would send him, and his classmates, spiraling down a path of unrelenting carnage and chaos.


Midoriya's ears perked up as he strained to listen for any nearby footsteps or whispers. Knowing 1-B and Monoma, they were almost definitely walking right into a trap of some kind. Due to this, being able to identify, neutralize, and counter their opponent's strategy was of the upmost importance. "Our team is built up of mainly fighters and a few supports," he mumbled to himself as his eyes quickly darted to Shinso and Uraraka—who were carefully sneaking behind him. "In this situation, where we don't know the location of our enemies, they hold the advantage." Since they had each gotten the chance to watch a few rounds previously, both teams were already relatively well-informed of the arena's layout and any advantageous terrain. For a team like theirs, which was frontloaded with powerful quirks, a fight in an open plain or courtyard would be their best shot at victory.

"Hey, Midoriya, stop for a second," Shinso whispered as he raised a finger to his lips. "I know we talked about this before," he whispered as he pointed to the device that was wrapped around his mouth, "these artificial vocal cords, while accurate, are probably only going to work once against that team." He wasn't dumb, after all, he knew how crafty the students of 1-B could be. "So we should probably all discuss now—when we're not being attacked—who I should focus on." Originally, he planned to bring this up when the teams were chosen, but after some thought, he'd decided against it. "Our opponents aren't exactly cut and dry like our team. There isn't an obvious powerhouse that we need to take out first. Therefore, deciding my opponent now, when we're all on high alert, would be the best option," the boy thought as he grinned underneath his mask. "You're the person who's always paying attention to other people's quirks and personalities," he continued as they all slowly made their way over a small bridge, "so do you have any suggestions?"

"Hmm," Midoriya pondered as his brow furrowed. "Out of everyone, I'm probably the most worried about Monoma," he told Shinso as Uraraka and Ashido both nodded. They all knew how troublesome that particular individual's quirk was. The ability to copy and use another's ability meant that they couldn't really trap the boy via conventional means. For all they knew, he could've gotten materials to copy the quirks of his entire class beforehand. In which case they would be at a massive disadvantage when it came to sudden assaults.

"Focus on him for now," Ashido agreed as she placed a triumphant hand on one of her biceps, "we'll handle the rest," she finished.

"Got it," Shinso said as he started to fiddle with his device—something told him that he'd be needing it soon. "Stay vigilant," he mumbled as he furrowed his brow. "We're nearing the center of the arena. If the other team is progressing at a similar pace, we'll run into them there." For the next few moments, a heavy sense of dread filled the air. Like weights were slowly being piled onto each of their backs, the trainees of Class 1-A and Shinso began to seep into a familiar, yet disturbing, feeling: the onset of battle. The tension began to build, like an orchestra of violins slowly beginning to strum, until—in one moment—everything was catapulted into chaos. In an instant, Midoriya felt a sharp pang of pain wash over his entire body from his stomach. At a quick glance, they all discovered that the source of this pain was a small kukri—which had buried itself in his uniform. While the wound wasn't very deep—no doubt to avoid a fatal blow—the shock of it was enough to make all of them stagger.

"If that was a real attack," Midoriya thought as he bit his lip, "I'd be dead by now." It didn't take a genius to figure out that, if that weapon landed just a little bit more to the left, he really could've been mortally injured. "Gah!" he yelped as he forcefully yanked the blade aside. "There's only one person I know on the opposing team that uses those!" he told his friends as he smashed his fists together—no doubt in an attempt to shake himself into action.

"Yeah," Ashido responded as she hurried on ahead. "Where are you hiding, Walker?!" she called out as she flung acid every which way. Toxic fumes filled the air as her concoction ate away at the ground, metal, and concrete. Eventually, the entire block they were in was blanketed underneath a cloud of pink gas. No hiding assailant could afford to stay in the same position for long in this scenario. "Guys! When he stumbles out all of you jump him!" their classmate instructed as she carefully checked every possible corner. In an instant, they quickly changed their positions into a defensive formation—with the other members shielding the injured Midoriya in the center. At a glance, their strategy appeared to be airtight. However, it wasn't perfect. Before any of them could realize what was happening, a person leaped into the circle under the cover of the acidic cloud in an attempt to finish Midoriya off. However, they were too hasty. Thanks to his training, Shinso was quick to turn the tables on the mysterious attacker. Without wasting a moment, he covered the student in a thick layer of his anti-personnel bindings—momentarily stunning the opponent.

"I've got to admit, I didn't think you'd be this fast," Shinso said as he struggled to keep ahold of his ropes. As the smoke cleared, the person who'd they'd all been expecting came into view.

"Heh," Allen pondered with a smile as he locked gazes with the boy, "nice try." He already knew about Shino's quirk, after all. Even though they predicted that Walker would be a pain, Midoriya and the other members of Class 1-A couldn't hide their shock at his brazen assault. The boy who they all thought would be relegated to support was instead diving right into the proverbial lion's den. If it wasn't for Shinso's quick thinking, he could've actually done some serious damage to their team's vanguard. His right hand, which still had a knife trained squarely on one of Midoriya's tendons, had been restrained by Shinso's weapons, but only just.

"Holy..." Shinso thought to himself as he bit his lip, "what's with this insane physical strength?!" He only managed to snag one arm, but it felt as if he was trying to hold back a car. "Are you sure this guy doesn't have an ability?!" he jokingly asked his comrades as he dug in his heels and gritted his teeth.

"Certain," Midoriya responded as his mind raced to find an opening for a counterattack. He could just punch Walker, but he had to be careful to avoid inflicting any serious trauma. And so, he instead opted for the next best option. "Shinso! Hold him steady!" he called out as he aimed his Air Force gloves right at his classmate's skull. "I'll just shoot a blast of air near his ears to disorient and knock him out," he thought as he prepared to flick one of his fingers. However, unbeknownst to them, they were sprinting headfirst into Walker's trap. As he'd planned, Midoriya aimed and fired a ball of air towards his classmate. But, instead of collapsing when the invisible bullet reached him, the boy did something strange.

"What in the world is he doing?" Shinso thought as Walker quickly started to turn, rolling his bindings up into a ball like twine around a stick. It was such a strange sight that the young hero didn't even realize that he was slowly being dragged closer to his aggressor. However, by the time he did, it was already too late. "Ah, shit!" he cursed as he finally realized what was happening; Walker was pulling him into Midoriya's firing line. Sadly, even though he figured out his opponent's strategy, he was in no position to stop it from happening. "Dammit!" he yelled as he turned to his teammates for help. "Guys! Help me hold him down! He's trying to pull something!"

"Don't worry, Shinso, I've got him!" Midoriya yelled as he unleashed his attack. The second his fingers made contact a giant torrent of air came rushing towards Walker. Immediately, the boy swung Shinso in front of him with shocking ease. The air collided with the trainee midflight, shooting his limp body through a nearby wall and into one of the neighboring buildings. The force of the blast filled the area with smoke and debris, almost as if they were in the middle of a warzone. In the confusion, Allen used this cover of dust to slip away from 1-A's grasp. "How... how did he do that?!" Midoriya thought to himself as he, and the others, started to panic. The sheer power required to move a person like Shino—who was covered in equipment and gadgets—like that was nothing short of superhuman.

"Was he always that strong?" Ashido asked Uraraka and Mineta as they all ran out of the cloud of debris.

"He doesn't have a quirk, right?" Uraraka added as she greedily gulped down the fresh air. "How much did he train to be able to do something like that?" They all knew how dedicated people like Midoriya and Bakugo were to their studies, but to be able to do what they just witnessed... well it was simply impossible!

"I underestimated him," Midoriya thought as he bit his lip. None of them expected that Walker would be able to take them all on at once like that. "Shinso's been hurt, but that attack didn't have enough force to incapacitate him with all the protective gear he had on. That said, thanks to that assault, we're now down one man." They couldn't afford to be careless now. "Guys! Catch your breath and survey the surroundings! We've got to find where Walker scampered off to!" They couldn't risk letting the boy rest.

"Oh... okay," Uraraka and the others responded as they hesitantly started the search. For a second, every movement they made seemed akin to a confused dream, and Midoriya couldn't blame them.

"We're doing all of this for a person with no quirk," he thought with a nervous chuckle. "I can't believe he's pushed us back... with no powers." None of them wanted to think about it, but as the reality of their situation sunk in, they—and everyone who was watching the battle—couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of terror sneak up their spine. Talent was something that U.A. prided itself on fostering and nurturing. People like Bakugo, Todoroki, and, to an extent, himself were constantly given the tools and encouragement necessary to push their potential to the highest peaks possible. For some, this potential might not manifest in the form of raw power, but for many heroes, the constant journey to gain strength was a never-ending trial. Those who reached the top of their class were lauded as being mighty enough to combat multiple villains at once. However, that was with the aid of their powerful quirks. With that in mind, the one thought that everyone was thinking was simple. "If Walker was born with an ability, he'd be unstoppable."

"Damn," Ashido cursed as she tore down a thin wall with her acid. "The dude's gone! He must've climbed up a ladder or something to get onto the roofs!" He was probably trying to setup another surprise attack. "Midoriya! We need to prepare ourselves! If he goes back to his teammates and regroups, there's a good chance that one of us will get taken out in the next brawl!" They had their hands full dealing with Walker alone; anyone else joining in would be catastrophic.

"Agreed," Midoriya said as he regained his composure and jumped up onto the nearest foothold. "I'll keep watch; you guys go and get Shinso! Be careful, knowing Monoma, they definitely won't let this opportunity go to waste!" Slowly but surely, this initially quiet contest had turned into an explosive trial by combat. With their plans in disarray, Midoriya struggled to theorize some sort of contingency strategy. "Think," he thought to himself. "There's a way out of this situation, I've just got to find it." He wasn't Yaoyorozu, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try! All he needed was a little spark.


Monoma felt his jaw scrape the pavement as he watched the chaos from afar. "Do you think we should help him?" Shoda asked as Walker started to throw Shinso around like he was made of paper. In a second, the boy had neutralized one of 1-A's most annoying combatants and forced the enemy team into a state of disarray. He wouldn't lie, they were all positively shocked.

"He almost reminds me of Togata, what with how he's taking on all those powerhouses by himself," Kodai added as Walker's warpath continued. While the comparison made sense, Monoma almost refused to believe it.

"That guy is like Togata?! Are you serious?!" he whispered loudly to himself as he placed a hand over his mouth. Togata was one of U.A.'s Big Three! A person which all students in Japan tried to emulate! There's no way that was the case! "And yet," Monoma thought as he bit his lip, "that's all I'm thinking."

"Should we take advantage of 1-A's confusion and join Walker in a pincer attack?" Shoda suggested as he prepared himself for battle. "I mean, it isn't like we can have some guy with no quirk steal all the glory, right?" he mumbled as he turned to Monoma.

"Damn straight," he cursed as he cracked his knuckles and jumped over the roof's railing. "I want you, Shoda, and Kodai to run ahead and back Walker up! Yanagi will stick with me! The second one of them wanders off; we'll be there to knock them out!" Armed with their new strategy, the students of 1-B hastily made their way to the center of the fighting.

"Monoma, I can see Ashido up ahead! Should we attack?" Kodai asked as her leader nodded. In an instant, she sprinted right up to her opponent and fished what looked like a small can out from one of her pockets. However, in reality, this was a massive oil drum that she'd shrunk using her quirk. Before Ashido had a chance to react, she swung the container and returned the object to its normal size. Since Ashido was still partially distracted looking for Walker, she didn't realize the giant projectile rocketing towards her until the very last second.

"Oh, crap, they're here!" she yelled to her teammates as she used her acid to destroy the drum. Instantly, the rest of 1-A's members turned to face them. In a handful of moments, the battlefield had devolved into a full-on brawl. Yanagi was using her telekinesis to eviscerate the ground Midoriya and Uraraka were standing on, forcing the pair to retreat into a nearby alleyway. Monoma and Shoda quickly followed the two, peppering them with buffed projectiles—courtesy of Shoda's ability—before they had a chance to think. However, while they were distracted dealing with their opponent's vanguard, Mineta and Ashido were free to attack them from their left flank.

"Shit," Monoma yelled as he grabbed Shoda's shoulder. "Get down!" the boy continued as he forced his partner to duck, dodging a veritable wave of Mineta's entrapping purple balls. "Those things are nasty if they get ahold of you! Keep an eye out next time!"

"Got it, thanks!" Shoda responded as the pair hastily continued with their assault. Every so often, Kodai would join in on the bombardment from one of the nearby roofs, placing even more pressure on 1-A's combatants.

"Damn," Midoriya cursed as his eyes thoroughly scoured any nearby buildings. "Has Shinso recovered yet?" he asked Uraraka as the girl stealthily levitated up onto a nearby pipe. "He might've gotten a bad hit earlier, but it shouldn't have taken him completely out of commission!" The boy was wearing a variation of Mr. Aizawa's protective gear, after all. "We need his help to get us out of this bind!"

"Yeah, I think so. I can see him recovering at the other end of the courtyard!" Uraraka called out as she slung a few rocks and pieces of debris at Kodai. "It doesn't look like Monoma and the others have noticed him yet," she continued with a slight grin.

"I'm sure they aren't paying attention, but Walker definitely is! We need to go and give Shinso some backup!" They couldn't afford to lose such a useful teammate this early! Sadly, just as he'd predicted, it didn't take long before a dark shadow flew past them overhead. "Ah, hell, he's running on the electrical lines!" Midoriya yelled as he bit his lip and dove into the open alleyway. "There's no cover out here, but this is the only path available that'll let me reach Shinso in time!" The second he poked his head out, 1-B's endless bombardment was unleashed upon him. It was simply impossible for him to avoid damage if he continued, but he didn't have the luxury to be able to push forward without pain. Gritting his teeth, Midoriya forced his way through the wall of attacks, only stopping to block or dodge when it was absolutely necessary. Normally, his teachers would condemn such a strategy as foolhardy; however, in such a hopeless situation, even they were at a loss for words. "I can make it!" the boy thought to himself as a particularly sharp piece of debris tore a small cut just above his left eyelid.

"This guy's a machine!" Monoma panicked as Midoriya broke through their encirclement and sped off towards the back of the courtyard. "Dammit, he's going to help Shinso! Somebody stop him!" Sadly, his orders fell on deaf ears.

"Sorry, Shoda, we're too busy keeping the rest of 1-A pinned down!" Kodai responded as she bit her lip. Even without Midoriya supporting the others, the rest of 1-A's team were still incredibly adaptable. If they let up by even the tiniest bit, all of their progress would be lost to the wind.

"Crap!" Monoma thought as he swiveled around to chase after Midoriya. "Why am I even doing this? There's no way I can beat that brute in a footrace." In the end, all he could do now was sit and watch. But, just as he was about to lose hope, a spark of intuition came to him. "Oh, that's right," he whispered to himself as he snapped his fingers. "Walker ran off earlier to beat 1-A to the punch! So, we should be okay!" On instinct, Monoma turned to find a—hopefully captured—Shinso. However, instead, the sight that awaited him was anything but. "What?!" he cried out as he watched Midoriya pull Shinso out of the rubble. "How in the world did he beat Walker?! He had a ginormous lead!" At first, Monoma thought that the boy had been ambushed or something. Instantly, he began to look around, desperately searching for his teammate's location. But, when he finally did find him, all he received was an intense wave of confusion. "Huh?" he spoke out loud, too shocked to stay silent. "What the hell is he doing up there?!" At his words, the rest of his comrades turned to look at where their leader was pointing. Much to their surprise, they found Walker standing atop one of the many radio towers that dotted the landscape. He was far, far away from their location—practically on the other side of the arena. Even if they squinted, they could only make out a few vague details. Which, for Walker, was a blessing. This was because his classmates weren't able to see the horror-filled expression that now covered his visage.

"I... I thought it was a fluke. But... it can't be," Walker thought, his heart racing, as he lifted his left hand up to his bulging, dark, and bloody left eye. "My curse," he continued as he stared off at the horizon, his mind hazy and unstable, "it's reactivated."


Author's Note

Another month another chapter! Well, I hope you all enjoyed it, especially that little cliffhanger at the end that I always toss in (evil laugh). I'm hoping you all are having a good year as these horrid times slowly start to move past us. With this chapter, I'm finally moving into the final stages of this story. Going at this pace, I plan to be done with it sometime within the next twelve months. For those of you who've kept reading all this time, thank you, and please continue as I work to give this story the best conclusion I can (that said, this thing probably still has 12+ chapters left so maybe I'm just jumping the gun).

P.S. Sorry about the relatively sparse summer chapters, I was quite busy this summer so I couldn't work on this story as much as I wanted. Hopefully, I'll be able to get more out before the end of this month. Again, sorry about the wait!

Anyways, that's all I had to say here today! Thanks for all your support, and if you have time, please leave a review! It really helps. Have a good day and I'll see you guys on the next chapter of A Tale of Two Endlings!

Chapter Twenty-One: Different