MHA:A New Ending

The life of Michael Bianco could be condensed into three stages. Early on, though he doesn't remember it now, he was a violent kid in his neighborhood, known as a troublemaker. He'd fight children years older than him without provocation, a pattern that continued until he was expelled at fourteen for a fight with a kid two years his senior.

His father, a good and somewhat understanding man, decided his son deserved a chance to prove he was more than just a violent boy. He sent Michael to boxing classes. His trainer, an old man with decades of experience who knew the young couple well, told them that Michael was actually a talented kid, and with real effort, he could become a great fighter.

But if there was one thing Michael Bianco hated, it was committing to something.

Both his father and mother encouraged him to explore hobbies beyond boxing – from baseball to painting, music, basketball, poetry, everything available in his new school. Still, he couldn't find anything he felt truly passionate about.

He debuted at sixteen, winning two fights before being demolished by an opponent a year older. After that, he refused to fight semi-professionally again.

Nobody, not even his trainer, understood why he stopped. Michael never entered another competition.

His father, seeing no interest in his son exploring other paths, forced him to study and become a mechanical engineer. It was for his own good, his father thought.

As a college student, Michael always felt something was missing. This persistent sensation, this lack of something, lingered until he found it.

Books. Always present in his life, but relegated to the sidelines. Reading thousands of stories ignited an emotion he'd never truly understood. That's when he realized his passion wasn't to become someone, but to write something.

Unfortunately, if there was one word to describe Michael Bianco's life, career, and books, it would be...

Mediocre.

He once wrote in a book that no one who actually read it remembers:

"Life is divided into four parts: melancholy, suffering, greed, and absolute boredom. Every day, I wonder if this day is going to be different, but it ends up being the same, one after another, the same thing again and again. If I had the opportunity to get out of this repetitive and predictable world, I would never look back."

And then... he was summoned to that white room, into the domains of that glowing god. He was hesitant to accept a deal, not because of the deal itself, but from the fear of it being fake. After all, he didn't need another deception in his life.

But when he opened his eyes in that brand new world—a world so known to him, yet so strange—the newly born Akuma Matsumoto made a promise to himself:

He would enjoy every moment as if it were his last. He would cling to this world until his hands bled. And, of course, he would complete the objective assigned to him, because he wanted to do so.

Lying in that bed as a toddler, incapable of doing anything but wait, Michael Bianco was reborn once again. He became a completely new person, one who wanted to experience everything, by all means.

Akuma Matsumoto gazed at the tunnel before him. This would be the third time he'd cross it, and he was genuinely excited. As he walked through the corridor, he thought about the last two fights.

It wasn't that he lacked faith in a different outcome; he was sure neither Kirishima nor Tokoyami stood a chance against Bakugo and Todoroki.

The cold air hit his skin as he emerged from the tunnel, a remnant of the previous fight. The stadium exploded in cheers, eager for a good fight, and Akuma was equally eager to deliver. He climbed onto the platform where Bakugo already waited, his face a mix of anger and challenge, as always.

"Did I leave you waiting for a long time?"

Akuma teased.

"Shut up, I'm going to destroy you!" Bakugo roared.

"THE LAST FIGHT OF THE SEMI-FINALS IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!" Present Mic's voice electrified the atmosphere, and Akuma couldn't help but smile even wider, further infuriating Bakugo.

"Well then, are both of you ready?" Midnight asked.

"Midnight-sensei, I have a petition," Akuma said, raising his hand.

"Huh?!" The stadium froze. Midnight smirked, a vein throbbing on Bakugo's forehead. As the heroine licked her lips, she replied, "And what's that, Akuma Matsumoto?"

"Can we make the platform bigger?"

"How bold! I like it!" Midnight looked at Cementoss, and after receiving confirmation, they both nodded in agreement. It took five minutes for the pro hero to make the changes. With the new, expanded platform ready, both fighters re-entered.

"Oi, keep wasting time, you're pissing me off!" Bakugo growled.

"Heh, well then, don't get so impatient, Bakugo. You look scary with that face."

From afar, many different people watched. Class 1-A, for example, debated who would win.

"Akuma, I think I'm going with Akuma." Ojiro said.

"Are you sure?! Isn't he at an incredible disadvantage against Bakugo? I remember him saying his body was fragile," Tokoyami countered.

"Mmm... I think he can handle it."

While Ojiro and Tokoyami debated harmoniously at the back of the balcony, another group observed the fighters from the front lines.

"Don't you think they look scary standing like that?" Jiro remarked, having just returned from Denki's room to watch the fight. Beside her, Momo rested a hand on her chin.

"Akuma always has that energy around him. Look at him, he's smiling even in this kind of situation," Momo observed.

"Ahh, he's always like that. He was also smiling back at the U.S.J. It's kind of creepy," Kirishima added. The two girls nodded. They didn't understand why their classmate, who was apparently a very intelligent student, acted like that, but even so, it was kind of cool...

"I really hope Akuma wins!" Uraraka exclaimed.

"I-is that so, Uraraka...?" Izuku Midoriya and Ochako Uraraka were watching the fight on the TV inside Izuku's rest room. The girl watched the match with excitement,

completely sure her friend would avenge her, even if it was a childish thought.

The green-haired boy didn't know who to cheer for. Akuma's words lingered in his head: "I think you can beat him pretty easily."

Izuku clenched his fist, looking at the TV with a serious expression. Coming to a realization, he decided he wouldn't cheer for either of them, because he was sure they didn't need it.

Yes, he was sure neither Bakugo nor Akuma needed help to become great heroes.

In another city, a blonde girl stood frozen before a store display, her heart twisting at the sight of the white-haired boy. Memories she couldn't quite catch danced at the edge of her thoughts.

"Can you stop biting your tongue? It's disgusting."

"Ah... sorry, I think I do it when I'm excited."

Bakugo and Akuma stood right in front of each other, separated by only a few meters. With seconds left, they looked at each other one last time.

"START!"

Neither wasted a single second. The first to attack was Akuma, a punch directly to the face that Bakugo dodged purely by reflex. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't escape the kick Akuma threw immediately after. Bakugo's boots carved a burning scar on the cement as the kick hurled him back, teeth gritted and eyes flaring.

Akuma charged again, dropping to the ground to avoid the explosion thrown at him. With a backspin, Akuma recovered easily, using both arms to gain force and hit a surprised Bakugo with the sole of his foot. Standing up, Akuma didn't stop. A hook kick to the arm, even when blocked, made Bakugo tremble. Without losing momentum, Akuma tried to hit his opponent with a left hook. Unfortunately for him, an explosion interrupted the attack, cutting off his arm.

"A-AHH HHH!"

The sight of Akuma kneeling, grabbing his severed arm and pointing it skyward, was certainly something nobody expected.

As the remnants of his arm flew away, the sound of his screams paralyzed all the viewers. For a second, the world stopped. Even for his opponent, Bakugo didn't have the chance to realize the truth behind his classmate's actions. As he tried to get close to him, a tentacle shot out from Akuma's lower back, sending Bakugo flying before he could even think.

"Kidding~" Akuma said with a wide smile as his arm began to regenerate, grossing out more than one viewer as the strings forming his body clung to each other to reform the limb.

"SUCH A COWARDLY MOVE! HOW INTERESTING, ISN'T THAT RIGHT, AIZAWA?!"

"Tch, don't play with me, AKUMA!"

The fierce beast named Bakugo stopped his flight with an explosion. Right after recovering, he screamed as he stormed off to retaliate, only to be met by the same tentacle, acting more like a tail. But that didn't stop him. With a single explosion, the organ was no more. Bakugo threw another explosion at his opponent, but Akuma was already on the move.

A left hook directly to the stomach, then a right elbow to the face, were Akuma's introduction. A kick to Bakugo's leg prevented any movement as Akuma's left knee flew towards Bakugo's head, who didn't hesitate to explode everything around him.

"It's a hassle fighting you, Bakugo."

Even after losing half of his jaw, it was clear that Akuma was smiling. The regeneration started as he talked, shaking his leg as it was lit on fire, biting his tongue with a smirk as he recomposed himself.

"Let's make things more interesting, shall we?"

"AKUMA!"

They both ran at each other. Bakugo was ready to end this. When they met in the middle, explosion after explosion was thrown at Akuma, who made a shield out of his forearm, jumping back as Bakugo pressed. A hit disbalanced Akuma, realizing the explosion hit him on the feet as he fell, surrounding himself in a cocoon to avoid being roasted alive by the upcoming blaze. He was thrown away after it started to break, rolling on the floor before recovering.

"Let's change pace then."

Akuma tapped the ground as Bakugo realized what was happening. From the floor, red tension cords emerged and began to chase Bakugo. Akuma guided them like a conductor, moving his arms to the rhythm of battle.

Their dance grew faster, hits crashing with the weight of shared stubbornness and raw hatred. Akuma guided red threads from the floor, whipping them around Bakugo like living snakes. Each dodge was closer than the last, sweat burning in Bakugo's eyes, lungs screaming for air.

Desperately, Bakugo had to dodge the attacks, using his quirk in defense while his opponent stood still with a soft smirk. The fight was one-sided. The cords were able to ambush him, attacking from every angle as he tried to create space with pure power. And while it might have been working, he wouldn't be able to win if he burned himself down like this.

The exasperating situation made the student think about hundreds of scenarios where he could escape, but none were possible. Even he could tell that. Suddenly, a cord erupted from the ground right below him, grabbing him by the toe and pulling him into the air before slamming him directly into the ground.

Bakugo didn't wait, exploding everything around him, burning every other attempt from the cords to try and get another grab. The explosion was so big it made the stadium tremble as an airwave pushed Akuma's body one step back. With no cords left, he sighed.

"So, close distance and long distance didn't work quite well, should we try medium?"

"What are you saying, crazy idiot? I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Whoah, are you a rabid dog, perhaps?"

The fight restarted again. The rate of hits began to increase. Akuma deflected and counterattacked with ease any normal hit thrown at him, but thanks to his fragile body, every explosion made him lose limbs or fingers, wasting threads from his reserve to keep up. Even so, he was unfazed, doing more damage than he received, and for a normal human like Bakugo, it was clear who would win in an endurance battle.

(Mhmm, the fight is at a standstill, should I change again?)

Bakugo's sharp senses warned him of something unknown. He didn't hesitate to fall back as the ground shook. Behind his opponent, a new tentacle was coming out of the center of his back, this one attacking from above the shoulder. Now with two organs hanging from his back, Akuma couldn't help but wonder what the limit was.

It was strange for him; even for him, the science behind his body remained a mystery. He didn't have organs, so his cerebral functions weren't possible without, well, a brain. But it was obvious something else supplied this, and that answer was his "core," that white sphere that contained his soul. It was interesting—that little thing seemed to contain his capacity for thought, but also his motion. He wondered how many extra limbs he would be able to control at the same time, now with this replacement for a brain?

Bakugo's jump back came as four large reddish organs impacted the ground, like a palm trying to swat a mosquito. The force behind that attack shattered the platform, leaving a trail of dust that was immediately used as cover for the same organs to emerge in different directions, trying to trap Bakugo. The student didn't hesitate; the explosion was enough to shake the stands.

Akuma thought that, at this rate, he wouldn't have to intervene before Bakugo ended up passing out. He scratched his head as he sighed. Surrounded by smoke, he looked around.

Only to see Bakugo already in front of him.

"W-Wha...?!"

No

Akuma tried to cover himself with his extra organs, but only made it worse, losing them as he also flew away with a half-burned face and an exploded arm. He quickly regenerated, but realized there wasn't that much thread left inside him.

Bakugo didn't let him breathe as he dashed to continue the attack. To the watchers, though, the only thing they saw was a cloud of dust and explosions, without anyone really seeing what was happening. Even so, they met in the center, fists and explosions clashing in a symphony of ruin. The ground cracked, the air burned.

Down in the nearby proximity, Midnight and Cementoss looked worried, unsure whether to stop the fight or not. Akuma had already lost a lot of limbs on television, after all.

"Midnight-sensei, Cementoss-sensei." Both heroes stopped as the Principal of UA spoke through their intercoms.

"Nezu-sama!"

"Please, don't intervene in this fight. It's a direct order."

"Nezu-sama?! Why?!"

"It's good for UA to show its enemies what it truly means to be a Hero, and I think this is the perfect opportunity to do so."

The animated and childish voice of the principal didn't mean he wasn't absolutely serious about this. Both heroes understood this and stayed still. With a hint of doubt, they looked at each other, wondering, why now...?

In a white room, a strange figure laughed at this turn of events.

Bakugo dodged Akuma's blows as best he could. If there was someone you didn't want to fight hand-to-hand, it was obviously him. A kick to his stomach from the right left him completely exposed. A right hook to his face, then a grab and throw, only to be countered by an explosion to Akuma's leg. He didn't have time to make another move as he had to cover from Bakugo jumping with an explosion ready in his hand.

An improvised shield absorbed all the impact as Akuma's red tail hit Bakugo in his blind spot. They looked at each other for a second before continuing. Akuma threw a quick jab that Bakugo avoided, making a point-blank explosion in his opponent's chest. Akuma rolled on the ground with smoke coming out of his body as his entire torso was exposed. He looked with annoyance at Bakugo before covering himself with a black shirt that seemed to materialize from him.

Both sides rushed at each other. Akuma considered his options; he was almost at his limit, and he was sure that if he wanted to, he could throw Bakugo out of bounds rather easily.

But....

Where was the fun in that?

Threads everywhere marked the fight as the sound of the clash between the two classmates made everyone watching nervous. It wasn't a normal fight in the slightest; seeing a student being blown up like that was something you weren't supposed to see often.

But the scariest thing about this entire situation was that, even if Akuma Matsumoto was losing limb after limb, he never stopped smiling.

"That kid... how scary would he be in the future?" asked the pro hero Kamui Woods to his partner, Mount Lady, who was watching, lost in thought. A bold student like him, was that even the same person she encountered three hours ago?

A kick landing from the sky made Akuma's head spin as Bakugo tried to continue, only to be met with a punch directly in the stomach. Moving and blocking, Akuma modified his fist, just like Kendo, to attack Bakugo, sending him flying. He jumped, only to be met by an explosion. Passing through the blaze, he landed with a broken leg, but that didn't matter. Akuma wouldn't stop, and Bakugo wouldn't back down.

The fight reached its limit. A punch to the chin as Akuma grabbed Bakugo from his clothes and headbutted him. He retaliated by trying to blast Akuma off, only to feel the explosion going behind them.

"Did you... forget who I am?" Akuma asked with a smile as Bakugo realized there was a hole in Akuma's chest, a hole made by him. A hit to the neck made him forget about it. He put his guard up as Akuma ran, dashing right to his left and hitting him with his tentacle. Bakugo didn't wait to blow it clean off. He was getting more and more tired, so he would end this with a last attack, he was sure of it. The speed of the fight increased. Akuma lost another arm, and when he tried to hit Bakugo with the new one, he realized:

It wasn't growing back.

This was Bakugo's chance!

It only took three seconds for Bakugo to attack. The explosion was seen in slow motion by Akuma as he thought of a way out, but there was none.

A fun fight, that's all. It was impossible for him to win; he knew it since the start. So why, why did he feel so frustrated?

The explosion swept away the entire arena, leaving only rubble in the shape of a cone while Bakugo fell to the ground, exhausted. After a while, he looked up, and to his surprise, Akuma was still standing.

Without any of his arms, Akuma looked at Bakugo with a smile as he walked towards him. Bakugo tried to move, but his body didn't respond.

"Tch... are you happy? You win."

"Nah, I'm done. There's no point in winning this match."

"What are you saying...? Didn't you fight with everything you have?!"

"That's exactly why I'm leaving. I can't recover from this quickly; hell, it's going to take me a day at least. So good luck, Bakugo, don't disappoint me."

"Tch, I'm not trying to impress you, idiot!"

The crowd was silent as Akuma smiled while leaving the arena. He used the threads of his remaining left arm and some non-essential cosmetics to regenerate his right one. Some parts of his body turned reddish as he couldn't cover them due to the lack of string. He left the stadium limping in silence, still holding his severed arm, ignoring the robots following him.

"AKUMA MATSUMOTO LEAVES THE PLATFORM!!! KATSUKI BAKUGO ADVANCES TO THE FINAAAAAAL!"

Even though he won, Bakugo looked at his hands. He didn't know how to express it, but he felt... disappointed to have won?

Watching from afar, a black-haired kid got closer to Hitoshi Shinso, who was watching Akuma walk away.

"H-hey, dude, do you remember I told you that guy was probably bluffing?"

"Yeah... it seems you were wrong."

The friends looked at each other before sharing a laugh. "That guy," Shinso thought, "sure is weird."