U.A. High School—Teacher's Lounge

"Sorry to intrude so suddenly, All Might." Tsukauchi apologizes as he was currently in the teacher's lounge with Toshinori.

Toshinori places some tea in front of his friend before taking a seat in front of him, "It's all right, Tsukauchi. Well, what did you find out?"

Tsukauchi opts a serious expression, "Do you remember that Nomu that those students and you fought back at USJ?"

Oh, Toshinori remembers that monster, all right. There's no way he'd possibly forget about that creature. Able to take on his punches with ease and regenerate.

"That strong guy, huh…?"

"We did some tests on Nomu's DNA." Tsukauchi said.

"DNA tests?" Toshinori inquires, tilting his head in slight confusion.

"Yeah. To be honest, since we're not asking for your help in this investigation, that means I'd be leaking information, but I felt like I just had to tell you. It's a clue to lead us to the mastermind." Tsukauchi had to tell him.

Toshinori could feel that the information his old friend was about to give him was one that he would want to hear.

"After investigating Nomu at a specialized institution, we realized that it wasn't that Nomu can't talk. No matter what we do, there's no reaction. He is literally unable to think for himself." Tsukauchi takes out a picture and shows it to Toshinori, "And regarding his identity...we found out that he was just a thug with a criminal record of assault and extortion."

Toshinori stares at the picture for a moment before looking at his friend, "And you're saying that's a lead to the mastermind?"

The air in the room suddenly becomes tense, "Listen carefully, according to the report, there's DNA from at least four completely different people intermingled inside the thug's body."

"DNA from at least four people intermingled…" Toshinori had a thought, "Is he even human?"

"From what we can tell, his whole body appears to have been tampered with using drugs and other methods." Tsukauchi explains.

Toshinori looks back down at the picture.

"To oversimplify a bit, he's been modified so his body can hold multiple Quirks. The huge drop in his brain's processing power probably comes from the burden that causes, but well, what we're more concerned about is his DNA...and how he has multiple Quirks." Tsukauchi wondered just who in the world the mastermind is.

Toshinori didn't like where this was going.

"Even if different DNA is introduced, unless there is some way it can be completely integrated, the bearer would not have multiple Quirks. You of all people should understand, since you have One For All." Tsukauchi said.

Toshiniri's eyes widened at his friend's words.

"It's very likely that there is someone with a Quirk that can give others Quirks." The seriousness in Tsukauchi's tone only made Toshinori's blood run cold.

Abruptly, Toshinori stands up, "Don't tell me…!"

"Looking at the circumstances, it would be reasonable to assume such. That's why I thought I had to let you know." Tsukauchi didn't want it to be true, either. But there was no denying the possibility of that person still being alive.

Wordlessly, Toshinori walks over to the window, staring out into the sunset, "That man...has he started to move again…?" Feeling his anger course through him, he goes into his muscle form.

If that man is truly still alive, then it was time for him to make his move as well.

-BNHA-

Hotel, Somewhere

Esfir smirks to herself at the information provided to her. Looks like the knight was doing well at Hosu hospital, but that wasn't all that made her smile. The rest of her class and Class 1-A seemed to be progressing well with their internships.

"You seem to be in a good mood, mademoiselle."

Esfir turns her gaze over towards a man with long black hair that was tied in a low ponytail. His golden eyes expressed amusement at her smirk. His attire was that of wearing a black top hat with cards in the hair. The rest of his look consisted of formal wear, sporting a black jacket with a black vest and white shirt. The man also has black pants with knee high black riding boots. To top it all off, he was holding a cane topped with a miniature blue rose.

"I suppose I am, Hatter."

Hatter chuckles softly, "Please, madam. Address me by my human name, it feels much more dignified."

"Hoh? You truly prefer Yamiyo Kin over the name Alice gave us?" Esfir inquired with a raised brow.

Kin keeps his smile, "You seem to forget that Alice also gave us these very same names before giving us our true names."

Hearing that made her go quiet.

"Do not forget that, these human names protect us so that our true names are not exposed until the time is right." Kin reminds, "Surely, you of all people understand that, do you not?"

"You don't need to tell me, I know." Esfir said.

The door to their room opens and more people come inside the room.

One of the individuals lay on one of the beds, stretching and yawning like a cat, which is ironic because this person is a cat. This person with cat-like features was a youthful young man with short dark purple spiky hair, cat ears protruding from his head. He also had light pink eyes wearing a dark brown jacket, black shirt, matching brown paints, and small boots. He also had a purple tail that was moving about in a lazy and relaxing manner.

"My, my, has something happened to make you make such a sound, Cheshire Cat?" Kin inquires.

Cheshire groans into his pillow, "Don't call me Cheshire, it's Gataki Lupin…"

"My mistake, little brother." Kin teases lightly.

"Don't call me that, either!" Lupin groans even louder.

A feminine sigh stopped the banter between the two, "Must you two always do this?" She was a female about the same height as Yaoyorozu, with long black hair that reached down to her waist, sporting twin braids, with her eye red, while her left was cobalt blue. She was sporting red ballerina shoes that were dark blue at the tip. Her clothes consisted of a high collar red shirt, the top part of the shirt was also dark blue that reached above her chest. The outfit also had dark blue outlines at the shirt and the bottom, with bows at the bottom at every zigzag. The outfit also has a dark blue bow at the collar, closing the shirt, which is slightly open. A dark blue strip also runs over the middle of the top with buttons over it, closing the shirt. The sleeves are detached and go from around the high of the armpits to her wrists. They are in the same color as the shirt and a dark blue band with a bow at the top holding them in place. The bottom of the sleeves are decorated with red spider lilies prints at the end, sporting a dark blue skirt.

"They can't help how they act, nee-san." A man commented from her right on the bed they were sitting on. He was a very handsome young man with the same eyes as the girl he referred to as his sister. Unlike his sister, who has long black hair, he has short black hair, his left bang hangs over his face that passes his chin. His attire was also different from his sisters. The front of his boots are the same red color as his sister's dress. He was wearing a dark blue Chinese style shirt, which is red colored at the top. The shirt has red outlines on the bottom, the collar and the part where his shirt is closed. The shirt also has a spider lily print on its front, his gloves are red and fingerless, with the right longer and going past his elbow with a red outline on its end. His left glove is opposite, ending at his wrist, both gloves have metal wristbands, which have a plate on them that covers part of the back of his hands.

Lupin lifts his head from the pillow to stare at them, "Tell him to stop teasing me, Tweedledee, Tweedledum."

Tweedledee rolls her eyes at him, "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Xiaoli?"

"And you may call me Xiaosi. Remember our full names are Liu Xiaoli & Xiaosi." Xiaosi tells him.

The last person in the room was all smiles as he looked at his pocket watch. He was a tall man about the same height as the Mad Hatter, with long white hair, rabbit ears protruding from the white top hat he was wearing, and dark red eyes. His clothes consist of a white, ruffle collared button up and a white jacket, which is accented by old trim and white gloves. He was also wearing white slacks, and his boots are the same color.

"There's no need for us to rush into anything, after all...we have plenty of time." The White Rabbit smiled.

Esfir smirks in his direction, "As proficient about time as always, Gavin."

Gavin gives her a smile of his own.

"Now then, I've gathered you all here for one single purpose," Esfir speaks in a serious tone, "You all saw him, didn't you? The Knight of Hearts—Alice's Knight."

At her inquiry, they all grow silent. On occasion, they would be hiding in the shadows and observe him. The boy was truly impressive, his sword skills aside, but his charisma was also something to be admired. They can see why Alice chose him to be The Knight of Hearts.

Tired of the constant silence, Lupin groaned before speaking, "I want to talk to him...The Knight of Hearts."

"We can't." Xiaoli shoots his idea of wanting to see the boy down.

Annoyed, the cat man gives her a vicious glare, "Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do…?"

Unbothered by the sudden hostility, Xiaoli's calm expression doesn't change, "Now is not the time to act. As much as I'd like to bring this world to its knees, and having the knight by our side...we can't act rashly just yet."

"Nee-san is right, besides it shouldn't take that much longer, right?" Xiaosi spoke.

Esfir smirked, "No, not much longer indeed. Alice's time of awakening is the key, and the one who currently holds that key...is The Knight of Hearts."

"Because the two of them are connected." Kin states.

"That's right, as you all know, Alice linked their minds together. Alice may be in a deep sleep at the moment, but once all the insidious nightmares have been purged, "The Day of Awakening" will happen. And The Knight of Hearts will be the one to make that happen. Once it does happen...this world as they know it will no longer be the same. Alice's power will be unleashed."

Esfir then stands up, going over by the window before turning to face them with a sinister smile, "Only then, will The Knight of Hearts come to realize what his true role is when that time comes."

Kin smiled as he took out a card, "To be honest, I've always wondered what it would be like to fight against the heroes. It'll be quite the mad party."

Lupin growled, "We won't let them get in our way."

Xiaoli leans against her brother, "In the end, we will be ones who are victorious—"

"—Losing is not an option." Xiaosi adds.

And finally, Gavin closes his pocket watch, "Time won't be on their side for very long."

Esfir smirks before looking out the window, the night sky finally overtaking the suneset hue it was before, 'This false student identity is simply just that, a false existence and nothing more. Remember this, Knight of Hearts, you were chosen from the very beginning. Even you won't put up that much resistance, once you feel Alice's awakening. Keep doing your intended purpose before your true role is revealed. I'm looking forward to it.'

-BNHA-

"So, you want to add me to your numbers?"

Stain held the knife over Shigaraki, stabbing it into his shoulder, "No matter what you want to accomplish, it is necessary to have conviction and desire. Those without it and those who are weak will be weeded out. It's only natural."

"That's why it turns out like this." He states, as Shigaraki was on the ground with a bleeding shoulder.

Shigaraki makes an uncomfortable grunt in pain, "Oww...that's too hard. Kurogiri, take this guy back."

Kurogiri, who also had a wound on his arm, struggled to move, "I-I can't move my body...it must be the hero killer's Quirk…" he couldn't use his Quirk! Just how is the hero killer doing this?!

"This society is overgrown with fake heroes, where the world itself has lost its true meaning, and criminals who wave their power around idly," Stain tilts his head up, slightly, "should be purged." Just as he was about to cut the hand on Shigaraki's face, a hand grips the blade in a tight hold.

"Hey, wait a sec...not this one…" Cracks appear on the blade as Shigaraki's visible eye glows red, "I'll kill you."

Stain makes a surprised face.

"You sure talk a lot." More cracks appeared on the blade before it began to disintegrate, "Conviction? I don't have anything grand like that." The blade soon crumbles to dust, "But, if I had to say...yeah, it'd be All Might. I feel like I really want to completely crush this society, where trash like him constantly gets worshipped."

Sensing something very dark coming off from Shigaraki, Stain listens to his instincts and jumps away, just as Shigaraki was about to use his Quirk on the other villain.

Irritated, Shigaraki stands up, "My last injury was about to finish healing…" blood starts to drip from his wounds shoulder as his other hand scratches at his neck, "We don't have a healer in our party, you know. Will you take responsibility for this? Well, Hero Killer, sir?"

"So that's who you are…?" Stain finally said.

"Huh?" Shigaraki grunts, ceasing his scratching.

"It seems our goals oppose each other," Stain begins to smirk though, "However, we do agree on one thing—to destroy the present."

Shigaraki didn't seem to care anymore and just wanted Stain to leave, "Stop messing around. Go home. Die. After all, I'm the kind of person you hate the most, right?"

"I was testing your true motives. People show their true colors when they're on the verge of death." Stain explains, putting his good knife away.

"It's different, but there's a "desire"—a warped sprout of conviction living inside of you. How will you bud, I wonder?" The villain wonders.

Shigaraki says nothing.

"It might not be too late to wait until after I've seen that to dispose of you…" Stain declares.

"Dispose of me? You?" Shigaraki questions, touching his shoulder wound.

Kurogiri saw Shigaraki move and realized he could move, too.

"Kurogiri, I don't want someone this crazy as a party member." Shigaraki tells the warp villain, talking about the pot calling the kettle black.

"Tomura Shigaraki, he will be a great asset if he joins us. The negotiations were successful. Are you sure you wish to let him go?" Kurogiri said.

Stain didn't seem to care about being here any longer than necessary, "My business is done. Now, return me to Hosu," his eyes glowed red as he licked his lips, "There are still things I must attend to there."

The powerful bloodlust the man was exuding was enough to make Kurogiri give in and send the man away. Successful negotiation? Not likely.

-BNHA-

Manual sighs, taking off his helmet, "Well, with the whole city on alert, villains can't come out, huh?"

Tenya also takes off his helmet, "I wonder." He takes off his glasses.

'Hero Killer: Stain. I knew immediately after I collected the information. In the seven places he has appeared so far, he always injured at least four heroes. I don't know if there is a purpose behind that, or if it's just a superstition, but that's what always happens. So far, in Hosu, Tensei's still the only one who was attacked.' He deduced.

"Tenya...I'm sorry…"

Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes that were filled with a calm rage that was soon to emerge, 'It's very likely that he will appear in this city again.' He grit his teeth, rage overtaking him, 'Come! I will dispose of you with these hands!'

-BNHA-

"Come, kid!" Gran Torino demanded out of nowhere.

Giving the old man an unimpressed look, Midoriya rubs his temples, "Old man...in case you forget, I'm still working."

"Bah! You can take a break. You've been working a lot, and taking small breaks that don't even last long." Torino wasn't letting up about this.

'Don't speak to me like you're my grandfather!' He thinks.

"Say what you want, but Granny isn't just going to let me leave for no reason." Midoriya states.

"Actually, I'm the one that allowed this." Recovery Girl walks over them with a smile, "Having you here at the hospital has been good for both the staff and the heroes, but you can go out and patrol, too."

What?

"But you don't go out on patrol…" Midoriya tries to protest.

"Midoriya-dearie," Recovery Girl places a hand on his leg, "I'm giving you full permission to go out there and patrol with this old man. You have done more than enough for the injured heroes here. Go on and spread your wings some more."

Seeing that he was outnumbered, he had no choice but to comply.

"Fine, you win." He slumps his shoulders in defeat.

Torino looked way too pleased for Midoriya's liking, but he decided not to say anything. As the two turned to leave, Recovery Girl stopped them.

"Another thing, Midoriya-dearie. You have my full permission to engage in combat." She said seriously.

Understanding what she meant, Midoriya dips his head in response before walking off. Torino looks at the old woman, who gives him a look in return. Without a word, Torino follows after the boy before taking the lead.

Recovery Girl watches them leave with a grim expression, "This peaceful air that surrounds us won't last for very long. I can feel it in these old bones of mine."

-BNHA-

Gran Torino decided this was the perfect time to get to know the boy a little more.

"You've already experienced combat against villains, right?" Torino asked.

"Yeah, back at the USJ. They may have been just some random common thugs you find on the street, but they were still villains and willing to kill all of us." Izuku said.

"I see." Torino hums, "Well, hopefully we won't encounter anything too big." He calls a car over to them, "We'll go on a little excursion."

Getting inside the car, the two continue to talk, "We'll be patrolling elsewhere, chances are we might run into some troublemakers since the population is more crowded."

"Elsewhere, huh?" Izuku said, "Guess that means we'll take the bullet train in order to patrol elsewhere."

"That's right." Torino confirms.

Izuku says nothing more as he looks out the window, his mind on Iida and wondering how his friend was doing. He still hasn't heard back from him, and there was this bad feeling that refuses to go away.

'Iida…'

Hosu City, Same Time

Manual and Tenya were patrolling through the city once more. So far, nothing eventful has happened once again.

"We'll be patrolling Kyoto today, too. Sorry it's so monotonous." Manual apologizes.

"No, it's fine. It is actually better this way." Tenya assures.

Manual looks at him, a little concerned, "Hey, this is kind of hard to ask, but you're planning on chasing after the Hero Killer, aren't you?"

Stopping in his tracks, Tenya hesitates to answer, "That's…"

"The thing is, I couldn't for the life of me think of any other reason why you'd agree to come to my agency so quickly," Manual then tries to backtrack, "Oh, but it's not that I'm not glad you came! I just...I don't want you to act on a personal grudge."

Tenya says nothing.

"We heroes don't have the authority to arrest or punish, and the use of Quirks has been allowed through their regulation. That is why, no matter what the reason, heroes must not use their Quirks for themselves." Manual tells him.

Tenya's balls his fists.

"Anyone who uses their Quirk for their own selfish desires, should be prepared to face a very serious crime."

Stunned into silence, Tenya looks down.

Seeing that his intern wasn't saying anything, Manual freaks out a little, "Oh, it's not that I'm saying the Hero Killer isn't guilty. It's just, well, you seem so earnest, like you'd focus on one thing and ignore everything else, so I was a bit worried!"

"Manual-san, thank you for the warning." Tenya finally says, bowing.

"As long as you understand it's fine. Now, shall we go?" Manual walks away as Tenya follows.

'But...but then...what am I supposed to do...about these feelings?!' Tenya angrily thinks.

The orange hue soon turns into a misty purple over the city. Stain watches things from down below in thought just as a purple wrap gate appears and Shigaraki of all people step out.

"I'm surprised, I wasn't expecting Hosu City to look this nice." Shigaraki comments, "So, what are you gonna do?"

"I will be the one to reform this city. In order to do so, I require more victims." Stain answered with his tongue sticking out.

"Is this perhaps what you meant the other day when you said you had business to take care of?" Kurogiri inquires.

Standing up, Stain smirks, "I see you're someone who understands."

"Tch, hey, what're you trying to say about me?" Shigaraki scoffs.

Not minding Shigaraki's words, Stain spreads his arms, "Hero" is a title given only to those who have accomplished great deeds! But there are too many...too many who act like heroes but are really money-worshippers! Until this world realizes its mistake," he grabs his blade, "I will continue to appear." Sheathing it, he jumps down, descending upon the city.

Shigaraki watches him leave, "He talks all high and mighty like that, but all he's basically doing is trying to start a grassroots movement, huh? He's so noble I could actually cry."

"Don't make fun of him too much. In all the cities where Stain has appeared, the crime rate has fallen. There are also critics that attribute this to a rise in heroes consciousness and shoot him down, though." Kurogiri said.

Amused Shigaraki stops scratching his neck, "That's wonderful! So the heroes are working hard to bring down the cost of food, huh? The "hero killer" is also a "hero breeder!" Sounds way too roundabout." He crosses his arms, "As I thought, we can't just agree at a basic level, and he really annoys me…"

"Kurogiri, bring out the Nomus."

Silently obeying him, Kurogiri summons a warp gate from behind them, "Did you really think you could get away with stabbing me? If I want to kill you, I will. Simple as that." Three different Nomus appear from behind. A muscle Nomu, a winged Nomu, and small Nomu.

"This'll be a wild contest. I'm going to crush your honor and your pride, sir." Shigaraki said, grinning madly.

Elsewhere

Midoriya and Torino were currently on a train. The bad feeling he had been getting still hadn't subsided, if anything, it's gotten worse. The Hero Killer is already enough of a problem, what else could go wrong?

"Good thing this train won't arrive until night." Torino suddenly says.

"Oh, yeah? Why's that?" Midoriya questioned.

Torino grins, "Because there'll be more skirmishes, so it'll be more fun!"

'You battle hungry old man!' It's times like this he's glad his own grandfather isn't anything like Gran Torino. Not to say the old man is bad, just too wild. He took out his phone, decided on whether he should call Iida again or not.

"Taking out your smartphone when someone is next to you! Young kids these days!" Torino complains.

Ignoring the old man, he tries calling Iida again, only to get his voicemail. Since Iida wasn't answering phone calls, he decided to text him.

[Hurry and get back to me whenever you have free time.]

'I don't even know if he listened to his voicemail or not. He's the type of person to answer as soon as he sees it. Including text messages. He really is trying to go after the Hero Killer.' Putting his phone away, he stares out the window, about to relax a little bit.

"!"

Nala quickly jumps out of his hair, hissing before going into her battle form.

"What in the world?!" Torino's eyes were as big as plates, not expecting that the small cat to suddenly transform, "A Quirk?!"

Getting up from his seat, Midoriya grabs both blades, leaving his third one sheathed. He was glad Yaoyorozu said he could keep the third one.

"Kid?"

The other passengers stare at Midoriya in confusion, but he wasn't paying any attention to them.

"GET DOWN!" He yelled.

As soon as he says that, someone comes crashing into the side of the train. It's an unknown hero that had his head grabbed by a green Nomu.

Midoriya wastes no time slicing the Nomu's arm off, freeing the hero who could now breath.

"Thanks kid—look out!" The hero tries to warn him.

But there was no need to as Nala sends a fist at the creature, sending it flying out of the train and crashing into a building. Everyone on the train stared in awe, including the hero and Gran Torino.

'Kid didn't even hesitate, and that feline of his is no push over, either.' Torino was impressed.

Midoriya looks out through the hole in the train the Nomu made and sees fire in the distance. They weren't that far from Hosu just yet, and were able to see the flames in the distance.

"What's going on? Are there more of these damn things?" He frowns.

Just what the hell is happening?! Does this mean The League of Villains is involved?

-BNHA-

"What did you say? A villain appeared?!" Manual exclaimed as he got the call, "All right. We'll head over there right away! Tenya! We're gonna run!"

Tenya follows after him, thinking, 'Don't tell me...no, this feels different. The Hero Killer isn't the flashy type…' As he was running past some alley's he suddenly stopped, having spotted something. His eyes widen as he goes running towards said alley.

"So noisy...guess that means those idiots have come out, huh? No matter, I'll dispose of them later. Right now…" Stain had Native pinned to the wall by his face, "I will do what I should be doing." He lifts up his blade slightly.

"My body...won't move…" Native grunts, "You…! Die…!"

"If you call yourself a hero, then choose your last words carefully." Stain swung his blade towards Tenya, who was running towards him, knocking the boy's helmet off.

"A child wearing a suit…" Stain said, "Who is he?"

"Go away, this is not a place for children." Stain tells him.

Tenya didn't listen to his words, "A scarf as red as blood, carrying blades all over your body...you're him, the Hero Killer: Stain! You are, aren't you?" His eyes showed pure hatred that was directed only towards him, "I have been chasing you! Never thought I would find you so soon!"

Stain says nothing, simply staring at the boy.

"I am…" Tenya doesn't get to finish as a blade is pointed at him.

"Your eyes...are you here for vengeance? Be careful what you say. Depending on the situation, even children may become my targets." Stain warns him.

Tenya balls his fists, "Are you saying that...I am not even a target? Then listen, criminal! I am the younger brother of a hero you attacked." He stands up to face the man, "The younger brother of a most excellent and kind older brother! I'll be the one to stop you in his place!"

"That's why...I want to pass on the mantle of "Ingenium" over to you."

"Remember this name for as long as you live! Ingenium. The name of the hero who will defeat you!" Tenya declared.

Stain's eyes glow red, "I see. Die."

The worst has happened…

Iida found Stain.

-BNHA-

Midoriya didn't have time to check up on the random hero that Nomu sent through the side of the train. The train was stopped though, much to the relief of the passengers. Nala was still very much by his side, refusing to leave for even a minute. Probably worried another Nomu would pop up out of nowhere and try to attack him, but so far another one didn't show up. But that doesn't mean there weren't more of them scattered all over the city.

'If a Nomu is here, that means The League of Villains are behind this, but why make a move now all of a sudden?' After the failed USJ attack he figured the villains would keep their heads down for awhile. Guess not.

"Kid, you've got that look on your face. Do you know what's going on?" Gran Torino asked him, approaching the two.

Midoriya was still getting that bad feeling, and attributed to this one being related to Iida. These Nomu might be being used as distractions so the heroes will focus more on them instead of Stain.

And if that was the case…

"Gramps, there's probably more than that one Nomu scattered around the city. They might also be used as distractions so the heroes will focus more on them than Stain." Midoriya tells him what he was thinking.

Gran Torino hums, "You could be right. If a distraction was needed, then this would definitely be it. So, what do you believe to be the right move at this point?"

"First things first, these Nomu need to be taken care of. One was at the USJ, and had two Quirks that allowed it to regenerate and have super strength on the same par as All Might. But as strong as it was, the thing is mindless. I think you should deal with the one Nala sent flying out of the train just now, with your speed Quirk it won't be able to land a solid hit on you. If there are more of them around then some other heroes who are patrolling around the area should be able to handle them." Midoriya explains.

Gran Torino stands there seriously impressed by the boy's deductive thinking. Toshinori really did choose a good one.

"Then, what about you?" The old hero asked him.

Facing away from the old man, he stares down at the flames that could be seen from where they were, "I'm going to stop a friend of mine from doing something stupid. Granny did give me permission, after all."

Torino smirked, "That she did."

Midoriya sent a look at Nala, who growled in understanding, "Let's go!" Both he and the cat jump off the train, heading towards the city below.

Torino was right behind the boy, "Don't get yourself killed, kid!"

"Speak for yourself, old timer!" Midoriya retorted as they went their separate ways.

It didn't take long for Torino to find the Nomu that was sent flying out of the train. The old man didn't waste any time kicking the thing in the face, sending its head back a little.

"How many years has it been since I've fought in earnest? I've gotten mixed up in something crazy!" Gran Torino said to no one in particular, facing the green skinned Nomu, "I won't let you do whatever you want!"

The Green Skinned Nomu screamed before sending a fist towards the old man, only to miss as Torino jumped quickly out of the way.

'He's fast! But—not fast enough to the point where I can't handle it!' Torino sees the Nomu try to attack some civilians who were still in the area and came at it from behind, 'It's attacking indiscriminately, huh? The kid was right, it is mindless!' Just as he was about to attack the thing he had to jump back as a torrent of flames struck the monster.

The Nomu screamed as its body was being burned.

"I was looking for the Hero Killer, but this guy's timing was bad…" A familiar voice said.

Gran Torino watched as its body was being burned.

"I do not know who you are, honored elder…" Gran Torino turns to see Endeavor walking towards him with a proud walk in his step, "...but leave the rest to me."

'Ugh, of course this brat would show up.' Gran Torino huffs, "You…"

"Seriously?" One of the civilians said.

"Why are you here?"

Endeavor smirks at their words of disbelief, "Isn't it obvious? It's because I am a hero."

-BNHA-

While Endeavor and Torino were dealing with the green skinned Nomu, the other heroes were dealing with the other two. Another enhanced strength Nomu, and the winged Nomu.

"Dammit, where are you, Tenya?!" Manual shouted as he was looking for the boy, only to see he was nowhere in sight.

A random hero opened up the fire hydrant, "Manual! Put out the fire!"

"R-Right!" Manual frowned as he was still looking around for the boy, "Why did you choose a time like this to go off somewhere, Tenya!" He uses the water from the water hose to put the fire out.

"Dammit! What's with these things!"

"Wh-What's with that power?" A horned hero tries to hold the Mid-End Nomu back, but it was proving to be pointless.

Good thing backup arrived.

In the form of Nala.

A fist comes out of nowhere, sending the Mid-End Nomu flying away from the horned hero, who looked surprised as did some other heroes who arrived.

Manual stared at Nala, "A...cat…?"

"Nala, take that Nomu out!" Midoriya orders.

Nala did as she was told, charging at the monster before tearing off its arm, before proceeding to tear the rest of its limbs off, right before the gathering heroes eyes.

"What…"

"No way…"

Midoriya comes out of nowhere, getting their attention, "Kid, get out of there it's not safe!"

"Room." A blue circle surrounds the Nomu that Nala was in the middle of ripping up. She jumps away from the monster once she sees him approaching, "Amputate." Midoriya cuts the Nomu up some more, just in case it has the same abilities as the other Nomu back at the USJ. Once that was done, he turned his attention to the other one that was hovering in the air.

The Winged Nomu screeches before flying right at him, but Midoriya wasn't worried.

"Ittōryū: Yakkōdori (One Sword Style: Disaster Harbor Bird)!" Midoriya launches a crescent moon-like projectile at the Winged Nomu with great speed, cutting its left arm clean off. Due to the sudden loss of its arm, the Winged Nomu missed Midoriya and slammed into the ground before crashing into a building behind him.

All of the gathering heroes had their jaws dropped as they saw this random kid that was accompanied by a large cat come out of nowhere and took two of these monsters down.

Midoriya paid them no mind, his eyes zeroing in on Manual. Walking over to the still silent hero he asked the man a question, "Where's Iida?"

"E-Eh?" Manual snapped out his daze.

"Iida, where is he?" Midoriya calmly asks again, slowly about to lose his patience.

Manual understands the boy was talking about Tenya and looks down, "I...I don't know…"

Sighing, Midoriya looks over at Nala, "Nala, find Tenya's scent! Once you have it, you know what to do!"

"Wait! What are you going to do?" Manual questioned.

"I already know what Tenya is planning on doing, that's why I'm going to stop him." Midoriya answers, walking away from the hero.

"Wait! If that's what you're planning to do, then—" Manuel started to say.

"No, you need to stay here and put out these fires." Midoriya cuts him off before shooting up in the sky, along with his partner Nala.

"Wait!" Manual tries to stop him, but the two of them were already long gone.

"Dammit!"

Midoriya had to find Tenya before he got himself killed. He was using Sky Walk to run in the air, while at the same time looking around. It was times like this he was really grateful to have Nala around. All the time she was with him at U.A, she got a whiff of his classmates scents. Hopefully, she can get a whiff of Iida's.

Suddenly, Nala makes a sound indicating that she found him.

"Where?!"

Nala points down in one of the alley's and he does indeed spot his friend. He was pinned to the ground by Stain, while Native was slumped against the wall.

He didn't even hesitate.

"Nez (Nose)!" He sends a kick right at the Hero Killer's nose, sending the man flying backwards before landing in front of Tenya's still form.

Blinking some water away from his eyes, Tenya sees who came to his rescue, "Mi...Midoriya-kun…?"

Midoriya only gives him a side glance, his anger visible, "I knew you'd do something stupid, that's why I came."

Stain stares at the newcomer, 'That kid...he's the one from Shigaraki's picture…'

"Nala!"

Nala comes down from the sky before grabbing Native and bringing him over towards the two.

"Good work." Midoriya compliments. Right now, the top priority is to keep both Tenya and Native away from Stain. He already sent out his location in a massive text, hopefully backup will come. Trying to reason with this maniac seems like a lost cause, so he has two options: Fight or Flight. But it all depends on what Stain has to say.

"Midoriya-kun, why?" Tenya questions as to why his friend was here.

"Working at a hospital helps gather useful information. The heroes that survived their encounter with the Hero Killer and only lost limbs stated that they were attacked where there were no people around." Midoriya explained, "After what happened to Tensei, I knew you'd come after Stain."

Midoriya eyes Tenya before bending down to expect him. He places a hand on his wounded shoulder, "Can you move?"

Tenya did indeed try to move, but found he couldn't, "I can't...move my body…ever since he cut me...I think it's his Quirk…"

"It is." Midoriya confirmed as he stood up, facing Stain, "Just like what happened to the other heroes he attacked."

"Midoriya-kun...don't get involved! This has nothing to do with you!" Tenya tells him.

Midoriya gives him a stormy expression, "What was that...?"

Stain finds the whole scene to be humorous, "Your friend came to save you. That's a great line, isn't it? But I have a duty to kill him. If we clash, of course, the weaker will be culled."

Already angered, Midoriya turns his attention back towards Stain, blasting him with his full on Conqueror's Haki that made the man tense up before jumping backwards, taking both knives out on instinct.

'What was that?! This kid…' Stain stares at Midoriya no longer seeing him as just some normal kid.

Midoriya takes out two of his blades, prepared to throw down, "I have no desire to fight you whatsoever, but if you insist on it, then I'll oblige."

"Stop it! Run away! I told you, didn't I? It has nothing to do with you!" Tenya yells at him.

"If you hurt somebody… or if somebody hurts you, the same red blood will be shed." Midoriya recites.

Tenya gives him a confused look.

"Even if you managed to kill the Hero Killer and stain your hands with his blood...it will still be the same color." Midoriya tells him.

Tenya felt his heart stop at what his friend's words.

"Had you managed to kill the Hero Killer with your own bare hands...that would make you no better than him."

Tenya's eyes widened as he felt those words weigh heavily on his shoulders.

"Is that the kind of hero you want to become?"

Tenya had nothing to say.

Midoriya points one of his blades at Stain, "Hero Killer Stain, earlier you said the weak will be culled? It's your duty to kill him? Who the hell said you could decide something like that?"

"What?" Stain questioned.

"Who decided you had the right to kill others? To take their lives as though you were on some personal mission to cleanse the world of evil. You've been shedding so much blood that you failed to realize something very important…"

"...Those who shed the blood of others, should be prepared to have their own blood shed in return." Midoriya tells him with a serious expression.

Both Stain and Tenya's eyes widen at his words.

'What are you saying Midoriya-kun?' Tenya thinks.

"So, are you saying you will be the one to shed my blood?" Stain asked.

In response, Midoriya stabs his blade into the ground, "Only kill if you have no other choice." I didn't come here to try and kill you, but to prevent my friend from having your blood on his hands. Besides, even if I were to try and get away with these two, you'd just chase after us."

"Then what will you do?" Stain asked him again.

"I have no choice but to fight you, so make your move...Stain!" Midoriya pulls his blade out of the ground, pointing it at Stain once more.

Stain grins at his response before laughing, "I see, so that's why Shigaraki is so obsessed with you! Come! Young hero!"

With no more words being said, the two come at each other, their blades clashing against each other. Sparks were coming off from the blades as the two looked the other dead in the eye. Smirking, Stain moves his katana to swipe down, only for Midoriya to counter by bending backwards and kicking the man underneath the chin before jumping back.

Once he saw the man regain himself he comes at the man again, seeing Midoriya coming at him again, Stain counters by swinging his katana at him, but the green haired teen jumps over him before slashing at his backside.

Tenya could only stare at his friend's amazing agility skills in avoiding the Hero Killer's attacks.

'His movements are so fluid and calm, he's calmly observing Stain's moves while at the same time attacking when he sees an opening.' This dual between them isn't one-sided like it was with him.

Midoriya lands behind Stain, his back facing the killer. This would normally be a foolish thing to do, but Stain wasn't even attacking him, instead chuckling before outright laughing. His laugh sends chills down Tenya's spine, this man's presence and aura were already chilling enough, and his laugh wasn't helping matters.

"I see you truly are different from all the fake heroes out there! Such calm and precise movements, you fight with experience! Someone like you is truly worthy of becoming a hero that can surpass All Might!" Stain laughs.

"I didn't ask for your praise." Midoriya retorts.

"While you are a very worthy opponent for someone as young as you…" Stain licks some blood off of his blade and Tenya's eyes widen, "...You're still inexperienced."

"Midoriya-kun!" Tenya shouts.

He could only watch in horror as his friend began to fall over. Stain believed he had beaten Midoriya and turned to face Tenya once more in order to finish him off…

...Only to be taken by surprise by a kick to the side of his head.

Stumbling back a few feet, Stain gives Midoriya a wide-eyed look.

'Wh-What…?! Why can he still move?! I'm sure I licked his blood off from my blade!' Stain was trying to understand how in the hell this kid was still able to move.

Midoriya smirked, "Surprised? Since you look so confused I'll be nice and tell you why I'm still able to move." He shows the spot where Stain cut him, and the Hero Killer noticed something that made his eyes widen.

There was no blood.

Then…

"Still confused? Don't worry because I'm about to explain. You see, I deduced you needed some sort of trigger to activate your Quirk. At first I thought you needed to just simply injure your victims before their bodies went numb. But, there had to be more than that." Midoriya began to explain.

Tenya was silent as he listened.

"So, I decided it had to be something else. Something else was needed to trigger your Quirk, but I needed to figure out what that something was," He looks over at Tenya, "Which is why I decided to take a gamble. Here's a question for you, Stain. When I bent down to inspect my friend's wound...was that really all I did?"

Both Stain and Tenya understood where he was going with this.

"Then...that time when you went to inspect your friend's shoulder wound. You took some of his blood!" Stain guessed right.

Midoriya smirked, "Right answer. When the two of us had our second clash, and you were about to graze me with your blade, I used that moment to splatter Tenya's blood on it, making you think it was mine. My second guess in how to trigger your Quirk was this, if wounding the victims wasn't the trigger...then it must be the blood."

Stain had no words.

"And since you went and licked it, you confirmed my guess was right. Blood type also probably has something to do with why the victims were paralyzed for as long as they were, too. But that's just my guess." Midoriya said.

'He was able to deduce that much?' Stain stares at the boy, seeing him a new light.

"Observe before engaging," Midoriya recites, "This is how I fight."

Tenya was at a loss for words, 'A-Amazing! I had no idea that's how Stain could activate his Quirk! I...I wasn't thinking...I wasn't watching…!' But Midoriya was. He had gathered information about the killer's Quirk and came up with some theories on how he activates it. Stain's earlier words to him were right...he had no right to call himself a hero.

There was one thing that confused Stain though, "You say all that, but I still cut you. The tear in your clothing confirms it, so how…?"

Instead of answering the man, he decided to show him instead.

"You're right, you did cut me, but..." black armor with green outlines soon begins to incase his arm before proceeding to spread all over his body, "...your blade can't cut my armor." Not unless the man had the ability to use Haki, and from what Midoriya can see, he can't.

'That armor...I think that's the same armor he used at the Sport's Festival during his match with Bakugo.' Tenya stares.

Midoriya charges at Stain again, this time sending a kick to the man's face, only for Stain to block it with both knives. Moving Midoriya's leg upwards, he tries to cut him anyway, only to witness that he truly could not cut him like the boy said.

Flipping in the air, Midoriya kicks the man in the back of the head before kicking the man hard in the back, sending him rolling away from Tenya and Native.

Native couldn't believe what he was seeing, "He's actually going toe to toe with the Hero Killer...just who is this kid?"

"Room." A blue sphere covers the whole area, much to the shock of both Stain and Native.

"What is this?" Stain wonders.

'This is…' Tenya knew exactly what this circle was.

Without warning, Midoriya charges at Stain again, "Injekushon Shotto (Injection Shot)!" With his sword stretched out, making it fire like a gun it connects against Stain's abdomen and making him bleed there while pushing him back a fair distance.

Getting it together, Stain throws a few knives at both Iida and Native, but that proved to be pointless.

"Shambles!" Midoriya switched the knives with some small rocks by Stain's feet, so the blades came at him instead of his friend and Native. Naturally, this took Stain by surprise as he wasn't expecting that to happen, but he defended himself well against the onslaught of knives by blocking them with his blade.

Stain couldn't help the wide smirk that appeared, "I can feel it…" a sinister aura surrounds the killer, his eyes locked on Midoriya, "...A strong will, just like All Might!"

"I'm not All Might," Midoriya states to him, "My will...is my own!"

With no more words needing to be said between the two, they come at each other once more.

"!"

Suddenly, Midoriya jumps backwards, much to Stain, Iida, and Native's surprise, but that didn't last long as a torrent of flames made Stain jump back so he wouldn't get burned.

"Another one appears." He said.

Midoriya landed by Iida, someone new was indeed standing there, his left side all lit up. A familiar face that was more than welcomed.

"Midoriya, next time be more specific about where you are. It took me quite some time to accurately pinpoint your location." Todoroki scolds the boy.

"Well you could have warned me about that fire of yours," Midoriya retorts, standing up, "Almost burned me."

Instead of responding to that, Todoroki eyes his appearance, "That armor…"

"Yeah, it's the same I used back at the Sports Festival against Bakugo, except I wasn't fully covered in it." Midoriya explains.

"I see." Todoroki said, before sending a wave of ice at Stain, making the Hero Killer jump back, "What about the Pro's?"

"They'll get here when they get here." Midoriya states.

Todoroki frowns, 'Then I guess we'll have to stall before they eventually come and get here.' He shoots more flames and ice at Stain, making sure he doesn't come anywhere near Iida and Native.

"I'm going to warn you right now, Hero Killer. I won't stand by and let you lay a hand on my friends!"

"Don't get cut by his knives or sword, once he cuts you, he'll ingest your blood and paralyze you. Blood type probably determines how long the paralyzation lasts. " Midoriya warns.

"Got it." Todoroki understands as he continues to keep Stain at a distance.

But just as Midoriya warned him not to get cut, Stain quickly throws a knife at the boy. Luckily though, Midoriya blocked the blade from reaching Todoroki. Seeing that his first tactic didn't work, Stain decides to do something else instead. He tosses his katana in the air, an action that makes Todoroki eye the blade as it was above him. Stain decides to use this distraction to come at him with twin knives, but once again Midoriya prevented the man from getting too close.

"Takt!" Pointing his index finger upwards, stone thorns come bursting from underneath the ground, one of them nearly piercing Stain had he not jumped back in time so he wouldn't be stabbed.

Seeing that his second tactic didn't work, he puts his dual knives away, grabbing his katana as it came back down towards him.

"A fire and ice Quirk, and a Quirk that's unknown...I commend you both for your combined and individual strengths." Stain commends.

Todoroki frowns as he feels Stain to be much more different than Shigaraki back at the USJ. Shigaraki was dangerous in his own way, but this man before him—Stain is on a whole different level from that childish villain.

"Please stop, Todoroki-kun!" Iida pleads for the boy to stop fighting the Hero Killer, "I'm the one who inherited the name Ingenium, I should be the one to stop Stain!"

"As I recall...Ingenium never had a look of vengeance on his face, nor was he the type to dirty his hands with the blood of someone else." Todoroki's blunt words silenced Iida's protests.

Todoroki proceeds to send another wave of ice at the Hero Killer, only for Stain to slash through it and attempt to try and cut him again. But like before, Midoriya prevented that from happening as he pushed Stain back again.

"He's fast." Todoroki comments, clicking his teeth.

"Stain moves just like a seasoned assassin. On top of that, he carries a lot of knives on him. The Pro Heroes probably thought he was just some Quirkless vigilante, but were caught off guard when he suddenly used his Quirk on them. And his speed is a real pain, it's not surprising that the Pro Heroes he attacked weren't prepared with such little information." Midoriya explains some things about Stain.

"So, what now?" Todoroki inquires.

Midoriya stands next to him, "I'll attack while you defend, don't worry about Tenya and Native, Nala will keep them both safe and out of harm's way."

Todoroki looked like he wanted to protest, but knew that he would be at a disadvantage because unlike his classmate, he doesn't have any armor to protect himself.

"Okay…" Todoroki then decides to say something to Tenya, "Iida, ever since I heard your brother was attacked by Stain, I've been watching you very closely."

Tenya was surprised by the information.

"That look in your eyes...it's similar to the one I used to have. All of that pent up resentment and anger hidden deep within your eyes. Those negative emotions are enough to cloud someone's judgement, something I know all too well." Todoroki admits. He then thinks back to when he visited his mother, and their long talk. Both of them had forgiven each other and he promised her that he will become the hero that he wants to be, not what Endeavor's. He vowed that would move forward for not just her sake, but his own, as well.

That's not to say that he's forgiven Endeavor for everything he's done because he hasn't, but he'll cross that bridge when he comes to it. And to think...had he not made the choice to confront Midoriya during the Sports Festival, not told him about his home life, had not been saved by a few simple words…

He'd still be the same resentful person who only wanted to spite his father and nothing more.

Stain comes at Midoriya once more, the two clashing with their swords while Todoroki used his flames on the knives the killer would send in his direction.

"Stop...both of you, please just stop…" Tenya pleads with them.

"That's not going to happen." Todoroki rejects his pleas as he continues to go on the defense, while at the same time backing Midoriya up, "Stand, Iida! Stand and properly look at who you want to become! What kind of hero do you want to be?"

Tenya lays there, thinking about the words of both Midoriya and Todoroki.

"Is that the kind of hero you want to become?"

"What kind of hero do you want to be?"

The feeling of both regret and shame begin to weigh on his very soul. How could he be so foolish and allow himself to end up where he ended up now? His actions haven't been that of a hero at all, far from it. Instead of reporting his encounter with Stain, instead of trying to save Native...he allowed himself to be taken over by his anger and desire for revenge. He allowed his judgement to become clouded and paid for it.

Gritting his teeth, tears welling up in his eyes, he starts to move his hand.

'This time...this time...I'll become a proper hero!'

"Scan!" Midoriya uses his sword to scan Stain's body. He then swipes away the man's knives, bringing them by his feet, "You won't be needing these."

Annoyed that his knives were taken away from him, Stain charges once again. Another torrent of flames kept him back though.

"You rely too much on your Quirk, using both your ice and fire will eventually drain you." Stain comments.

Todoroki says nothing to that, opting to frown at the man instead, "I'm not worried about that, because I'm not alone."

"He's right!" Midoriya confirms before kicking the man in the gut with an enhanced armor Haki kick, sending him rolling away. The man soon regained his footing though, much to Midoriya's confusion.

'Again. I've been noticing this for awhile, but this guy...his pain tolerance is high. I put my full strength into that kick, and he looks like it doesn't even bother him—no, it probably does and he's just ignoring the pain.' Midoriya thinks.

Grinning, Stain comes at Midoriya again, but instead of attacking him, he switched targets. Leaping above the green haired teen, he comes right for Todoroki.

"Todoroki!" Midoriya yells.

Seeing the man coming, Todoroki puts an ice wall, only for Stain to slice right through it. Todoroki's eyes widened as the man was right before him.

"Your blood is mine." Stain declares before bringing up his blade, about to slice the boy's cheek.

But it didn't connect.

"Reshipuro...Bāsuto (Recipro...Burst)!" Tenya, who was finally able to move, broke Stain's katana before kicking the man far away from Todoroki.

Todoroki was surprised that Iida could move now, but he was grateful for the save.

"Todoroki-kun, Midoriya-kun, this has nothing to do with you two, and I apologize." Tenya apologizes.

Midoriya gives him a look, "And?"

Tenya lifts up his head, "That's why I can't allow you two to fight this battle without me! The battle that I started!"

A piece of Stain's blade fell to the ground, then the man began to speak, "It's no use trying to be reformed for appearance's sake. A person's essence does not change so easily. You will never be anything but a fake who prioritizes his own selfish desires. You are a cancer to society that warps the idea of "heroes."

"Someone must set you straight." Stain states.

Todoroki scoffs at him, "You're an anachronistic fundamentalist."

"Don't talk as if you understand how people are down to their very core," Midoriya adds his own two cents, "You can't even understand your own."

"Iida, don't listen to the logic of a murderer." Todoroki tells him.

"No, he's right." Tenya says, surprising the two, "I have no right to call myself a hero…"

Midoriya and Todoroki fell silent.

"Even so," blood from his shoulder wound ran down his arm, fist clenched, "I cannot give in. If I give in, then Ingenium will die."

"Out of the question." Stain shoots down Tenya's determined speech before charging at him.

Todoroki wasn't going to let the man do as he pleased and stood before Iida, sending a torrent of flames at the killer.

Native was being shielded by Nala as this was happening, the cat acting as a protective shield.

"Damn, something clearly changed just now. He's flustered now." Todoroki uses his ice to keep Stain away as the man was hopping from one ice pillar to the next, knife in hand. Must've picked it off the ground.

'Midoriya already pointed out that there's something blood type, and he needs to get in close for it to work. On top of that, it doesn't last very long...looking at just his Quirk, he's not especially powerful. Must be hard for him to deal with multiple opponents.' Todoroki analyzes before switching to using his flames, but Stain evaded it by jumping on the wall of a building.

'He's starting to get desperate, he's trying to kill Iida before the pros show up. Talk about crazy tenacity…' Todoroki stares right into the man's eyes.

Suddenly, Stain was kicked in the back by an airborne Midoriya. Rolling around on the ground, the killer stands up once more, determination motivating him.

Midoriya was trying to keep his Armament Haki active for as long as he could.

'This is dragging out longer than I'd like. Now that Tenya realizes his mistake and not focusing on revenge anymore, Stain wants him dead now more than before. Crazy bastard.' He thinks.

Tenya meanwhile looks down at his legs and notices something, 'Not good, Recipro's done. Did I break the radiator during my kick earlier? Wait a minute!' He turns to Todoroki, "Todoroki-kun, can you regulate temperature?"

"I'm not used to it with my left yet. Why?"

"Freeze my legs!"

Todoroki gives him a questioning look, but Tenya goes on to explain, "Without plugging up the exhausts!"

Stain jumps in the air, throwing his knife at them which he probably picked up off the ground at some point, "You're in the way!"

Seeing the blade headed for Todoroki, Tenya blocks it with his arm.

"Tenya!" Midoriya yells.

"Iida!" Todoroki also yells.

"Just do it!"

Midoriya swings at Stain with his blade, but the man moves out of the way. He green haired teen doesn't give up though, as he keeps up the pressure.

Todoroki does what Tenya asks him to do, while Tenya begins the pull the blade out of his arm, 'Thanks, Todoroki-kun. This time, I will fight! I'll throw away my arm, and simply fight with my legs!'

Seeing his friend was done with his preparations, Midoriya decides to help him finish this.

"Reshipuro…(Recipro..." the Engines on his legs come to life, bending down, Tenya shoots in the air faster than his original attack.

"Ittōryū Iai…(One Sword/Blade Style Re-sheath)..." Midoriya goes at the same time as Tenya.

Todoroki smiled up at his friends, "Go."

They both get in Stain's face at the same time, the man's eyes widen as they both come at him at the same time unexpectedly.

"...Ekusutendo (Extend)!"

"...Shi-Shishi Sonson (Death-Lion's Song)!"

With the combination of both Tenya's leg and Midoriya's sword slice, the hero killer didn't stand a chance. A powerful kick to his side, added with a powerful blade slash to his front...the once feared Hero Killer: Stain was finally taken down.

-BNHA-

Moments Earlier

Before all of that was going down, Gran Torino was still dealing with the green skinned Nomu, but this time Endeavor showed up to provide assistance.

Endeavor eyes the green skinned creature, "Even though I used a lower temperature as a warning, this is the first time anyone's been able to stay conscious after being on the receiving end."

"Be careful!" Gran Torino warns, "This guy's…"

Endeavor didn't bother to hear what the old man said and attacked the Nomu again, "Absorption and release, huh? But since the damage from the absorption remains…it's just a small fry's Quirk!"

Gran Torino sees its muscle spasm, 'That's strange…' he then gets it, "No, Todoroki! That guy's got multiple Quirks!"

Just as he said that, the Nomu grew bigger in size before jumping high in the air at Endeavor.

"I see, so that's how it is." Endeavor comments.

Gran Torino notices that the two bystanders ran away to safety, "Then…!"

Endeavor not ready to use his flames.

SLASH!

Suddenly, the Nomu was no longer in the air, now plummeting to the ground. In shock, the two saw that both its arms had been cut off.

"What in the world…?" Gran Torino questioned.

A pair of footsteps got their attention, they both turned in the direction to where it was coming from and saw a tall lean man with black hair, a short beard, mustache and sideburns that point upwards. His eyes were both a strange yellow color, which resemble a hawk's eyes. The mysterious man was wearing a black and red ornate clothing with a crucifix pendant that hides a little dagger, which gives him the appearance of a Spanish swordsman. His attire consists of a wide-brimmed black hat decorated with a large plume, and a long, open black coat with no shirt underneath, with red, flower-patterned sleeves and collar. He wears light purple pants held up by a decorated belt and tucked inside overly large boots in comparison to his leg size. To top it all off, he wears a kogatana around his neck, appearing as a golden cross-shaped necklace, and carries a sword on his back.

Endeavor narrows his eyes at him, "Who are you? A villain?"

The man ignores him, his eyes solely focused on the creature he sliced. As he approached the Nomu saw him coming and wiggled around on the ground a few times before stopping. Just as it stopped moving, the man stopped walking, now standing before the creature and looking down at it.

"I see, so you're no longer human." The man comments to no one in particular.

Gran Torino was staring at the newcomer, everything in his old bones were telling him that this was no ordinary man. He took down that Nomu so fast that neither him, nor Endeavor were able to see it.

'Did he cut both its arms off with a sword?! If he did, then I didn't see i!.' Gran Torino thinks.

"Choose." The man said, addressing the creature, "Stay as you are, or…" for a moment it seemed the background noise had gone completely quiet, "...die."

Gran Torino and Endeavor were shocked into silence at the man's words. Just what in the world was he saying?

Endeavor scowled, having had enough of being ignored, "You—!"

He didn't get to finish as the green skinned Nomu moved to sit up, but it didn't try to attack the mysterious man. It looked up at the sky before letting out a screech that was almost heartbreaking to hear, but what surprised the two heroes were the tears leaking from its eyes.

"Uuuu….aaaa….ghhh…." It said, trying to speak.

Closing his eyes the man took out the knife that acts as a cross pendant, "Very well."

Gran Torino was about to say something, but in the blink of an eye, the Nomu was sliced to pieces. And just like that, it was over. The two heroes had no words as this man single handedly killed this creature without difficulty. They watch as the man sheaths the small knife before turning to leave.

"Wait—!" Gran Torino tries to stop him.

"The other one was defeated by Edge's grandson, but I took care of it before coming here. If you want to know where he is, then follow me." He said, still walking away from the two.

Gran Torino didn't even hesitate, but Endeavor stood there, thinking about what happened prior to him coming after the Nomu.

"Shōto, there's trouble! Follow me! I'll show you what it means to be a true hero!" Endeavor said, as he was running down the street with his sidekick and son.

Suddenly though, Todoroki stopped running and looked at his phone, noticing that he got something about his location.

"Shōto! Don't look at your phone, look at me!" Endeavor yells at him.

Todoroki ignores him and runs off in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going, Shōto?!"

"An alleyway at 4-2-10 Ekou Street. If you finish what you're doing or find any free pros, send them there," Todoroki tells him, "I'm leaving you to take care of the trouble. I'm sure you'll be able to resolve it quickly."

Endeavor doesn't say anything to that.

"My friend might be in trouble…"

Endeavor lowers his outstretched arm, "Shōto…"

It's possible his son had gone to assist that boy he saw back at the Sports Festival.

Clenching both fists, he moves to follow the two of them, silently thinking about something.

-BNHA-

"Are you sure he's really unconscious?" Tenya asked Midoriya.

After their combined attack, Tenya started falling, but Midoriya caught him and landed them both back down to the ground, safely. After checking up on Tenya, he looked back to where Stain was perched up on an ice pillar Todoroki created.

He wasn't moving.

When they brought him down, Todoroki patted him down to make sure he had no more weapons on him. Seeing he had no more on him, Midoriya was able to find some rope and tie the man's hands behind his back.

"Can you move, Native?" Midoriya asked the Pro Hero.

"Yeah, I'm okay now." Native confirms, but soon yelped as Nala picked him up, placing him over her shoulder, "Um…"

"Just let her carry you." Midoriya said with a small smile.

"Right, thank you…" Native sighed, happily.

Todoroki meanwhile stood there and commented about the rope his friend found, "You can find just about anything at a trash collection site."

"I'll pull it, Todoroki-kun!" Tenya insisted.

Todoroki gives him a look, "Not with your arms the way they are. I'll handle it."

The three of them began walking out of the alleyway, the silence was tense after their adrenaline high was over. Tenya could tell that Midoriya was still angry, and he couldn't blame him.

"By the way, I want to say sorry to you three. Normally it's my job to help, not the other way around." Native apologizes to them as they were all walking out of the alleyway.

"Don't worry about it, I don't think you could've done anything one-on-one with his Quirk." Midoriya says to him, "He was too strong for you."

"These two were lucky you arrived when you did, Midoriya." Todoroki speaks, "You had a counter against his Quirk, not to mention you also know to fight with your sword, then there's your Quirk. Had you not shown up when you did…"

"Drop it. I don't wanna think about it right now." Midoriya interrupted, "Besides it wasn't just me. You came at just the right time, even though you almost burned me."

"Sorry…" Todoroki gives him an honest apology.

"I wasn't asking you to apologize over it." Midoriya responds by giving him a face.

Native chuckles at them.

Midoriya then frowns, "I get the feeling that the only reason we defeated him was because he was overwhelmed with a three-on-one matchup. Not only that, but he was probably holding back and only got serious to the very end. But by then, Tenya had recovered and used a combined attack with me to finally take him down." While a part of him felt a little irked that Stain held back against them, he was also grateful that he didn't take them seriously.

'No…' The look in Stain's eyes as he was fighting against him made his skin crawl, 'He looked way too happy when fighting against me.'

Finally, they arrive at the exit of the alley. They were all dead tired, and Midoriya was just itching to crawl into a bed and just crash.

"Now, let's quickly get him to the police—" Native started to say.

"Kid!"

Midoriya turns to the voice and sees its Gran Torino, "Hey, old man…" his eyes then widen as he spots someone else, and no he wasn't talking about Endeavor.

"You...what are you...doing here…?" He already had his suspicions, but to actually see the man here was...terrifying to say the least.

"Midoriya?" Todoroki had never seen his friend look so...terrified.

Tenya was also eyeing the man that was with Gran Torino and Endeavor. He was giving the man a hard stare, his features were exactly as both the police and the doctors described.

"It's you...the one who saved Tensei." Tenya comments.

Gran Torino sees the look on the boy's face and doesn't like it. From his experience with the kid, he knows that it takes a lot to scare him. His reaction to this mysterious man wasn't a good one.

"Kid, do you know him?"

Taking a deep breath, Midoriya looks the man right in the eye, "I don't know him personally, I've only heard about from one of my sensei's."

"So, who is he?" Todoroki was now curious about the man's identity.

The silence only lasted a minute, "He normally goes by "Hawk Eyes Mihawk," but his full name is…"

"Dracule "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk: Strongest Swordsman in the World."

Everyone let that introduction of the man—now known as Dracula Mihawk wash over them. Seeing Midoriya's reaction to his presence told them instantly that he was a threat, not to mention his very presence screamed that this man was strong. But Gran Torino and Endeavor already knew that, they saw it first hand.

Gran Torino looks over at Midoriya with a frown, "Are you okay, kid?"

"Yeah, a little angry and tired, but doing just fine. More importantly, why are you and the flame brain over there walking with Mihawk-san?" Midoriya questions.

Native gave the boy an incredulous expression, 'He calls Endeavor that without hesitation?!'

Todoroki had to cough to prevent himself from laughing, and Tenya didn't even try to scold his friend for giving the Number #2 Hero that kind of nickname.

A tick mark appears on Endeavor's forehead.

Gran Torino sighs, "Long story, kid. Anyway, I don't really know what's going on, but I'm glad you aren't hurt. Chiyo-chan will kill me if something happened to you."

"Oh, I kinda wanna see that." Midoriya smirks.

"Keh, smartass." Gran Torino said.

"Mini-geezer." Midoriya shoots back.

Native lets out a nervous laugh at their banter, while Endeavor grunts, Todoroki blinks, and Tenya was still silent.

Mihawk made no reaction, he simply stared at Midoriya, "So, this is Edge's grandson."

Gran Torino and Midoriya pause as they both turn to Mihawk now. How in the hell does he…

"Over here!"

"Endeavor-san!"

They all turned to see Endeavor's sidekicks had arrived, they must've finally seen the request that was sent out, or followed after Endeavor.

"Endeavor, we got a request to come here, but…"

"You guys...are so damn late!" Midoriya sighs tiredly.

"S-Sorry…"

"Eh, wait a minute! You're the boy that sliced up that Nomu that was giving us so much trouble!"

"I thought I recognized him, he's front he Sports Festival!"

"Forget about that, these two are injured, and Native isn't looking too good, either. I'll call an ambulance right away!"

One of the sidekicks finally noticed Stain, "H-Hey, this is…"

"Don't tell me...it's the Hero Killer?"

"What?"

"Call the police, too!"

Mihawk then eyes the Hero Killer before eyeing the three boys, 'They took down an opponent that these heroes could not.'

"How's Native?"

"Has a shoulder wound that needs to be looked at." Midoriya reports.

"What about you?" One of the sidekicks asks Todoroki.

"I'm fine, but Iida is…"

"He's bleeding badly…" Another sidekick notices.

"The ambulance will be here soon! Until then…"

"You two…" Tenya calls out to Midoriya and Todoroki, walking towards them before bowing, "You both could've gotten seriously hurt because of me. I am truly sorry."

The two boys said nothing.

"I couldn't...see anything...through my anger…" Tenya admits, tears welling up in his eyes.

Midoriya stares at his bowing form. Being controlled by anger, and the desire for revenge, he understands...all too well. While he may not be at the point where he can forgive, he refuses to let himself be overtaken by hateful emotions.

Without saying a word, Midoriya whacks Tenya upside the head hard enough to send him falling to the ground, shocking everyone around them.

"Wait—Midoriya-kun, he's injured!" Native said in protest.

Midoriya ignores him as Tenya sits up, staring at his friend while rubbing his head at the same time.

"Midoriya—"

"YOU DUMBASS!"

Midoriya's shout made Todoroki, Tenya, the sidekicks, and Native jump, while Gran Torino and Endeavor blinked, and Mihawk had no reaction.

"I'm not even going to ask what you were thinking because I already know, but that doesn't mean I can't be pissed as hell about it!" Midoriya yells at him.

Tenya flinched, but said nothing.

Rubbing his temples, Midoriya calms down, "No one's saying you don't have the right to be angry that Tensei was attacked and almost left for dead had he not been saved. You have every right to feel angry, but going after the Hero Killer is something else entirely."

Tenya was still silent.

"A man who desires revenge should dig two graves." Midoriya quotes, "Revenge is ugly and stupid, but...I understand the feeling. Trust me when I tell you that I understand how you feel…"

Todoroki looks over at Midoriya as he said that. Was it possible that he held the same feelings in regards to Bakugo? Actually, he can believe that to be very possible, as Bakugo hurt someone very precious to Midoriya. The same feelings of anger, resentment, and revenge are feelings that Midoriya understands.

"What you did was stupid, but I'm glad….I'm glad that another friend of mine wasn't hurt, and that I wasn't too late again." Midoriya said, softly.

That was enough to make Tenya cry, but he wiped the tears from his face before standing back up.

"I'm sorry…"

"I know you are, but you're not done apologizing yet. There's still Manual you need to apologize to, then your brother." Midoriya tells him sternly.

"Yes!"

"Good."

Todoroki was just relieved that the fight against the Hero Killer was over, but the fight against him felt like an eternity. Everyone was ready to put this whole night behind them.

If only things were ever that easy.

Midoriya sensed it coming, as did Mihawk and Gran Torino. One of the sidekicks looked up at the sky and paled, "It's that flying villain!"

As it swooped down, Midoriya pushed Tenya out of the way just as it grabbed him with its claws, much to Todoroki, Tenya, and Gran Torino's horror.

"Midoriya-kun/Midoriya!" His friends yelled in horror as they saw him being taken away.

"Kid!"

Nala roared in furious anger as the winged Nomu took her master away. Gran Torino grit his teeth.

'Not good, if he gets too high, then I won't be able to reach him with my Quirk!' Gran Torino frowned.

But they didn't have to worry, as two individuals brought the creature down, and saved him.

SLASH!

All eyes widened as they saw both Mihawk and Stain, who regained consciousness at some point bring the monster down and save Midoriya. Mihawk landed as the Nomu slid to the ground, while Stain had Midoriya underneath his arm.

They were all speechless.

Mihawk had moved so fast they weren't able to see it, and they hadn't expected Stain to save Midoriya. Todoroki and Tenya wanted to approach, but were rooted to their spots.

For a moment, Mihawk and Stain stared at each other. One held a calm gaze, while the other was murderous.

"You...the one who interfered!" Stain growled.

Mihawk wasn't impressed, "Release Edge's grandson, weak one."

Midoriya was shocked that Stain would even help him in the first place, but to hear Mihawk demand that the man let him go was even more shocking. But the real question still remains, how in the hell does this man know his grandfather.

Stain does indeed release Midoriya, placing him gently on the ground.

"Why did you save him?" Mihawk questioned.

Stain didn't hesitate to answer, "He's...a real hero in a fake society! I can't allow anyone to kill him, nor corrupt him!"

The heroes were shocked by his words.

"I must make things right...someone must be dyed in blood...I must take back what it means to be a hero! Come! Try and get me, you fake!" Stain challenged Mihawk to a fight.

Midoriya stared at him as though he were crazy, which he already established that the man is crazy.

Mihawk responds to that by taking out his knife, "I see, you are someone who is still a fish in a very big pond. Your world is still far too small for you to truly understand the world around you."

Stain growled in response to that.

"I once told another swordsman I know that he was a weak, pitiful creature that he had no idea how big the world really is. However, unlike you, that swordsman understood the meaning of my words, weak one." Mihawk said to Stain.

With a furious howl, Stain charges at Mihawk who stood there calmly.

WHOOSH

SLASH!

Everything was silent as everyone saw Stain crouched behind Mihawk, while the swordsman was still standing, his knife pointed forward. They all waited with bated breath to see what was about to happen, and weren't disappointed when blood began to spatter all over Stain, the man falling forward to the ground, surrounded in a pool of his own blood.

Mihawk put his knife back.

Tenya's eyes were shaking, "W-With just one strike...he didn't even move…"

"Is this why...he's known as the strongest swordsman…?" Todoroki forced out.

Gran Torino was reminded of the very same man that went toe to toe with All For One before suddenly disappearing. Could this man possibly be…

Endeavor felt rooted to his spot, to think that there was someone else this strong out in the world that he didn't even know. This man might even be stronger than All Might himself!

"W-What is...a monster…?" One of Endeavor's sidekicks said.

Mihawk ignored them all, "Can you stand, Edge's grandson?"

With a grunt, Midoriya slowly stands up, holding his side as blood began to seep through his clothes. Zoro-sensei was right...this man really is the greatest and strongest swordsman in the world! Stain never stood a chance.

"Boy, tell me your name." Mihawk said.

If Midoriya was surprised that Mihawk of all people asked him for his name, he didn't show it.

"Midoriya...Midoriya D. Izuku."

At his declaration of his full name, Mihawk showed a surprised expression before smirking, "Is that so?"

Midoriya's eyes narrow at him, 'Does he know something about the initial "D?"

"Uuuu…."

Everyone's eyes turn towards the Nomu that was still very much alive, and teased.

"Is it going to attack again?"

"Get ready to fight!"

Gran Torino stopped them though, "Wait!"

The Winged Nomu lifts itself up off the ground before reaching its one arm out towards Midoriya, "...ku…"

"What? It can talk?" Tenya said in disbelief.

"...eku...elp...e…"

"What is it trying to say?" Todoroki leaned forward, trying to hear it.

The Winged Nomu took a step forward, and then another, "...De...ku...h...e….l….p….m...e...i...t….h….u….r….t….s…."

Midoriya felt his heart stop as the Nomu not only said his name, but begged for his help.

But why?

"I….t….s….m….e….p….l….e….a….s….e….h….e….l….p….m….e…." It kept talking, while still walking towards him.

Midoriya meanwhile was still confused, why was this Nomu talking to him specifically, and begging for his help? It was almost as if it knew—

Back in their neighborhood, there was a boy who bat like wings that would fly around. One of his relatives ran a clinic, the boy was one of Bakugo's followers and made the big mistake of trying to hurt Salomo when Midoriya wasn't around. Midoriya punched the boy hard in the face and told him to never come near his friend ever again. Two weeks later, he moved away, never to be seen or heard from.

The boy's name was…

"Tsubasa…?"

As if conforming it was indeed him, the Nomu began to cry, only making Midoriya feel even more sick inside.

"An artificial existence that should not have been created." Mihawk stoically comments.

"What…?" Midoriya was so confused. Who could do this to Tsubasa? Why would they do this?

Gran Torino frowned, "I see, so that's what you meant by no longer human." This Nomu, and possible the other two they fought in the city were used to be humans, only to be reduced to mindless monsters.

Tenya looked horrified at the implication, "Are you saying, that the League of Villains…"

Todoroki had a different expression from Iida, he looked furious, "They're experimenting on Quirk users, and turning them into Nomu's."

"They would go that far?! For what purpose?!" Native exclaimed.

Midoriya was drowning out their voices as he was still trying to process that this Nomu was actually Tsubasa. No matter what feelings he held for the boy in the past, he knows that he didn't deserve this.

"What will you do?" Mihawk inquires to Midoriya.

The boy gave him no response.

"This creature is coming to you in order to be relieved from its suffering. You now hold its life in your hands." Mihawk states.

He's right, and Midoriya knows he's right. But, could he really bring himself to kill?

A rough hand touched his cheek, prompting him to look up and into the eyes of Nomu/Tsubasa. He was still crying, and not trying to hurt him at all. Mindless creature or not...he was in pain, probably for a very long time and needed to be released from such pain.

Placing a hand over Tsubasa's he knew what he had to do, "Okay…"

Tenya and Todoroki couldn't believe their friend was going to do it, "Wait, Midoriya-kun—!"

"I have to!" Midoriya cuts off any protest he might have had, "No matter what issues we had in the past...I can't just leave him like this."

"But—!" Tenya tries to protest again, but Gran Torino stops the boy by shaking his head. Todoroki didn't want Midoriya to kill the Nomu, either. But after finding out the creature used to be human, and someone who Midoriya used to know, he couldn't say anything to stop him.

Midoriya's eyes were still on Nomu/Tsubasa, who was patient as it didn't try to lash out at all.

"Don't worry, I'm...I'm going to stop your pain." Midoriya promised as he took one of his blades out.

Nomu/Tsubasa kneeled down, waiting for his suffering to finally end. What Midoriya said was true, no matter issues they had in the past, no one deserves to suffer like this.

Slowly, Midoriya lifts the blade in the air with a heavy heart. Had things been different between them in the past, then maybe, just maybe…

"De….ku….I….m….s….o….r….r….y….t….h….a….n….k….y….o….u…." Nomu/Tsubasa apologizes before thanking him.

For a moment, Midoriya froze as he still held the blade above Nomu/Tsubasa's head. He opened his mouth before closing it, repeating the action a few times.

"Idiot...I already forgave you a long time ago…" Midoriya has to force himself not to cry in front of everyone, otherwise he'll lose his resolve. He could have sworn he saw a smile on Nomu/Tsubasa's face, and this time...he wasn't imagining it.

The sound of Midoriya's blade, and the sound of flesh being separated from the body was loud and uncomfortable to hear. Since the green haired teen's back was turned to them, Tenya and Todoroki didn't see Midoriya sever its head, but they saw it roll on the ground.

Tenya looked away, eyes tightly closed.

Todoroki's eyes were also closed, he felt sad for Midoriya at that moment. Someone he used to know was reduced to...something that wasn't human, and then having no choice but to kill it in order to save it from its pain.

Gran Torino was also silent. He had no words to say that would comfort the boy, none at all.

Midoriya stood there for a moment, looking down at the head of the headless Nomu that was once a human boy named "Tsubasa." This boy, who he hadn't seen in years, was reduced to this by them.

The League of Villains.

Too much…

This is all too much…

Mihawk caught him with one hand to his front, as he fell forward, his sword falling to the ground. It didn't take long for the man to realize that he had passed out from everything that's happened tonight.

"Midoriya-kun/Midoriya!" Tenya and Todoroki both yell, running over to him to see if he was okay. The sidekicks also go over, but to make sure that Stain was still alive after being quickly and brutally defeated by Mihawk.

Gran Torino stayed behind along with Endeavor, who had been silent the whole time. Neither men had anything to say, not after tonight.

That very same night, the news reported that the Hero Killer who terrorized Hosu had finally been captured. There were also reports about the strange creatures that were all around the city, too. All in all, both citizens and heroes, who didn't know what really happened could sleep well that night.

But not those who did know what happened, and got involved.

This was a night they will never, ever forget.

Aftermath!