Ranma slowly stirred to wakefulness, immediately doing a mental check of his physical state. He didn't feel too hungry, so he knew he hadn't been out for more than the night. His injuries hurt just as much as before, which meant he'd need a day or two of rest to get back into shape. A dull throb near where his spine met his skull told him his ki pathways were somewhat strained, and the overall feeling of weakness told him his reserves were dangerously low. I really have been pushing myself too hard, he thought silently as he tried not to shift despite some discomfort. Gonna need a day or two to get back in shape. Glad it's the weekend, I won't miss any classes... As that thought crossed his mind, he chuckled at the irony of him being so eager for school, only to wince at the throb from his ribs. Okay, hurts to laugh... One last sensation confused him, though. Why do I feel so hot...on my right side?

Managing to open his eyes, he saw a rather imposing figure sitting next to the hospital bed Recovery Girl had put him in for the night. The man was huge on the same scale as All Might when flexing, and filled out the blue and white bodysuit he was dressed in. The metal plates on his shoulders and arms glinted in the light given off by his flaming hair and beard. Well, that's the heat source, Ranma thought to himself. "Pro-Hero...Endeavor," he managed to say.

"So you are awake, Saotome-san," Endeavor said gruffly, his voice deep and powerful, though controlled to be calm. "I understand you had a...profitable encounter with the Hero Killer?"

Ranma managed a smirk at the phrasing. "Expensive, certainly..."

"You fought him one on one, and will make a full recovery," Endeavor pointed out. "Compared to his other victims, the price was inconsequential. I understand you have some pertinent observations regarding his fighting style and Quirk?"

Ranma blinked in surprise at that, but as his mind shifted into combat focus the answer became clear. "Nezu-hakase wants me to pass on what I learned to Pro-Heroes in case they encounter him?" he concluded.

"Indeed," Endeavor confirmed. "He sent out messages to see who would want to learn such information from the only person to ever win against the Hero Killer. I came immediately." He crossed his arms. "I hope what you have to relay is worth it."

Ranma frowned. He didn't like Endeavor's abrasive approach, but he was the number 2 ranked Pro-Hero, and that purely from how powerful he was as a hero as he was known to not be very personable, as compared to All Might...especially when compared to All Might. "I don't know what his Quirk does, but I know to activate it he needs to consume his foe's blood...or at least get it on his tongue. That's why he carries so many blades...and his entire fighting style is based around using his Quirk." He shifted to try and get into a more comfortable position to talk, wincing as his spine protested. "A big mistake on his part."

"Oh?" Endeavor asked with a raised eyebrow. "You consider it a mistake for someone to maximize their ability to use their Quirk?"

"I consider it a mistake for anyone to build their fighting style around a single weapon, gimmick, or technique, whatever its nature," Ranma stated flatly. "The moment you encounter someone who knows how to counter it, the entire thing falls apart. Over reliance on any one weapon in your arsenal is asking for it to be taken away."

Endeavor frowned darkly, his eyes stormy. "...indeed," he replied quietly, his voice showing he was distracted by something.

"You'd have an easy advantage, for example," Ranma pointed out. "I managed to throw him off when I cauterized the cut he managed to inflict, and your Quirk could do that for you easily, as well as burn any blood he manages to get out of you."

Endeavor blinked and nodded, once more focused on the discussion. "Good to know," he agreed firmly as he smirked proudly. "Anything else?"

Ranma thought back over the fight. While he wasn't able to identify Stain's specific fighting style, there was one thing he noticed. "The way he fought shows signs he recently drastically altered his fighting style and is still settling into the new one, so he's more susceptible to being thrown off," he pointed out thoughtfully. "Also...his new style is very sadistic. His goal in each fight isn't victory, but the suffering of his opponent."

Endeavor nodded as a dark frown crossed his face. "Yes, that coincides with what has been seen of his actions..." he muttered angrily. He then stood up. "I would like to know anything else you can tell me of this, but that can wait until you're recovered. I need to get back to work." He turned to go.

Ranma blinked as he finally saw something in the shaping of Endeavor's Quirk. "You're Todoroki Shouto's father, aren't you?" he spoke up.

Endeavor turned back with a neutral expression on his face. "Ah, you're his classmate, aren't you?" he responded neutrally. "Yes, Shouto is my son, and he has the potential to be one of - no, the - greatest hero of his generation!"

Ranma frowned as he heard how fervently Endeavor declared that. He was starting to get a rather unpleasant suspicion, but he needed to ask the question anyway. "I noticed that his ki and Quirk energy is divided right down the middle of his body...and half of it is suppressed to unhealthy levels, almost to the point of repression. Do you have any idea why he would hate and loathe that side of himself enough to do that?"

Endeavor frowned, uncertainty in his eyes. "I know he resists using his fire...you sure he hates it?"

"That's the only thing that would cause that," Ranma replied firmly.

Endeavor's eyes darkened. "...I'll keep that in mind." With that, he turned and stormed out.

Ranma sighed as he lay back. "And I thought people back in Nerima could be prickly," he grumbled to himself. "Least I don't have to deal with any of that here. Pretty sure Nezu-hakase's got a plan for those headaches if they get here...right?" A cold shiver ran down his spine, and he tried his best not to think about what could have caused it. He had enough on his plate as is.

Two figures sat across from each other around a table in shadows. One figure was young and slim, a plague mask covering most of his face. The other was exceptionally short, and remained almost entirely in the shadows. The entire room was filled with an air of danger and menace, for here sat two of the greatest evils Japan - nay, the entire world - had ever known. One was a known Villain who was second only to All For One himself in his capacity to unleash devastation and carnage. The other was a criminal so crafty and dangerous that even All For One at the height of his power had stepped carefully around him. After all, this criminal would never be classified as a Villain, and as such immune to All For One's most devastating ability...and dangerous and crafty enough that all others were meaningless to him.

The short figure calmly sipped from a flask as he finished listening to the others 'recruitment pitch' as he thought of it. "So that's your angle," he mused, his voice dry and dangerous. "Restore pre-Quirk society. Heh, I imagine quite a few in the 'Quirkless Communities' would love that idea."

"I do have my...unusual supporters," the other figure allowed softly, the kindness of his tone belying the viciousness within. "Does this...interest you?"

"That depends," the criminal replied softly, his beady eyes narrowed. "How do you intend to manage it? A good talk is one thing, but the proof is in the pudding, as they say, and I've yet to see your mix."

The Villain chuckled softly, then spoke up again. "Eri, come."

A nearby door opened, and a young girl who couldn't have been much more than five stepped in. She had pale skin, long silver hair, crimson eyes, and a small spiral horn above her right brow. She was dressed in a plain dress and shoes, and walked sadly and nervously forward at the Villain's summons.

"Rewind," the Villain explained, a smirk in his voice. "With her power, time can literally be turned backwards."

"So you intend to...what?" the criminal asked derisively. "Empower her enough to literally rewind the entire world to before Quirks and prevent them from coming into existence? That sort of thing never works out well. Time isn't nearly so flexible as you may believe."

The Villain sighed softly. "As we learned with our first attempt," he observed dryly as Eri shrunk in on herself. "That sort of quantum uncertainty is why the world shifted, and now we have such large 'Quirkless Communities'. As inflexible as time is, it is quite...self correcting."

The criminal nodded in understanding. He had been wondering about the odd anachronisms he'd encountered when hopping in and out of said communities, as though literal pieces of different time periods were stitched together and people were too blind to see the stitches...or encouraged not to. "So what then?" he pressed.

The Villain gestured to Eri, and she flinched away. "Using her Quirk and her blood, we can eliminate all Quirks, rewind people to when they didn't have them...and if they're too much trouble, until they cease to exist." He seemed to fail to notice the stillness that had settled over the criminal when Eri had flinched away.

"So your entire plan revolves around using her to affect your goals, then?" the criminal asked calmly, once more taking a sip of his tea, idly stirring it with a toothpick.

"Indeed," the Villain allowed. "What say you? We could use your skills...and reputation."

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline," the criminal replied calmly, setting his tea down while still holding the toothpick. "I may well be the greatest Evil Japan has ever known..." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "But there are some things even I will not tolerate, Overhaul."

"...a pity," Overhaul responded sadly, making an obscure gesture. Eri's eyes narrowed as she focused, a glitter around her horn visible to the criminal's senses. "Goodbye, then."

The criminal smiled as he felt the influence of Rewind, turning back time on his body. He would need to know these effects before he could take action...and it lined up exactly with what he expected. He felt younger by maybe a third and could already sense the energy of the girl's power dwindling, the cumulative build up running dry. "You picked the wrong way to deal with me," he observed dryly as he gave the toothpick an odd flick with his fingers.

"How so?" Overhaul demanded, only to flinch back in pain, clutching at his eye.

"Do you have any idea how much ki it takes to sustain my body at three centuries of age?" the criminal demanded quietly. "How much easier that was a century ago? How much more ki I have now?" He smiled as Overhaul's eyes widened, a glow within his eye from where the toothpick was embedded. "And all Quirks, whatever their nature, have to be guided by thought." He sighed as he saw Eri already covering her eyes, knowing what was coming. "And this just shows how right I am," he stated as he released his ki.

The toothpick exploded violently, incinerating Overhaul's head and leaving the lifeless body to drop to the floor.

The criminal calmly put his tea flask away and stood up. "And like I said, Overhaul...some things I will not tolerate." Turning, he saw Eri was already standing stock still as if she expected her to be next and had nothing to fight with. Just seeing that made him feel older already. A smile crossed his lips, however, when he realized that was his body already returning to its previous state - if slowly - as it cycled out the influence of Eri's Quirk, as fast - if not faster - than she was able to build it up. He knew what he could do for her.

Walking forward, he hopped up onto Overhaul's chair so he was eye level with the girl. "It's alright, Eri," he said softly as he pulled her into his embrace. "I won't let anyone else hurt you...and I can teach you so you won't hurt anyone else." Seeing her eyes widen in shock at that declaration, his smile became warmer. "Don't worry, little one...Uncle Happy's gonna take good care of you..."