Green Scale

Chapter 20 ~ Hosu City

Rated M

I Don't Own MHA


Hosu city was a peaceful place with a low crime rate thanks to the watchful eyes of the Endeavor Agency, but tonight, that peace had been shattered by the huge eruption of flames that was slowly covering the majority of the city…

Smoke was rising in the air, and soon people would have trouble breathing from the amount of fire around them. It was like hell on earth for some, and no one knew the cause…

Shoto ran down the burning streets behind his father as they both traversed the many blocked pathways and tried to get to the centre of the city, where the flames were at their most intense. They not only needed to safeguard civilians and choose the best road to go down, but they also had to avoid any falling debris from above...

The duo of father and son were still in the agency main room discussing...or rather arguing about where they were going to patrol in Hosu, and their conversation was cut short by the news of the fire bursting out in the centre of the area. It came without any warning and reports said that it began in one of the abandoned manholes leading to the Hosu sewers, though it didn't make sense how flames would start there. The flames had shot out of the sewers like a gasoline tank that had been gunned down and they burned with such intensity that they were able to make the structures of buildings crumble. It wasn't natural, and while the fire wasn't as deadly as Endeavor or Red Scale's, it was still enough to seriously injure people that only brushed past it.

It had to be some sort of terrorist attack on the place that got out of control, or perhaps a rogue fire villain emerging from the depths of the gutter. Either way; it was deeply concerning for both Enji and his youngest son as they saw entire buildings collapse in front of them. This level of destruction was extremely unnatural for a mere explosion that only covered the centre of a city, and even a villain going on a rampage would only stick to one spot if they weren't fast enough to move around and avoid heroes. The places that the fire erupted were near the very middle of the main plaza, but there were buildings collapsing and people screaming all over the land, like every last inch of Hosu was being raided.

"You think it's the league?"

Endeavor scowled. "Those weaklings couldn't bring about this level of destruction even if they tried, if we're going by their known members. I'm assuming it's some kind of pyrotechnic quirk at play, moving the fire around the city and covering more ground than we know...though it would be curious if we didn't already know of someone that strong."

The student had a concerned grimace on his face as he watched a hero agency building topple down to the floor from the roaring fire. "But how would they manage to burn down this much in such a short matter of time! It's like the entire city's been attacked in several different places!"

"That's my concern as well. It seems too sudden to be a single person's handiwork."

"Then what are we gonna do!?"

The flame hero incinerated a huge chunk of metal that was flying towards them with a small orange beam of fire, not even looking as he did it. "We're heading to the centre to find out who or what did this, and why it's happening. If we find out the motive and the person responsible, we'll minimize the casualties by knowing what we're up against. You need information before anything else Shoto, and you can deal with villains more effectively if you know what they fight with."

The whole point of an internship was to accumulate experience and learn from heroes on the field. One hopeful student wouldn't last a second out in the open without at least one internship under their belt, because they needed to know how to be a hero first, and learn what it took to live up to the title society gave them. It just so happened that Endeavor was one of the greatest pros in the world; strong enough to even measure up against top 10 heroes from the larger and more powerful nations, so he was sure to give incredible advice if you could contain his huge ego.

There were different types of heroes, but Endeavor was a field type that focused far more on combat and law enforcement than anything to do with politics or the people. Sure, he would do the odd rescue if he happened to walk by a scene like that, but his main goal was becoming stronger than anyone else in his country, and he could only do that by fighting and training until his own body stopped him. Since he was a field type, he would be able to enlighten naive students like Shoto on how to deal with villains and other field threats that he could encounter on the streets or countryside. Whether the youngest Todoroki liked it or not; his father's word was almost fact when talking about how to combat a criminal, and it was in his best interests to shut up and listen.

"I'll get rid of those flames with my ice. A single barrage will do it…"

"No you won't, you fool! Stay behind me and do as you're told!" the man barked.

Shoto snarled at the abuser. "I can handle myself well enough… I don't need to hold your hand…"

Endeavor merely scoffed at the child's lack of respect. He had more important things to attend to, and even though he was a man that threw away friends and family for power, he was still a hero of Japan, and it was his sworn duty to protect the people from things that would endanger them. His family troubles or personal views would never be allowed to clash with that fact…

For all his faults, Endeavor took his role as the no.2 hero very seriously…

They reached the centre of the city and bore witness to the raging fire that danced across the stone floor. It was bigger than anything that could be considered natural and someone could have mistook it for a forest blaze if it wasn't in a city… The heat was enough to make you sweat and it burned onlookers' eyes as they gazed deep into the orange blaze.

"This isn't normal…" Enji scowled. "The work of a villain for sure, and a number of them at that… If one man could do this, it would be me or that dragon bastard, but one of us is the number 2 hero, while the other is a student at UA whose moves are being monitored down to a tee…" The hero's sapphire eyes glared angrily as he remembered the cocky brat's conversation with him. Sure he was intimidated by those flames, but he wasn't about to kneel down to hellspawn like that from PTSD alone.

Todoroki looked around the plaza, seeing nothing but fire in his way, snaking around buildings and heating up the air enough to take away your breath. The smoke was becoming more intense as the time passed, and now the lack of clean air was beginning to wear down on some people. It was becoming more of a concern than the fire itself, and that was worrying indeed. "They could be using the smoke to cause panic and have an ulterior motive in this attack…"

Endeavor looked back with a surprised expression. "Not bad Shoto! They could well be looking to raid some place valuable, though the whole city being smoked out is excessive. Perhaps they are just here to cause chaos like a bunch of lowly thugs looking for attention…"

"Mhm…" the boy nodded. "Which heroes are on the scene?"

"Well, there isn't anyone of note except an old timer from Shimura's days… Heard he was travelling down from another city..."

"Nana Shimura, the former number 1 hero?"

The father nodded as he watched the flame closely. "I think his name was Gran Torino, but he seems to be closely connected to the police and works for Tsukauchi on occasion. He won't be of much help…"

"There only seems to be minor heroes out tonight…"

A female hero wearing a green and white costume ran up to them; a distressed look on her face as she panted from exhaustion. "T-The bullet train!"

"What's the situation?" Enji asked while keeping his eyes fixed on the plaza.

"The bullet train was attacked by a villain!"

The man's eyes widened slightly. "Who was it? How many casualties?"

"None sir! But the person on the scene has left the train and is currently fighting the monsters!"

'Monsters?' His eyebrow raised as he thought about what could be happening over there. "First this fire over here, and then the rest of the city… The hell is happen-"

He froze…

Shoto was busy freezing the various buildings to try and extinguish the flames since he couldn't be bothered feeding his father's ego by standing by him, but he suddenly felt that something was wrong…

"M-My god…" a civilian breathed as he looked above the student.

"Kid run!" the female hero shouted to him as he turned around…

As soon as she said those words, Endeavor caught sight of the large fire changing in size and shape as dark silhouettes emerged from the flames, ranging in height and mass as they made disturbing growles…

In groups of five, these disgusting beasts slowly emerged from the blaze with the same huge exposed brain on the top of their head… They varied in colour with some being white and grey, while the winged ones were yellow, but there was a larger one coming from another direction…

They were Nomu...

Todoroki was shocked to see the Nomu all come out and remembered that they were the same type of creature that attacked All Might and Midoriya at the USJ…

Midoriya wasn't as strong then as he is now, but he was still thrown around by that thing, and it served as a great punching bag for All Might afterwards… Shoto was weaker than Midoriya even without the fire, so then...

If they were as strong as the previous batch, this city was doomed…

But as he turned around, a shadow engulfed him completely and a huge black Nomu rose to greet him. Its upper mouth from the maxilla to the eyes and nose were completely replaced by a large pink brain that seemed to act as its face, and it had muscles larger than most physically strong heroes and the weight of a truck with every step it took.

"KREEEEEEEEAAAAA!" An inhuman howl came from its mouth as its muscles expanded and its arms suddenly reached out for him…

'M-My ice won't fire in time!' He thought in a panic as he jumped back. This thing was too fast for him to react to...

Before he could even try to make a move, a blazing fist landed straight on the Nomu's jaw with the force of a cannon and the huge monster was shot straight off of its feet like it was light as a feather… The air around them blew into a frenzy and gusts of wind smashed windows around them as the bulky body of the mid-end Nomu crashed into a car, making the vehicle explode in a cloud of fire...

After checking that the thing hadn't recovered, Endeavor quickly reached out a hand to his son. "Get up…"

Todoroki instantly slapped it away and sprang back up with a growl as he watched the black creature shudder from the blow. "It's not dead, or even unconscious?"

"KUUUUUAAAEEEEE!"

"I definitely put all my power in that...so why is it still moving?" he wondered; more annoyed than anything as he stretched his shoulders in preparation for another punch.

The Nomu flinched and seemed to growl at Endeavor as it slowly rose back up to its feet, like he'd just been stunned, and not hit with a fatal punch from the flame hero… Its jaw had partially melted and was hanging off on one side, but that didn't even seem to phase the monstrosity as it showed little signs of pain, only clutching its head as the brain was slightly damaged from the flashfire fist…

"So its brain is the weakness…" Enji smirked arrogantly as he stepped forward. Before engaging in combat with the strong humanoid, Endeavor looked back to his son, seeing him begin to target the much weaker white and grey variants that were slowly funneling out of the fire.

This dark one with the brain face was strong enough to make him actually break a sweat, and if there were any more, he could cause collateral damage. He didn't want his son mixed up in that, and with his level of experience, there wasn't much telling whether he would be able to handle one of the big guys or not… They hadn't even begun their training and he still needed to learn his Ultimate Move: Prominence Burn...

If he learned that move; the most powerful weapon in Enji Todoroki's arsenal, he would be near unstoppable… He didn't have the incredible firepower that Toya did, or the control that Endeavor himself had, but combining that with his ice powers would make for a nearly unbeatable hero that could easily make the number one spot. If some damn lab experiment dared damage his masterpiece, he would incinerate every last one of them, former-human or not…

He couldn't risk Shoto being injured by anything above him…

The hero killer was in the area, but he wasn't a concern as long as he stuck to the dirty alleyways he belonged in…

"Shoto!"

Todoroki looked up at his father as he tapped the floor with his right foot, creating a trail of ice that froze some of the Nomu in place, albeit only for a moment… "Focus on that guy before babying me…"

Endeavor ignored him. "We're splitting up!"

The ice user's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You have a reason?"

"Seems that all the strong freaks are over here with me. Get that group of weaklings together and hunt down the grounded and airborne Nomu in the area! You have your phone with you, so contact me if you happen to run into any trouble on your way back!" the man shot a small fireball at the Nomu he was fighting to distract it for a second.

Shoto looked around and saw all the heroes struggling with two flying mustard variants and already knew that they were outmatched. They had good experience and the wits to get the hell out of dodge when things go sour, but their quirks were weak and they just didn't have enough power to combat the small waves of genetically engineered monsters…

Even though he didn't like it, he had to agree with his father on this one. Those local heroes would be massacred by the winged brain-men if they didn't somehow grow more powerful, and the only way they could stay alive was if Shoto joined up with them. He wasn't about to stick around and let a bunch of good people die just because he wanted to rebel against his dad, and he needed to get the city clear of these things as fast as possible, so he couldn't waste time arguing here.

"Fine then, I'll go…"

He turned to the group of heroes numbering around 5. "All of you focus on the grey grounded ones! Stick together and use numbers to take one down if you need to! I'm going after the airborne variants before they cause too much trouble for my friends!"

The heroes seemed passively bothered that a kid was ordering them around, but he was the son of Endeavor and the guy that almost beat Izuku Midoriya in the sports festival, so he was more than qualified to take charge…

"We'll follow you Todoroki!" The female hero lowered her head quickly and dodged a swipe from one of the creatures.

There were around 20 grey Nomu on the ground and another 25 yellow in the air, though there could be more, but the more dangerous flying ones seemed to be circling around the area where the bullet train was attacked. Another powerful hero must have showed up over there, but he couldn't bother himself with that right now. He could handle the grounded Nomu just fine and the flying ones would be an annoyance, but still manageable…

What he was worried about was the group he was about to link with. If he took his eyes off them for even a second, they could be overwhelmed by those hideous creatures and die, and if one of those huge black Nomu happen to appear again, the only option for them all would be retreat. He would need to juggle the lives of his new partners with the many Nomu he would have to kill or capture…

He took one look back at his father as the man grabbed the huge Nomu's brain and shot blue fire straight through the thing's skull; killing it instantly…

'So the weakness really is the brain…' He glanced at the newly repaired jaw of the monster. 'And it seems that they also regenerate, but at a slightly less dramatic rate than the one at the USJ…'

With that in mind, he would have to aim for the head every single time, as that seemed to be the only way to put these things down for good.

He stomped his foot down and created a huge sheet of ice that swept across the road in front of them; extinguishing the blazing fire and stopping the falling debris from hitting anyone.

"All of you move through here and follow on to the next path! I know this isn't right, but prioritize the extermination of the Nomu over evacuation and the safety of those around you!" he wasn't a natural leader like Midoriya and Yaoyorozu, but he wasn't half bad for a new beginner…

The heroes looked shocked. "You mean to say we just leave the civilians to die!? They need our help now more than ever!" One of the male heroes shouted, and from his gear and outfit, he seemed to be working for Ingenium's agency.

Those guys had a very righteous path that their leader made them follow, and it turned them into excellent heroes, but also weakened ones from their huge amount of morals…

"The longer we leave these Nomu bastards alive, the higher the death toll will rise from this attack! The league is probably behind the chaos and they'll have no qualms with letting each and every person in this city die if it meant more weight to their name and cause! Don't save one life to let hundreds die!"

The man hesitated; the thought of abandoning a person seeming like too much to bear, but he knew deep down that it was the right choice. If he let so many people die when he could have saved them, he would be going against his agency's path, and that was something he didn't want.

"Any other objections?" he asked them all, growing impatient with the lack of fighting they were doing.

None of them ushered a word after that…

Shoto looked up to the darkened sky, seeing the black smoke clouds funnel through the atmosphere at an alarming rate. He could tell that the fire needed to be put out before the smoke got too violent and began suffocating people, but for that to happen, he and his father would need to dispose of the rapidly increasing Nomu that seemed to all be spawning from the fire…

Iida was probably here in Hosu to get information and join the hunt for the Hero Killer Stain, and he didn't even know where to start with Midoriya. He'd just appeared in Hosu out of his own free will and didn't seem to be interning with anyone in the area. It was possible that he was also after Stain, but he doubted that the green haired drake would be focused on anything other than getting stronger…

He didn't like it, but he would have to trust them to keep safe. He couldn't aid them, as he had his own task, and he couldn't stray too far away from his father incase one of those black Nomu came running at him. Midoriya was strong enough to probably give Endeavor a small challenge, but Iida was still relatively green and didn't have the same raw talent and power that the scale user did. If he actually ended up encountering an S rank like Stain, the likelihood of him coming out with a win would be slim to none…

He checked his phone once more, and still, nothing…

'Dammit… Be safe, you guys...'


"These bastards are everywhere!" Izuku let loose a stream of dark fire that incinerated a group of 3 winged Nomu as he jumped from one building to another.

These things were fodder when compared to the beak guy he fought in the USJ, but there were so many of them… Each one of these could equal your average UA hero course student, and their ability to fly was just a pain. They had multiple quirks that allowed them to compensate for their low power, but they were also spread around the entire city. These winged creatures littered the sky and drowned out the people's screams with their own inhuman roars…

The news had covered it briefly, but the radio tower had collapsed just before they were given the actual number. This told Izuku, who was observant enough to know the situation before even flicking to the feed, that this was a planned raid on the city, as they targeted one of the main sources of information first.

If this was an organised attack using these freaks, it would have to be the League of Villains. They have been the only ones thus far that utilized these abominations for combat and used one that could match All Might's current state in power and speed, so with around 50 to 100 of these around the city, they were sure to cause some real damage. Izuku could handle any number of them if he wanted, but he was far more concerned about the people below, whether they be heroes or helpless civilians.

Who could be behind this though? After the sports festival, the teachers had started to trust him more despite his blood being of western origin and his father being the sworn enemy of the nation, and he now had access to some information on the league. The teachers couldn't tell him much, because this information could be used against them, but with what little he knew, he could surmise who was to blame for this disaster.

Of course, he wasn't invited to any meetings, but he was able to either gather information via eavesdropping, or subtly asking one of the more dense heroes about the members.

All For One wasn't mentioned at all, as he was probably only known by All Might and maybe the principal, but judging from what little he got out of Hoshino and the number 1 hero, he didn't seem like the person to mercilessly destroy a city without a reason. He was a cool and calculated man with more interest in the future. They'd never met, but Midoriya had a strong feeling that he wasn't the unhinged type that would kill for pleasure alone. He was a dream chaser, like Izuku and the Fangs...

There was Kurogiri; the guy that assisted Prism in the USJ, and he seemed to be the most rational of the bunch, so he was off the table. The Beak Nomu had been captured and sealed away in one of the main Japanese prisons, and it wasn't even capable of thinking for itself, so that only left one man…

Tomura Shigaraki…

The hand man wasn't a threat in Izuku's eyes, but he was crazy enough to do this. There wasn't much value in Hosu at all, and the only thing that the league could gain from this was his capture, though these pitiful Nomu would never manage to detain him…

But it couldn't be him either...

An instinctive feeling in his chest told Izuku that there was something far more sinister going on here…

The league must have had a hand in it, since they were the only people he knew of that had access to these monsters, but it seemed like someone else from the outside was pulling the strings and orchestrating the entire attack from the shadows...

He didn't know what it was, but he had an ability to sniff out a scheme if there was one. It was how he was able to weave his way out of that interrogation with Nezu on his first day, and how he was able to look past the admiration and borderline obsession over his brother and father and see that they were planning something pretty concerning for their return. It might just be in the family, but he could read people like a book and had only been manipulated due to his general naivety and lack of experience with social interaction…

That would change though, and soon, he would be simply impossible to lie to...

As he looked down at the Hosu fire from atop a small flat, he could feel a small tinge of unease rise in his chest like before. He felt it previously at the USJ, and again before he encountered Andre, and both of those situations ended badly for him. He doubted that these pests they call Nomu could even scratch him when he had fire that could render almost anyone into dust, but there was still that small and quiet voice inside his head telling him to watch out…

The same one that had been haunting him since that Nomu beat him to near death…

What he needed to do was rapidly dispose of all the freakish creatures in Hosu, but he knew that Iida was in danger at this moment, and with all the terror and chaos on the streets, the Hero Killer would be able to murder several "false heroes" before he was even sighted.

He wanted to dash down to the ground and sniff out the guy while keeping his promise to Ingenium, but every time he thought about that course of action...that fucking bastard would whisper in his ear, telling him all sorts of things…

He'd tried to shut the asshole out after the sports festival, but to no avail… Thanks to this mysterious man's existence and influence over him, Izuku almost incinerated Todoroki in the final and had barely any regrets… The once pure and innocent boy remembered that feeling well, or the lack of it, as he walked away from his unconscious opponent with a ghostly smile that showed nothing but a primal sense of pride. Arrogance at its core...

"I'm not going to end up like you…" He said to himself as he looked around and saw another batch of Nomu. "Just watch… You won't make my light burn out…"

In response to his statement, he felt the entity chuckle darkly…

Izuku checked his phone again, quickly becoming annoyed when he realised that the signal had been cut off. The villains, if you could even call these puppets that, had obviously tampered with the city's electricity and caused some sort of black out, and from house lights flickering and lamp posts shutting down, it looked like someone was in the middle of detonating a fucking EMP.

All of this was a minor inconvenience. He just needed to get Iida the hell out of whatever shithole he'd ran into, for the sake of his brother…

"S-She'll devour him…"

He'd never seen someone so terrified in his life, and even though he knew he was stronger than Ingenium, he felt unnerved by how feared this villain was. He'd come face to face with one of the most infamous villains to ever breathe air and it made him want to throw up from the difference in strength, and that was when Prism was trying to be civil, so he could only imagine how it would feel if he were to face someone of his level in combat.

This whole thing stank of a trap…

A trap that would be set for him…

The smoke was now funneling through every little crevice, making a gap between the city and the sky where there was just this one huge black cloud. Izuku wasn't stupid and knew that smoke was one of the main things that villains used to hide themselves and use as a distraction. It was possible that Shigaraki or someone else in the league used this smoke as a cover to let Stain go on one of his purges, but why would they need this level of destruction?

Actually...why would they even help the Hero Killer?

Barely anyone even knew what Stain looked like, so why go to such lengths? The Hero Killer was a skilled assassin and specialized in hunting from the shadows, so he wouldn't even need a distraction like this, and it was even more suspicious when he considered the area of which this started.

Before the news went offline, he was able to find out that the fire originated in the central area of Hosu, where the largest amount of heroes and general public were gathered. Unless they had an incredibly big thing to hide, they wouldn't need to cover the entire city in smoke, and they sent out so many of these beta-level Nomu like they were expendable.

He could try to twist it, but the whole thing looked just like a huge attack on Hosu, and not something that would aid the Hero Killer…

Which meant that this "trap" that was being set was much worse than he first thought…

It was on such a large scale, and he felt the danger rise with each action he took, and even backtracking increased the alarms in his head...

He could hear the screams of the random civilians as he jumped down to the main road, and he used his speed to boost himself across the huge strip of tarmac. He needed to find some heroes and know the true extent of the situation, before it was too late and the city was overrun by these brain abominations. If the Nomu at the USJ was any indication; they operated by vocal command and had no regard for anyone other than their masters. Those winged beasts that targeted him when he jumped from the bullet train were different, so he had to assume that these ones were almost programmed to single out the strong and kill without hesitation or regard for their own life…

After Hosu was wrapped up and the trap avoided, he would need to find the origin of these beasts. If he hadn't injured the USJ monster with his fire, that thing could have actually damaged All Might and took even more time away from his limiter, and if he was even an inch closer to the thing's huge hands, he would have been splattered over the plaza floor. That danger was unmistakable, and if that beak monster were to find anyone else in Japan's top 10, it would kill almost all of them…

He only survived by luck and by the power of his quirk, but most of those other heroes didn't have that natural gift. They'd be beaten in speed or power, and then mashed into the soil before they could even damage it…

All Might's time was running out, and by Izuku's predictions, he only had a couple months left before he had to retire, and when he was gone, those Nomu would destroy the heroes. There could be ones even greater than the USJ variant that were hidden away, and perhaps an even stronger creature that the league had yet to use… Those things couldn't be allowed to contaminate the world and kill the heroes protecting Japan…

The only way he could halt their growth was by killing the person that made them… Since they had multiple quirks, he could guess All For One was the culprit, but since the man was known for his monopolization of the world and its people, he doubted that the man had that much knowledge and love for science, so he must have had an accomplice… If that individual died, then the villains would lose a vital section of their forces, and it would make it easier for Izuku to get stronger…

His speed increased dramatically as he raced down the flaming city in search of an elite he could get info out of. He knew that Endeavor was in the city with Todoroki, and even if he had a grudge against the arrogant fire hero, he needed his aid.

In truth, Izuku was a selfish and cold person, only caring about a handful of people in his life, but he couldn't ever let his hate for another person eclipse his desire of saving someone he valued as a friend and a rival. He wanted to honour his promise to Ingenium and bring his younger brother back to him unscathed, and he wanted to uphold the standards that he had set for himself, and he could only accomplish those goals if he disregarded the normal way heroes operated and valued the safety of Iida over the state of Hosu right now.

All Might falsely thought of him as the perfect candidate for One For All, and as time went by since that meeting, Izuku had realised just how wrong his idol was about the whole thing. He could never uphold the legacy of someone so great and all the past holders that must have been similar to the blonde hero, because it was in his nature to be selfish and hateful, and this new quirk of his only amplified that fact.

The only thing he could do to satisfy himself was to become the hero the world needed, and the man that was able to finally slay Red Scale. Finding a suitable successor for One For All could wait for now, as he first needed to become the greatest hero in Japan, and then the world. He needed his father to provide him with the greatest tools, and his brother to make him stronger, and himself to see his eventual dream through.

He was lost at the moment; not knowing just what he was even fighting for or why… He was an empty shell that only looked to the next day, and not the future, and he needed that spark of inspiration that all these other people had so that he could really find a purpose in this world.

He didn't actually know whether being a hero was the right thing for him, or whether even Japan was the right location for him to operate… He had so many doubts inside his head and was constantly questioning what he'd done, just like Yaoyorozu, but on a much deeper scale, and he needed to solve this sorry state of his…

Perhaps his brother had the answer, or maybe his father, or perhaps even a villain?

For now though, he would have to settle on being the best hero he could possibly be, and protecting the people he cared for...

He didn't care what was right, or how the people around him would react. His one and only concern was knowing the location of Tenya Iida…

His friend...


Defeated…

Bakugou had been utterly defeated…

He didn't stand a chance…

This hero was just too strong…

His speed, his power, his offence and defence were all beyond perfect…

Each time he tried to move, he would be struck down by a chop or leveled with a kick, and before he could get up, the hero would stomp him into the ground without any regard for his injuries…

His limbs had been torn to shreds, his eyes pooling with blood from the constant piercing pokes to his pupils, his legs shattered from the cuts made by the hero's razor sharp fingers and his arms broken from the small but bullet-like punches…

There was no mercy, and he'd never felt such pain in his life…

The hero was able to render him a screaming mess in under 5 seconds and it took him a quarter of that time to disarm him… His explosion quirk should have been able to blast away anyone that tried to beat him, but it was useless against that speed that rendered all attacks ineffective…

His eyes may as well have been plucked out, as the lightning hero was too fast for even the most vigilant heroes to see, and those bolts that surged around him weren't even needed to dispatch him. Who knew how much damage they could do?

He even tried to stop the match by forfeiting, which is something he'd never done before, but the man continued to pummel him; bludgeoning his body like it was a paper mache punching bag…

"Disgusting… Rats should stay in the gutter where they belong…" Hoshino finally ended the onslaught and sat down on one of the many black pillars in the room; looking completely disappointed as he watched Bakugou's bloody body struggle to get off of the floor. He was expecting at least some resistance, but the boy was helpless and didn't even have the courage to fire a single explosion once he began increasing his speed…

"N-No more…" The blonde choked out as he collapsed onto his hands and knees.

"I'll be the judge of that, boy…" the young man spat down at him from above, relishing the pained and frightened expression on his face. "I would have wanted to go for at least an hour, but I guess you're just as weak as the other pathetic maggots in your school of privileged fools…"

Bakugou didn't even have the energy to argue anymore… He'd lost that drive once the first punch arrived, and had been almost mute for the rest of the beating. If those 2 pink viles hadn't healed him, he would have died before the first 10 minutes were over, and even if he managed to go past half an hour, that hero's strength was exponentially greater than what he'd shown. It was like looking into a dark cave that spanned miles, but you can only see the floor in front of you…

The boy feared that Minoru Hoshino hadn't even bothered to activate his quirk completely and just fought him with enhanced speed… He didn't even need his quirk to dominate him…

How humiliating…

"W-Why are you doing this… What the f-fuck did I e-ever do to...you?"

Hoshino smiled devilishly as he vaulted off the pillar and landed on the floor without a sound, covering himself in gold light once more. "Ah~ So you want to see my quirk now?"

"P-Please don't!" he let go of his ego and begged the hero to stop, but then he felt that the bloodlust only increased from his terrified plee…

Just hearing Izuku's tormentor beg for his life was like music to Hoshino's ears and he almost licked his lips in pleasure at the sound of his tears hitting the floor. He'd waited for this moment for 15 years and was loving every second of it…

If it was Fume or Pincer assigned for this task, the boy wouldn't have access to Carla's quirk and would just be ruthlessly tortured until his mind snapped and he became a useless shell of a human, and Andre would just kill the boy at first glance, so it was understandable why Hoshino was chosen for this. He hated Katsuki just as much as the other 3, but he was more level headed and preferred psychological games as opposed to brute force, just like his master…

He wanted to make this boy suffer, but also atone for what he'd done…

If he had free reign, he would have just made him go mad with grief and guilt and watch as the boy sank in despair while he enjoyed the whole thing from a viewing room, but Katsuki Bakugou was a vital person in Izuku's life, for better or for worse, and he needed to be changed in order for him to have the desired effect on their masterpiece… He needed to be at least humble towards others and know his place, while also knowing what he'd done wrong…

"Well, your lack of skill and strength makes me want to yawn anyway, so I suppose I could let you live…"

"H-Hahhhh…" the boy breathed a long sigh of relief at those words.

"But, that doesn't mean we're through with your training, little man…"

Bakugou looked up, shocked, and braced himself for another flurry of punches…

But they never came…

"Dumbass... Did you really think I lured you here only to beat your ego into the ground? I'm not so shallow…" the man grabbed Bakugou's arm and pulled him up harshly. "We have loads of things to get through before I'm satisfied with you, and those things are no longer requiring us to stay here in this dump…"

The final pink vial had now taken effect on Bakugou's body as he felt all the pain go away, though the reminder of the horrific beatdown was still making him shiver. "W-We're leaving!?"

"Obviously, idiot… The reason I beat you down was because you need reforming. Deny it all you want, but you are an arrogant and ungrateful failure of a human with tunnel vision, as you treat your best friend like something worse than garbage and demand the world from everyone else just because you have a strong quirk…"

Overcome by fear; Bakugou didn't even try to refute him…

"Believe it or not; all the heroes inside our top 10 have much stronger quirks than you, and they needed to break their bodies and minds to just be worthy of a glance from our lord, so you have no right to walk around and act like you're royalty. You want to be the strongest because you looked up to the fucking fraud All Might and thought he was the coolest thing since quirks, but you lack the vision to see that he isn't so famous and glorified because of his power…

"I couldn't care less about what you want, or who you wish to be. All I care about is converting Izuku from what he is now...to the only man that can equal my master… He's gonna be the guy that stands beside Akira when we reform this planet, and in order for him to turn out as intended, you need to change…"

The man looked around and his eyes seemed to glow for a second as he scanned the city...

Hoshino fully equipped his gear, now having two spiked shoulder bracers and a large layer of armour atop his hero costume. From behind his back, he revealed two 45cm shortswords that glistened in a yellow light, buzzing with electricity. He then pressed a button on the remote he was holding and a brick in the wall opened up, shooting a jagged object out…

Hoshino easily grabbed the thing and fastened it onto his head, lowering the golden visor and then making his suit suddenly discharge lightning bolts like they were jet fumes… The helmet was pure black in colour, but when fused with the lightning, it had yellow outlines for every detail had a large spiked top with a thin black feather lying at the peak…

He was wearing something he hadn't put on since the war in America…

"There's someone in Hosu that poses a threat to your friends, and she needs to be eliminated… I would leave the city to burn, but it seems that there is someone far too important to let die. We're gonna move out at night and use the smoke as cover, and I'm going to put this new entity in her place…"

Bakugou was walking down the streets, seeing the utter devastation that had befell Hosu, and couldn't believe that it had gotten this bad… Hoshino had predicted this down to a fucking tee like he somehow had a hand in it, though he wouldn't dare question him on it. He'd experienced 30 minutes of pure hell in that room and was now free from his endless attacks, and Bakugou knew when to set his ego aside. As much as he was ashamed for begging, he knew that he valued his life more than his pride, and only this asshole could see that state of weakness…

They'd been walking around the city for an hour now, and Hoshino was using the smoke and alleyways to sneak through to the centre of the city, not really caring about who saw them. The fire started 10 minutes ago and there were already huge winged brain dudes flying around in the sky, picking random people off while hunting heroes, and while they were a threat to Bakugou, the thunderclap hero didn't seem to see them as enjoyable opponents…

They were strong, around the level of one of the hero course students, and they flocked in numbers. Bakugou had figured out that the darker skinned beasts were the more dangerous, with some being even stronger than he was, but the two of them just kept walking like nothing was even going on above them…

"Why aren't we helping those people!?" he could hear the desperate cries from civilians and people literally praying for their aid, but the yellow haired bastard only smiled at their desperation.

"Why should we? I'm legally bound from using my quirk in this country, and I can't go play hero like a fucking freak as an American icon, can I?"

"B-But they're dying right now!"

"So? I have no connection to these people, and I never will… This whole thing, and quite a few events to come will merely be the prelude to the real conflict, where the entire world is split open by the might of our great lord… These people are just beta models right now, and they'll be replaced soon enough…"

"How can you even say that!? You're a hero right!?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Hoshino smirked cockily. "Bold of you to assume I even care about my title or rank… It's kinda hypocritical for you to whinge about me being a shitty person when you almost beat a little child into a fucking coma…" Bakugou flinched from the scathing truth. "Your role is to shut the hell up and follow me. The whole point of your being here is for you to spectate and see how us elites really perform against these pansy ass heroes you have protecting your nation. I'm about to fight some super villain and you are going to bear witness to it. That's all you amount to right now…"

Bakugou felt his hand get grabbed, and before he could protest, he found himself up on a building… He didn't know how he survived the speed of Hoshino's quirk when they were zipping from place to place, but he didn't ever want to ask.

"My quirk creates a field of lightning around me that allows me to travel at insane speeds, but that also applies to anything else in that radius. Of course, I can turn it off for certain parts of my body, making anyone touching me be crushed by the G-force, but I have no need to do it to you…" The man explained with a knowing glance. "We're trained by master in many ways, but one of the most vital things we're taught is that you need to be efficient against anyone, just incase some uber powerful bastard shows up out of thin air and beats your ass into the earth's core because you spent all your strength on some weak enemy. I never thought I'd need to care about anyone but myself when fighting villains, as it's always about cutting them down in the fastest way possible, but keeping the image society sees of me is vital to protecting our goal…"

Bakugou kept hearing about this stupid "dream" but he really didn't know why someone this powerful was so fixated on it. He'd called Katsuki's dream of being as strong as All Might shallow, but he was just blindly following Deku's brother towards a goal seemingly spanning the entire globe…

Was he just a contradicting idiot, or was there more to this? From one glance, it almost looked like he was brainwashed, but it was now apparent that this was clear unwavering loyalty… How was staying under the boot of your superior better than wanting to rival your childhood hero? He just didn't understand, and he knew that Hoshino wasn't stupid, so he held off on assuming that he was being manipulated…

What the hell was this bastard Akira planning…

He somehow had the fastest hero in the world in his pocket, and the rest of the top 10 seemed fanatically loyal, so how? For all the world knew, he didn't even have a quirk, and yet he was able to control this number of super strong heroes… Either he had an impossible level of intelligence that allowed him to toy with someone as smart and sceptical as Hoshino, or he was…

Far stronger than him…

This goal, and how grand it seemed, was freaking him the hell out. He wouldn't tell the dragon bastard and not Todoroki either. He doubted he could trust anyone in 1-A with this, so All Might seemed like the only option…

Now, Akira Midoriya; the guy who was the sole protector of Izuku in their youth...seemed like even more of a monster to him… He remembered the guy's terrifying maroon gaze, and how he seemed like some sort of demon whenever they locked eyes. His opinion of Bakugou had always been like dirt, and he seemed to want to murder the boy at every turn, but stopped himself. Bakugou never saw his quirk or even a hint of power, but something about the young adult screamed raw power...

"You must doubt my faith, and how my master has earned it...but I'm not willing to reveal the greatness of him to a disgusting pest like you…"

Bakugou scowled to himself, though got a slight chill from how he was almost able to know what he was thinking.

"Its suspicious that I have so much trust in him, and it'd seem unnatural for someone of my calibre to follow another man with such devotion, but he's just that good, and the world he strives for is one that I would sacrifice everything for. This crumbling society...held together by the idiotic symbol of peace and justice is doomed to fall into darkness once again. That's a fact you gotta realise before you go pro, and before you really find what you wanna do in life kid…"

The student didn't know what to say to that…

"I'm not tutoring you...nor am I being nice… This is reality dumbass…" Hoshino pointed up to the collapsing skyscrapers and the flaming roads. "People are gonna keep dying by the thousands until the very core of this earth is shifted, and the idea that heroes and villains are everything becomes false…"

"I don't get it…"

"Course' you don't. I'm only giving you the bare ass minimum for now because it'll shut you up, and I doubt you're ever gonna get more than that. I fight for Akira and his dream to change the world, and I live to serve him…"

The two of them looked up to see one of the winged Nomu getting closer, targeting the yellow hero. "-And it looks like we have a guest, Bakugou…" he smirked.

Without even needing to ask, Bakugou raised both his hands and prepared to fire an explosion… He knew that he'd improved greatly since the USJ with his new Howitzer Impact, but he could recognise the danger and know that this beast would kill more people if it wasn't killed. It could have immense durability or incredible regeneration, so it probably wouldn't die in a single hit…

He needed to put his back into this one…

He charged up; his palms dripping with sweat as explosions crackled wildly…

The Nomu sped up greatly and reached its arms out for Hoshino, who really didn't seem to be bothered by it, as he was scrolling through his phone quietly, texting someone called Zack…

His arms ached from the pressure of the explosion he was about to release, and took one last look at Volt Break, thinking he'd intervene, but he didn't seem to be th-

In a flash of gold, Bakugou blinked and saw the large Nomu scream as a huge bolt of lightning burned through its brain, shocking the beast to its core as it writhed around in the air, burning up from the amount of volts running through it. It was inches away from them and falling fast, but Bakugou then saw a hand calmly rest on the disgusting thing's brain and ignite with electricity…

Before he could even process what'd happened… The Nomu was already ash on the floor…

Bakugou shakily looked back at Hoshino, who was just standing next to him; his eyes still on his phone as he called back the electricity… He'd just killed that thing in under a second, and then rendered it into a pile of sut in the next frame…

If that Nomu was killed so quickly, then the same could be done to him, or any one of his classmates...

Just...how!?

"This is all Shigaraki could send? How boring… Master holds him in such high esteem..."

The hand guy? No, that was spoken with actual disappointment… That asshole at the USJ would never deserve respect from someone as overpowered as Volt Break… Was there another Shigaraki?

"Kid…" he suddenly spoke up after kicking the pile of ash down onto the streets. "The most important job for an offence based quirk-user like yourself is the slaying or capture of a villain. Quirks like yours aren't specialised for rescue or evac, or even spectacle. Like Andre's Nemea power, it excels in total destruction, so you have to stick to that. Using your power in fields that it doesn't belong in can do more harm than good, and you could end up cutting a life short, rather than saving one yourself…"

The boy's eyes widened, not thinking that the hero would give actual advice. "So I should just take down villains and not bother with rescue?"

"No…prioritize combat, and only force yourself into rescue and evac when needed. If you just stand by and let someone die; as a hero, it's the worst thing to do… For all the wrong that heroes and villains do, they have a benefit in the grand scheme of things… Make all the mistakes you like, but when you watch someone die when you could have saved them, you have utterly failed your duty to society…"

The blonde forced himself to nod, knowing that he'd probably be booted off of this building if he showed any disrespect… "Yeah, I guess…"

"I'm surprised you agree with me. I always took you for the braindead lunatic type to be honest, only caring about your own voice and not listening to those around you. Consider me impressed, trash…" the hero cackled to himself…

"HEY!"

But before he could begin his rant, he received an almost encouraging glare from the hero. He wanted him to misbehave so he could be obligated to hurt him...

'Cocky bastard…' Katsuki murmured under his breath, not daring to raise his voice above a whisper. He respected his strength, but couldn't forgive him for making him bow down in such a humiliating way, like he was a dog on the leash of an abusive trainer…

"Something is off, don't you think?"

Bakugou looked around…

Nothing but chaos…

"I-I don't-"

"They haven't made a real move yet...or...she hasn't…"

He didn't know who Volt Break was referring to, but he knew it wasn't anything good…

"With all the altered humans running around, you would think that they were planning something big, right? But none of them have ventured outside the bases… Tanya isn't the type to just sit back and let minions do the work for her, and she would have already wiped out the entire city if she had free reign…"

"The hell?" Katsuki voiced his confusion.

Hoshino suddenly stopped, sighing heavily as he looked up to the huge skyscraper above the cloud of smoke. He then looked back to the ground and focused his gaze on the centre of Hosu, where the fire started; his eyes narrowed into slits…

Bakugou could feel some sort of dread come over him when Hoshino glared like that, and he was paralysed by that fear…

"Hey kid…"

His voice sent shockwaves down his body...

The blonde looked up and saw Hoshino draw his two short swords that sparkled with golden lightning, and his armoured suit began to discharge tremendous amounts of bolts from the filters as the hero powered up. His aura was different, and not cruel like before… This time, he was focused on whatever was up there, and that was somehow even more terrifying than when they were fighting…

This was America's-

No…

This could be the world's number 3 hero…

"Think you can reach that building up in the clouds?"

Bakugou hesitated, feeling the raw power of the hero and almost collapsing. The power wasn't even aimed at him, and yet he felt like an ant… "Sure, if I try enough…"

"Good, then do so when the sky turns gold…"

What…

"There's a villain up there more powerful than you could ever imagine, and I'm hunting her. She's been in the area for the past month and I sensed her just a week ago, but now it's really amping up…"

"Who is it?" he almost didn't wanna know.

"People throw around the word invincible and impenetrable all the time when describing heroes, and they're almost always incorrect, as there is almost always a way to harm another person with your quirk, but this villain is different. She uses bait to lure her true prey into her web, and once she has them tangled in the silk, they are utterly helpless. Out of the four, she's the worst in hand-to-hand combat and isn't too dangerous at range, but when fighting her, she's almost impossible to kill or even damage…"

He'd heard of a few villains like that, but they all managed to be blown away by All Might…

Except one woman…

"Her little group is looking to capture Izuku, and it's my job to stop or delay that for as long as possible… She attacked and crippled Ingenium to bait Tenya Iida, his younger brother, out into the open. Izuku shares a good friendship with the boy, so he'd obviously follow him, like a donkey reaching for a stringed carrot. She's using Ingenium to lure Iida into the Hero Killer's hunting ground, and then having Izuku show up in her area, where she can easily snatch him up without anyone seeing her…

"But I'm here…"

Those words sent chills down the boy's spine.

"Her quirk is called Violet Tsunami… It's a quirk that lets the user turn into an impossibly corrosive slime from head to toe, not a single inch of her having flesh after the transformation. She gains power by consuming things, and can even steal the strength of others by merely being near them, with the added benefit of having a vast amount of slime at her disposal. I mentioned earlier that she was weak at range, but I only say that when talking on my scale, so it's pretty damn impressive from your point of view. Her slime can stretch through an entire city, and although her raw destructive capability doesn't hold a candle to the likes of Prism's burning light attacks and Orochi's huge shadow manifestation, she could destroy Hosu in minutes…"

Katsuki couldn't even believe someone other than Red Scale could do that…

"Her slime melts through nearly anything, being almost as potent as Prism's light in temperature, and having the ability to destroy someone with a single touch. Her defence is unrivalled, even when put against someone like Regulus, and there are only 4 people in the entire world that have the necessary firepower to kill her…"

"Red Scale, Orochi, The Sword Saint, and of course...me…"

The Sword Saint…

Just who was that…

"This isn't going to take long, and I don't expect to even graze her at this point in time, seeing as the smoke will clear soon, but you should know who I'm facing, for your own benefit… If you get too close, I'm afraid you'll die from her level of power. The aura of someone normally only serves to intimidate others and let them know of their power, but when the power gap between individuals is so great, this aura can disable bodily functions and even prove fatal… Red Scale and The Sword Saint are the only two people that can kill someone like me with their full powered presence, and if you were to see me go all out, you would be a corpse before you hit the ground…"

"You bastards at UA don't know a damn thing about how fucked you'll all be in the next year, and how much more powerful we are to you. I could kill you with a mere blink if I willed it, but I don't… This woman is on my level, or perhaps even stronger, so exposure to her power may make you pass out…"

"Like at Musutafu!"

Volt Break smirked. "Exactly, though you should note that Red Scale wasn't even exerting himself back there, or even showing off on that day… It was just like a stroll in the park before the incident…"

"Once this fight's over, go back home and don't even dare say that you were involved. I have to catch a flight tomorrow morning and meet with my master at our base to discuss our approach, and how we're gonna move forward, so this will be nothing more than a warning shot…"

The villain he was facing was Tanya Menendez…

But she was known by another name…

Violet Marsh - One of the four blazing fangs…


The stomping of steel boots filled the air and the only other sound in the alleyway was the boy's violent breathing. His fists were squeezed close and were air tight, almost breaking his fingers from how hard they'd been clenched, and rage was circulating through his body like a fast acting drug. He was seething, almost to the point that he'd roar out in complete wrath…

Iida marched down the streets of Hosu with a disgusting scowl on his face as his eyes were bloodshot beyond recognition. He was blinded by revenge and couldn't think of anything but the bastard that crippled his hero…

And now…

He'd finally found him…

About 20 meters away, holding a sword to a pro's neck, was the infamous Hero Killer Stain. His beige headscarf was flowing eerily in the wind as his crimson face mask highlighted the maddened eyes of a fanatic. His boots were steel capped and filled with sharp blades that could crush someone's skull with ease, and his whole outfit was decorated with various pieces of equipment that aided him in his hunt for the false heroes of society.

Just from one glance, Iida could tell that Stain wasn't like any other villain he'd seen before. He and an air about him that screamed combat skill, just like Midoriya, and the whole alley stank of dried blood; a disgusting stench that plagued the student's senses. He had two medium length katanas in each hand and around a dozen daggers around his waist that he probably used to throw at unsuspecting fakes, all while his eyes shook with a rage Iida couldn't imagine…

This guy wasn't merely a lunatic, but someone that used their ideology as a lifeline…

He was boiling with rage, but seeing the serial murderer's disgusting face sent a cold gust through his body…

"HUUUGGGHHH!?" The muffled cry of the hero was drowned out by the blood rising inside his neck.

"Yet another weakling…" the villain spat as he ran the katana across the pro's throat, killing him. "You don't even deserve to be called a man…"

He looked up to the clouds and saw the fire as it began to spread across to his area. "That idiot got in my way again… I'll deal with him later…"

The Hero Killer was known across Japan, and was even recognised around the globe for his fascinating views on society. He was feared by most pros, as they had no clue if they were the next on the chopping block, and he hunted from the very depths of every town and city he was in, lurking and snatching up anyone who was unfortunate enough to be in his area. Every time, he'd kill around 4 pros (Not sure if this is correct. He might have injured 4 in the previous location. All I know is that he's killed 17 and crippled 23 as of chapter 261) and then move onto the next area for another night of bloodshed. Ingenium was the first to fall in Hosu, and now it was Native…

He fought with a quirk that seemed to paralyse anyone under a certain condition, but that wouldn't have been enough to make him a threat to the top heroes. Not many knew of this, but Stain was an almost peerless physical combatant, with power and speed that equalled and even surpassed some of the top heroes in Japan. He had swords and knives, but that wasn't what you needed to look out for… It was his terrifying bloodlust and incredible reflexes…

Unfortunately for Iida, he didn't know about this…

The student came running in and completely ignored the pro on the floor as he tried to dropkick the villain, but Stain had been aware of his presence since he first entered the alley and managed to easily dodge the kick, circling around and grabbing the small collar of the hero costume and proceeding to slam him down on the concrete…

"Buh!" Iida coughed as his helmet flew off. Luckily, his armour protected him from any serious damage, but the force of the impact was enough to take all the air out of him...

Stain's red eyes shrank slightly in surprise as his grip tightened round the boy's collar. "A child…"

Iida's face was written with rage as he gritted his teeth and broke free of the killer's hold. His body was shaking from the blow he'd just taken, but that uncontrollable fire inside him refused to be washed away, allowing him to rise and meet the bloodthirsty maniac face to face...

"Go home kid… My domain isn't a place for children…" he hissed as he drove the blade into Native's neck, making blood spew out of his mouth. Iida saw it happen and flinched, regretting not arriving sooner and stopping his death, but was too focused on Stain to care enough...

He rose from the ground, the fabric of his suit squeaking as his fists clenched again. "You… You're the Hero Killer…"

Stain looked at the boy and gripped his other sword. 'Those eyes are looking for blood…'

He remembered all the things that Tensei used to say to him back in his younger days, and the words that inspired him to be a hero in the first place. His brother was the greatest person in the world to him, and he was a hero that embodied justice. Sure, he looked up to All Might, but his brother was always the driving force behind everything he did… "You're the villain that attacked Tensei, right? Why did he deserve to die? Why was he on your petty kill list? He was one of the greatest heroes in japan, adored by thousands, and you dare to cut him down! He's what I want to be, and you took him away-"

The boy stopped, feeling a cold object on his throat…

It was a sword…

"Careful boy… Even someone as young as you can be my prey…" the Hero Killer scowled as he glared into the navy eyes of his opponent. "I don't know why you still persist in taking me on, but I'll kill you if you try again…"

He was serious… Stain had almost no morals, even when it came to those who were merely confused in their beliefs. If he saw someone that didn't follow the path of a true hero, they would be culled immediately, with no exceptions...

Iida didn't care at all… if he died? So be it… "You had no right to take away his mobility, and you go about your life like you are innocent! How can you sleep at night, knowing that you killed another person that was only trying to live a happy life!?

He straightened his back and raised his leg in a taekwondo stance, breathing shakily as he held in his barely contained hate. "You listen to me, criminal! I'm going to stop you, because he can't anymore!"

...

The Hero Killer's maddened eyes turned to slits as the bloodlust from before skyrocketed… He left Native's body lying on the ground, motionless, and loosened his stance significantly as he held both his swords and pointed them towards the hero in training…

"So be it…

"Die…"


And that's the chapter!

I was going to do the full fight and the meeting of Tanya and Hoshino, but if I did, it would total around 30,000 words, and I doubt you'd all wanna read that. Sorry, since I said I'd write it in the last chapter, but I just didn't wanna cram it all into one chapter.

I might not write a fight scene for Tanya and Hoshino, since there wouldn't be much of a fight and they both can't be seen in Japan right now, but idk. If I get a boatload of requests, I'll consider it.

I think this chapter was slightly better than the last one, but I kinda cucked you all with the obvious cliffhanger. Bakugou was really the main focus of this chapter, with him getting a small look at the real top players of the world, and how insignificant he really is when compared to them. I can already hear the comments coming to defend Bakugou and how he's been seen as a pussy in this chapter, but do keep in mind that he was basically being beaten to death for 20 minutes and was exposed to that kind of power for ages. It's bound to make people shit themselves.

If you call cap on this, then remember the fight with All Might and All For One in the anime n manga, where all the students literally foresaw their own deaths by just looking at him. That was the level of power Hoshino was showing. The whole point of making Bakugou suffer isn't entirely for my own entertainment (hehehe) but mainly because he needs to grow and mature, and bringing him down several pegs is the only way to do it. I doubt Izuku can talk-no-jutsu Bakugou into being buddy-buddy with him, so I think this is the most believable way to make him change.

And yes Bakugou looked weak, but he was fighting someone whose in the top 10 most powerful characters in this series. Believe me when I say that he'd be dead in under a second if Hoshino could actually be bothered fighting seriously or even using his quirk.

This whole aura mechanic I used is basically the same as in every other shounen, but it works differently in some ways. Someone's aura in Green Scale defines their power, but the effects of their aura can increase if there's a power gap, and the power gap between Bakugou and Hoshino is like from earth to the sun.

Sorry for the long explanation, but I know that most people adore Bakugou and worship him as some sort of deity.

Also, I might be guilty of under/overestimating the Nomu's power in this chapter, as I don't know how they stack up to anyone but Endeavor and Gran Torino. They could be weaker or stronger than they are in my fic, so I'm sorry if I didn't get the facts right.


RESPONSES!

Aisune ~ Much appreciated!

MIKE202303 ~ My thanks!

Bio RL ~ That's a relief. I can understand the dislike for the Midoriya family, but they aren't cartoonishly evil or anything. Perhaps its the mystery element or my constant cliffhangers ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)̷┻̿═━-

Echonic ~ That sounds like a cool idea tbf, but you'll have to wait and see. I have something along those lines planned, but I can't reveal anything.

The last airbendr ~ I have read TOG, but I still prefer SL more. Its more of a preferance thing, since the art in SL is next fucking level and its all just a flex fest, though I do like TOG as well. It's got a good story and the MC doesn't make me cringe once he develops (like every other mc in korean manga), but you gotta admit that the art is pretty trash at first and still pretty mediocre past 400. I'm glad it's getting an anime, but I fear it'd be ruined by a shit studio (the one reason I don't want a SL adaptation) and turn into a CG fest.

I didn't like having to wait like 200+ chapters for TOG to get good, but I'm glad I did, cause it's pretty lit. The war arc in canon mha is pretty damn lit right now, so I'm on a hype train, and I wanna get Stain's arc done so we can finally get to S3.

Side note: fuck Rachel

Kaemisa ~ Thanks for the support! Sorry if this one didn't live up to the hype, but you will deff get some heat in the next chapter for sure.

Justsomereader ~ I can't talk about what's gonna happen with Inko, but you can tell she's gonna change in some way. Regarding Momo and Izuku getting a room (◉͜ʖ◉) I'm not sure I should write a lemon for them or just insinuate something like that, but yeah, it's pretty obvious they're gonna be together. If the fans wanna see some BIG ANIME TIDDIES then they can, but I'd only write one if I got enough requests or if it was vital to the story. I still haven't decided who'll get OFA, but I have a few people that I think could. Feel free to suggest any.

Yoman ~ thanks for the kind words! I'm definitely covering the I-Island arc (David Shield and Melissa) but I'm not too sure about the other movie that's coming out soon. It looks kinda trash with a rip-off all for one. If the film's good, I'll adapt it, but if not, I'll leave it.

EastWest ~ Thanks!