Blank Canvas: Convictions

by jokeraddict0

Part 2 of Blank Canvas! Izuku and Hitoshi have done it. A Quirkless and a Villain have faced every challenge and set back and have successfully fought their way into the Hero Course. Now all that was left was to become Heroes and make a better world. If the world lets them that is. Will their convictions hold out? Only time will tell!. (Tuesday updates, Tododeku, mxm)

32. That's A Wrap

(A/N: Part 2 of the double update! :D )

...

Izuku had never fully understood why Chizome had put so much emphasis on the separation between his two personas. Before the teen had seen them as one and the same. But now, he finally understood that there was a difference between them. Chizome never wanted to hurt children but as Stain he was still willing to as it was a means to an end. Viewing it as necessary in order to pass his judgment. Able to ignore his own morals to carry out his purge. A concept the greenette hadn't understood until this moment as the armed and crazed Hero Killer bore down him.

Before the Villain could strike him again, Izuku was saved by one of Shouto's fire blasts that forced the man back. The greenette shot a grateful look his way and was met with a fierce image of his friend. Flames licked the entirety of his left side. Quickly snuffed out as he shot out another barrage of ice from his right. The sight filled the Quirkless teen with shock and awe at his special friend's power.

Then Izuku suddenly felt his body go limp.

Green eyes flicked back to Stain to see him licking his blood off the jagged blade. Crap. That meant Izuku was paralyzed again. For how long exactly he didn't know but judging by last time it won't be for too long. He'll just have to try and force his body to move until Stain's Quirk timed out.

Until then, Izuku could only watch as Shouto sent out more spires of ice at the Hero Killer. Who again and again cut through each one sending chunks of ice everywhere. Fear filled him that the bi-color teen was up against the Villain alone. The greenette knew the other was well trained, unfortunately by force, and could handle himself in a fight. But these were very different circumstances than his father's 'training' and the Sports Festival.

Flames erupted from the element wielder's left side as the Hero Killer advanced towards him. The Villain's eyes appeared to be glowing red with bloodlust. That crazed smile was open and wide with his tongue out just waiting to taste Shouto's blood. But the fire user kept him at bay with a blast of heat and flames. Neither aware of the shakily clenched fist as stern blues eyes took all of this in.

Stain landed and then jumped off a section of glacier avoiding a billow of fire. The Villain maneuvered to Shouto's right rebounding off another frozen spire. The element wielder spun around and aimed another fire attack at the Hero Killer who was forced to dodge again. Shouto shot out more fire and then ice pushing the Villain further back.

"Ice and fire," the Hero Killer growled in frustration as he zigzagged through patches of frozen spikes towards the bi-color teen. Dodging yet another fiery blast as he continued to get closer. "Has anyone told you that you rely on your Quirk too much? Makes you sloppy and careless."

Everything seemed to slow down in that moment. Izuku watched in horror as the Villain crouched low with his katana blade aimed to slice off Shouto's left arm. The edge of Stain's blade inching closer and closer towards its morbid goal. Shouto having no time to fully dodge the attack and was only able to attempt to shift his body enough to mostly avoid the katana. While Izuku could do nothing but witness the violence unfold. However, it seemed that the amputation of Shouto's arm was not meant to be.

In a flash of movement and a Quirked kick, Tenya knocked the katana away with so much force that he broke the jagged blade in half. The class rep flipped in the air, landed, and then aimed another powerful kick at the Hero Killer. The man attempted to block the attack with his arms, but he was no match against the power of Tenya's engines. In the flash of blue light from his legs, Stain was sent flying away from the pair of standing Heroes.

The Villain skidded to a halt a distance away with broken katana and serrated knife in his hands. A wave of relief washed over Izuku at the sight of seeing his friend up again. Though they weren't out of the woods yet. Shouto seemed to recover quite quickly after having his arm almost cut off.

"It wore off, huh?" the bi-color teen asked with a small and brief relieved smile. He then turned his focus back to their opponent. "Seems like this guy's Quirk isn't so great after all."

Ouch. Well, there's plenty of ice around for that burn.

The moment was punctuated by the broken tip of the katana sinking into the ground with a shunk. On one side of the alley was the Hero Killer. Other half of the katana in hand as blood dripped from where Tenya's Quirked kick had met his attempted block. Pooling on the ground in a gruesome puddle. Across from him were the Heroes Reinen and Ingenium posed and ready to continue the fight.

"Why are you children fighting so hard to protect this fake?" Stain growled in question. The longer the fight went on the more frustrated he was becoming. "He's a fraud like all the others I have culled. A cancer on this society. Infecting this world with corruption and self-interest. Tainting the name 'Hero' with his fakery. It is my mission to correct this."

"Those are the words of a fanatic," Shouto stated with a glare.

"Really?" the Hero Killer scoffed. "You of all people should know that not all Heroes are as they seem, Todoroki Shouto."

Grey and blue eyes widened at the utterance of his full name as he gasped, "How did you…?"

"I know many things about you, child," the Villain replied, flitting a glance at the still paralyzed Little Hero before turning back to the teens. "Friend of Edge. Third place winner of the Sports Festival. Youngest son of the Hero Endeavor. If you could call him a Hero after all he's done."

The bi-color teen stared at the Hero Killer in shock. Native and Tenya watched in confusion while Izuku knew exactly what he was implying. Does that mean Chizome was able to find evidence against Endeavor? The anger of the Villain seemed to roll off of him in red waves. It was possible he had managed to dig up some serious dirt on the Number Two Hero and did not at all like what he had found.

Shouto shook himself out of his stupor before asking, "Are you targeting my father?"

"I am, though I have no intention of killing him," Stain assured the teen. He had made that decision before meeting Dabi, but now firmly believed death would be too merciful for the fake. "His falsehood deserves far more punishment than that."

"What do you know?" the element wielder asked with a contemplating glare.

"Enough to know that he is not as much of a Hero as is believed," the Villain replied cryptically. "Though in a different way than this fake." The blood consumer nodded toward Native who grimaced where he laid. "He is no true Hero. Putting on airs while neglecting to fulfill his duty. Such as when he failed to report my encounter with him and leaving Ingenium to fight me alone."

"He…he told me to run!" Native cried in attempts to defend his actions. "I was only following orders!"

"That's what countless others have said to rid themselves of their own guilt throughout history," the Hero Killer sneered in disgust. "But the reality is that you chose to save yourself like a coward and left Ingenium to me."

"Be that as it may," Tenya spoke up gaining everyone's attention. His expression was grim but firm. "That does not condone your own actions. Your violence against Heroes is not the proper way to bring about justice. Only by the letter of the law can true justice be served. As such I cannot allow your reign of terror to continue. You will be stopped tonight, Hero Killer."

...

Stain considered the young Ingenium before him. Knowing what the fake had done, or rather didn't do, to his brother and yet still wanted to protect him. Willing to put his own life on the line for someone who did not deserve it just like his brother had. Another true Hero in the making it seemed. Putting other's safety before his own. Much like the other two who had come to his aid along with Izuku.

You have good friends, Little Hero.

Seems there was hope for the future of Heroes yet if these fledglings were any indication. Self-sacrificing and full of conviction. Still green but there was plenty of time for them to grow. Stain had no intention of cutting any of their lives short. But he still had a mission to complete and they were standing in his way. The Villain may not want to kill the young Heroes but that did not mean he wasn't willing to fight for what his self-imposed duty demanded.

Native must die.

The air grew tense in that alley. Three opponents still paralyzed with one of them out cold. Two standing and ready to fight for the one who didn't deserve such charity. Both bleeding from the wounds inflicted by him. The continuation of the confrontation would not be easy. There was no denying the young Todoroki's Quirk was strong and the younger Ingenium was just as fast as his brother. Then there was Izuku and his short down time which could time out any second. Stain needed to make this fight end quickly if he had any hope of passing his judgment tonight.

The Hero Killer surged forward in a flash of motion. Reinen pushed Ingenium back as he blasted out a steady stream of fire. Stain managed to dodge the billows of heat having leapt above the flickering flames. He managed to perch on the broken half of his katana which he had been able to embed in the side of the building. But only for a moment as he propelled himself by kicking off the wall and sailing over the flames to a spire of ice with broken katana in hand.

The element wielder tracked him as he moved and sent out a glacial barrage. Stain leapt and spun in the air has he cut through every frozen spike. Todoroki blasted more fire towards him which he avoided with a flip. Trying to get around the teens who were standing between him and his prey. Yet he still couldn't and let out a growl of frustration. This was not going how he had planned.

...

Izuku felt useless as he sat there unable to do anything but watch. Shouto was fighting his hardest to keep the Hero Killer back. Though it was good to see him fully embracing his left side in this fight. Tenya also stood next to him as a barrier between the Villain and Native. But it seemed that his engines were shot at the moment as he could see his friend's attempts to rev them up failed.

In the midst of Tenya asking for Shouto to ice his engines without blocking the pipes, Stain threw a knife towards the fire user in hopes of taking him out of commission. But the engine teen took the hit instead by blocking it with his arm. The blade plunged into him despite the armor that was supposed to protect him.

What sort of poor material is his Hero costume made out of?

Something to figure out later if they managed to survive this fight. Added to the long list of corrections Izuku wanted to make. But fight now, fix later. It was in that moment that the greenette realized he could move again. Meaning that his time under Stain's Quirk was up.

Good. Now I can help my friends.

"Why must you keep meddling?!" the Hero Killer yelled as he threw another knife.

The jagged blade pierced the same arm and forced Tenya to the ground. Shouto canceled out his fire with a wisp of icy air and crouched over the fallen class rep. As he's icing up the other teen's engines, Izuku staggered to his feet. His leg was hurt and his head was spinning from the concussion, but he could still fight. He had to. For Native, his friends, but most of all for himself. He was the Hero Edge and he would stop the Hero Killer.

Reinen went back to firing flames to keep the Villain at bay. Ingenium managed to pull out the knives in his arm with his teeth. Edge skated forward with his staff at the ready. Blast after blast of fire kept Stain on the move, constantly dodging the heat. As both Tenya and Izuku raced toward the Hero Killer at the same time. Ingenium with Quirked enhanced speed and Edge with support of his gear. While Stain was falling through the air posed to strike Reinen down.

But he didn't reach the bi-color teen as the two other young Heroes converged onto him. The twinned attack came from both sides. A Quirked kick from below and a well-aimed staff hit to the head from the left. Both strong attacks but Stain only had eyes for Izuku as the Quirkless teen came after him with everything he's got.

Upon impact of armored leg and rigid staff, the Hero Killer's body twisted from the force of the two-sided barrage. Stunned for a moment as Shouto fired up his left side. But only for a moment as Stain snatched the falling half of his katana and swung it at Tenya. Missing the dodging engine user literally by a hair as the jagged blade shaved off a number of strands.

The attempted hit was too close for Izuku's comfort. With a blast of air from his shoes, he shot forward and pushed Tenya out of the way. He then twisted in mid air in order to block the second swing of broken blade with his staff. The impact forced the pair apart. Tenya managed to skid to a halt and caught Izuku as he fell back towards him and Shouto. The greenette straightened up while Stain came to a stop a short distance away.

"Chizome, you need to stop this!" Edge yelled with a sweep of his hand. "I know you think what you're doing is right but it isn't. This man doesn't deserve to die. There are other ways to handle this!"

"Maybe so," the man conceded from across the alley. "However, I am but an old dog, remember? He is on my list and already got away once when that one's brother interrupted me. Ingenium, the fool, protected this fake and fell to my mercy while this coward ran away. How could someone like that be allowed to continue to sully the title of Hero?"

"Regardless of what he did or didn't do, he doesn't need to be killed over it," Izuku stressed. "Because if you do that then he would never be able to learn from his mistakes. And if you can't accept that then we're going to do everything in our power to stop you. That's what a Hero would do."

Hidden green eyes full of conviction glared into red. Letting the tension in the air carry his resolve as he took a defensive stance. Beside him, Tenya and Shouto did the same. Standing firm on their own mission to protect.

"Heh, I was right," Stain laughed with admiration mixed with irritation as he took a fighting stance. "You do have the heart of a true Hero. However, I cannot stand down from a goal I've already made. You three are in the way and I will not back down from my mission to cleanse this corrupt Hero world. I will pass my judgment tonight."

The opposing fronts stared off from their respective sides of the alley. The three young Heroes eyed the Villain in front of them while the man sized them up. The fledglings were strong. No doubt about that. Not surprising as they had all made it to the finals of the Sports Festival. But this hinderance to his justice was growing bothersome. He needed to end this and finally pass his judgment onto Native.

Edge and Ingenium were close combat fighters while Reinen was more long range. Out of the three, the most troublesome was the latter. His ability to send out ice and fire was preventing the Villain from lining his attacks up properly. If the Hero Killer was going to succeed in his goal tonight, he would have to remove the biggest threats one by one starting with the youngest son of Endeavor.

In a flash of movement, Stain shot towards them. Tenya and Izuku advanced together while Shouto shot out a billow of fire. The Villain dodged the flames as he flung a knife at the element wielder aiming for his torso. Time slowed as the blade shot through the air while the other two teens watched in horror. The greenette cried out as the weapon drew nearer and his body seemed to move on its own.

The knife hit true in every fashion except for its intended target. All eyes widened as the blade sunk into Izuku's stomach. The greenette clutched the foreign object sticking out of him as he collapsed to the ground onto his knees.

"Izuku!" both Shouto and Iida exclaimed in concern at the same time a stunned Stain breathed out, "Little Hero."

But Izuku wasn't listening to them. His mind was more focused on the burning pain in his abdomen. Nothing he had ever experienced before this compared to this current pain. Like a red-hot poker was jammed into his gut.

And yet, despite that, his mind did not stop working as he crawled away. After all, they were still in danger. Even he was still in danger. No matter what precious relations he had with the man attacking them in this alley, the man was not acting as Akaguro Chizome now but as the Villain Stain. Because of that, Izuku's mind was still processing ways to protect the others and hopefully get them out of this mess alive.

He was lost in thought as he crawled while clutching the knife sticking out of him. Split between the pain in his gut and the need to protect everyone. To find a way out of this. He could feel the presence of the Hero Killer beside him. It was so surreal. Him, a Quirkless boy, fighting against the Hero Killer, the man who had put his faith in him. A scenario he had never thought could have and never wanted to happen. Yet here they were.

It was at this time his glove covered hand that was touching the ground made contact with something else other than concrete and stray bits of garbage. Something wet. Green eyes that were squinted in pain opened more to see what he had touched and found it was a pool of blood. Specifically, Stain's blood from his own hand from earlier. The sight of it gave him an idea.

If his Quirk works with blood, then…

Without a second thought, Izuku pulled the knife out of his body with a pained grunt and dipped it into the blood. If this worked then he would get paralyzed again but if his theory was correct, he wouldn't be the only one. As he worked, his friends felt powerless to help. Tenya tried to run towards him but Stain forced him back with a swipe of his broken katana. While Shouto could do nothing as the Villain drew near the fallen teen not knowing if Izuku would have the ability to dodge in time. He wanted to protect his friend but he couldn't do that without possibly hurting him in the process.

"You certainly have much skill, Little Hero," Stain said while Izuku tossed the knife away from himself. "But you still have far to go to face off against someone of my level. However, I know you will get there one day. But not today."

The Hero Killer picked up the knife and Izuku had an expression of horror on his face. That is…until Stain licked the bloody blade. The man paused with an expression of confusion before he collapsed to the ground beside him in a clatter of falling metal.

"What…did you…do?" the Villain gasped out.

"Your Quirk," Izuku explained, smiling smugly where he laid paralyzed as well. "It has to deal with blood. You ingest it to paralyze your victims. I wondered if it would work on yourself." The boy took a few pained gasps of breath before looking Stain in the eye, a smirk spread across his face. "Turns out I was right."

This hadn't been the first time Chizome had been paralyzed by his own Quirk. An accidental bit of his tongue here or there growing up allowed him to feel the effects of his own power. Leaving him to wait out the eight minutes of paralysis caused by his Quirk's effect on type B blood. Which was why he had become very careful with his blades and tongue to not cut or taste himself. But he had never had his own blood used against him in a fight as no one had ever been able to figure out his Quirk so quickly if at all. Though his fights usually ended too quickly for his targets to even have the chance.

Stain couldn't help but be proud of Izuku as he quietly said, "You've only fought me for a few minutes and was able to dissect my Quirk so efficiently. Consider me impressed, Little Hero."

They shared a moment there lying on the ground side by side. Izuku smiled at the man who had first believed in him. Who acknowledged his potential and all the hard work he had done with no regard to his lack of Quirk. While the Villain allowed himself to be Chizome in that brief moment and looked fondly at the aspiring Hero beside him.

"So, is he down?" Shouto asked, breaking that moment. "If he is, we need to remove all weapons and restrain him quickly."

"Yes, he's down," Izuku replied with confidence without looking away from Stain. "Well, for at least a few minutes anyway if he's type O like me. Potentially longer if he has a blood type with a different time limit."

Chizome couldn't help but be impressed but the Little Hero beside him. Izuku had been able to discover so much about his Quirk in such a short amount of time. How smart was this kid? The man found himself unable to stop a creepy smile crossing his face. He really was going to be a great Hero someday.

With the Hero Killer paralyzed by his own Quirk, the standing Heroes were able to make quick work of tying him up. Using Izuku's tape again and not Shouto's suggested magic rope he thought they'd be able to find in this random alley's trash. What was he thinking? That this was some story that someone was writing who would just make rope magically appear as a plot device? Who just throws away rope? And even if they did, it would be highly unlikely it would be in good condition if it had been thrown away. Not the best material for restraining the Hero Killer.

With the paralyzed Villain securely tied up, they turned their focus to their injured friend. Shouto carefully turned him over and away from the Hero Killer. The sight of the soaking red front of his Hero costume caused his friends to freak out in concern that he was bleeding out. But the greenette was quick to assure them it wasn't all his. That while a part of it was from the stab wound in his gut, the rest had been from the puddle of Stain's blood he had collapsed into upon the consumption of his own mixed with the Villain's. Revealing how he was able to take down the Hero Killer with his own Quirk.

Shouto looked at him in impressed shock while Tenya chided him for putting himself in danger like that. Which Izuku countered with the engine user's lack of impulse control having entered the fight without backup. The bluenette grimaced at the accusation but accepted the criticism. He did tend to jump to the quick when it came to his assumptions only to be corrected immediately afterwards. Perhaps that was something he needed to work on.

Although Izuku didn't know a ton about first aid, he knew enough that they needed to stop the bleeding. Shouto applied pressure with his bare hand for now as they contemplated what they could do with what they had. The bi-color teen then helped him to lower his mask and raise his goggles as they wondered out loud if whether the tape would be good enough for bandages when the Hero Killer spoke.

"Use my scarf," Stain said from where he laid. "It will serve better than that stuff."

The greenette sent him a grateful look as Shouto glared at him, scrutinizing his face as he asked, "Why would you help him? We were fighting just a moment ago until Izuku took you down."

"I simply don't want a true Hero to die," the Villain replied with a sigh.

Shouto and Tenya exchanged looks before they nodded to each other in silent agreement. The engine user took over applying pressure with what strength he could muster from his injured arms. The bi-color teen cautiously approached the downed Hero Killer and removed the red scarf from around his neck. Cautiously avoiding the Villain's mouth which he could still potentially attempt to bite them with though he made no move to do so. Paralyzing them now would not help him while under the influence of his own Quirk.

Shouto then returned to Izuku's side and applied pressure to his wound with the scarf. It wasn't the most hygienic solution but it would have to do for now. With Tenya's help, they wrapped the ragged red material around the Quirkless teen's torso the best they could. With his wound more or less addressed, the teens then worked to remove any weapons they found on the Villain's person. Well, mostly it was Shouto as Tenya's arms were more injured than his was. They ended up with both halves of the broken katana, four folding knives, four bigger serrated knives, and a dagger.

A couple minutes passed and Izuku was able to move. Native also was released from Stain's hold and was finally able to make himself useful. Though he did keep his distance from Tenya who kept sending him troubled glances. This was the man who had ditched his brother and neglected to report it sooner after all. No surprise there would be some bad blood between them.

The Pro Hero was helpful when it came to first aid though. His skills were limited from his professionally sanctioned training, but they were enough in the moment. Native checked over their work with Izuku before moving on to help Hitoshi. The purple haired teen had been unconscious for most of the fight. Native was able to assess his injuries and managed to coax him awake. Purple eyes blinked open and were met with assessing grey, overjoyed green, relieved grey and blue, and concerned blue looking down at him.

"Hitoshi, you're awake!" Izuku exclaimed in relief.

The brainwasher rubbed at his eyes as he sat up and asked, "What happened?"

"You got knocked out by Stain," Shouto answered flatly.

"Well, I know that," Hitoshi snarked with a snicker but grimaced at the pain it caused. He reached for the back of his head where it hurt most but a hand grabbed his wrist.

"Don't do that," Native ordered with a firm tone. "You probably have a concussion and need medical attention." He then turned to the other teens assessing their injuries. "You boys as well. Those stab wounds need attending to. Especially that stomach wound."

The teens nodded and the group then got ready to head out of the alley. Shouto took charge of dragging Stain while Hitoshi leaned on Tenya for support. Native offered to carry Izuku on his back as his leg was injured. The greenette thanked him for the lift. As they walked, Shouto and Tenya filled Hitoshi in on how the rest of the fight went after he was knocked out. Izuku took this opportunity to ask Native a question.

"Native," Izuku whispered into the Hero's ear. "Why was he after you?"

"I don't know," the man replied sounding a bit defensive.

"It's just…Stain has certain criteria for a target," the teen explained quietly. "He doesn't attack someone unless he feels that there is a just cause. Whether corruption or focusing too much on fame or money. Not that I'm accusing you of anything! But…maybe take this as an opportunity to learn and become a better Hero than you were before."

Stain may be wrong about murdering people, but there are some things he has a point about.

The Hero holding him paused a moment before giving him a solemn nod. Perhaps the best way to process this situation was to view it as a learning experience. To rethink how he acted as a Hero and to try and be better. Because the Hero Killer's words earlier had stung with truth. He was a coward.

As they exited the alley, they were met with the sight of Eraserhead as he leapt down from a building across the street having finally made it to their location. He paused for a moment at the sight of his problem children all battered and beaten. The man let out a tired sigh as he approached.

"Of course, you problem children would run into trouble," Aizawa groaned. "Why do you seem to be on a life's mission to make mine difficult?"

"Hey, Eraser," Izuku said with a too casual tone and light chuckle. "I found Tenya-kun."

The Erasure Hero sent a Quirked glare at the teen for his gall to make light of the situation. Especially with what seemed to be the Hero Killer Stain tied up behind the group. Figures. The tired man let out an irritated growl as other Pro Heroes appeared having been sent their way by Endeavor.

...

Unbeknownst to the people standing around him, Stain could feel his own Quirk cancel out under the Quirked gaze of the Underground Hero. However, rather than reveal this advantage, he chose to play it up as if he was still paralyzed. Waiting for the opportune moment to make his escape. He still had the hidden blade in his wrist guards after all.

Calls for ambulances were made and the police were notified of the situation as he laid there carefully and quietly cutting through his bindings. Stain was out numbered but if he timed it right, he should be able to get away. Better to try and escape now to continue his purge another day. That was the plan at least. Until the flapping of wings filled the air.

Eraserhead was the first to notice the beast bearing down on them and yelled, "GET DOWN!"

From the ground, the Hero Killer watched as a winged monstrosity flew towards them bleeding from a wound on its head. Must be what had been making all that noise meaning it was probably connected to Shigaraki. How annoying. There was no time for the Heroes to do anything as the creature dove down and plucked one of them amongst their numbers. Out of all of them it just had to be the Little Hero. Potentially being carried off to that manic man-child who had shown interest in Izuku.

This Chizome could not let stand.

As the others cried out and did nothing as Izuku was being whisked away, the Hero Killer ended his farce and ripped the rest of his bindings apart. He shot up and licked the thing's blood off a Hero's face. The effect of his Quirk was instant and the creature began to fall. Stain raced forward and launched himself into the sky to take the falling monster from above.

"You really are a Trouble Magnet," Stain declared as he stabbed the Noumu's exposed brain. "I won't let him take you, Little Hero. Shigaraki is a fool to think he could ever turn you."

As they started to fall, the man wrapped an arm around Izuku's middle, holding him close, and the teen couldn't help but cling to him as gravity took hold. They crashed to the ground with the Noumu cushioning their landing. Stain ripped the blade from the creature's brain before he laid the boy down gently on the concrete and crouched over him.

"Are you hurt?" Stain asked, receiving a deadpan look from the boy who glanced down at his wrapped torso. "I mean from that…thing. Are you hurt?"

"N-no, I don't think so," the greenette answered. "What was that about Shigaraki?"

"That fool seeks to recruit you as he tried to do with me," the Hero Killer replied. "But I told him it was a fruitless effort. There's no way a true Hero like you would ever join them."

"Shigaraki…wants…me?" Izuku asked in dismay. "Wait, he tried to recruit you?"

"This very night," the man affirmed with a nod. "But I could never team up with the likes of him. So noisy and such childish goals. This other fiasco is his fault and I have no part in it."

The Quirkless teen nodded as it made sense to him. The morals and goals of Chizome differed from what he knew about the ones of the League. Though his only knowledge was from the rantings Shigaraki spewed out at the USJ. Of wanting to kill All Might as a way to right the world. Though how exactly that math checked out he wasn't sure.

"Here," Stain said, shoving a flash drive into the boy's hand. "I didn't have long to look into what you asked, but everything I have is on here. You were right. I was being ignorant about a different kind of fake Hero."

The teen took the drive as he asked, "Do you think it'll be enough?"

"That I'm not sure of but perhaps more can be done on your side. The Hero side," the Villain said. "Though it may comfort you to know there is an ally in this. I had some help in gathering this information."

"From who?" Izuku asked with a tilt of his head.

"A man going by Dabi approached me with evidence of his own," the Hero Killer answered. "He wouldn't tell me why but he wants to help take Endeavor down. He also told me the truth of his identity was in there."

Green eyes looked down at the drive as he absorbed this information. An ally, huh? One with some sort of beef with the Number Two Hero. Most likely personal if his identity was tied up in whatever evidence he had given Chizome.

"I had hoped to give that to you under different circumstances but here we are," Stain said as the boy tucked the drive away in his belt. "Use it, Little Hero, to help your friend. Be the true Hero I know you to be."

The greenette nodded. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain all the evidence he now possessed. But perhaps if he could find this Dabi they could work something out together. A better explanation than Izuku outright saying he basically hired the Hero Killer to look into Endeavor.

"And Izuku…take this," Chizome added as he offered the bloody knife. "This may be my last night of freedom. There are too many fakes here for me to escape. You fought well and figured out my Quirk with skill. You bested me. At my own game no less. Take this as a token of my respect and a reminder to stay true to your Hero heart."

Izuku took the knife from the man who believed in him. It was a simple folding knife much like the others they had confiscated from the Villain. Guess they had missed one. On the black hilt was a crudely etched in S. Subtle but a marking of who this knife belonged to. Or rather had belonged to.

"Thank you," Izuku said as green eyes peered up at him in admiration.

Then Chizome did something he hadn't done in years. Smile. Not the creepy intimidating feral grin he sported during the hunt. No, a genuine warm smile. No teeth showing. Corners of the mouth raised crinkling mask covered eyes. Red eyes the softest they had very been since he became Stain. For in that moment, he wasn't speaking to Izuku as the Hero Killer, but as Akaguro Chizome. Not as a self-appointed symbol of change, but as just a man. An equal.

As quickly as it appeared, so too did it fade away when a new voice rang though the air.

"Why are you all just standing there like fools?" the gruff voice of Endeavor called out. "One of those Villains flew this way!"

The transition was instantaneous as Chizome's expression morphed into one filled with rage. Meaning the Hero Killer Stain was back in play. Green eyes watched in terror as the Villain rose and turned to face the Number Two Hero. His mask, having grown ever more tattered during their fight, fell off to reveal what was hidden beneath. Crazed red eyes with the absence of a nose in between. The one the man had cut off to unmask himself from the illusion he had been living under as Stendhaul in order to become the Hero Killer Stain instead.

"Endeavor…you fake!" Stain growled. He saw the false Hero fire up an attack only for it to sputter out as Eraserhead cancelled it with a Quirked glare. "Abusing your own family. You're no Hero! You don't deserve that sacred title!"

There were whispers amongst the other Heroes present as Endeaver sneered with a fold of his arms, "What is this slander?"

The red eyes of the Villain did not miss the pointed glare shot towards the Number Two Hero by his son. Stain growled at the blatant dismissal of his accusations.

Just you wait, Endeavor. The Little Hero is after you.

"It is because of people like you that the word 'Hero' has lost all meaning in this society," the Hero Killer seethed as he took a weighted step towards the fake. "The corrupt and the attention seekers. Tainting the role of a Hero with their hypocrisy. As bad as the criminals wielding their power in the name of petty mischief. For the sake of a better society, I will purge you all."

The onlookers were frozen as he ranted. The sheer energy of his conviction and bloodlust exuded from the Hero Killer in waves of red. The tension in the air was thick as blood as he took another step.

"You fake," Stain sneered. "I cannot abide your defiling of the name Hero. I will make this right one way or another. Cleansing this warped society with the spilling the blood of hypocrites!"

The Villain's eyes seemed to glow red as he took yet another step, stomping his armored foot down. Those watching could only stand there and stare. The young Heroes looked on in horror at his words while the Pros were shaking in their boots. Even Endeavor was affected as he instinctively took a step back.

"I WILL RECLAIM THE WORD HERO!" the Hero Killer bellowed into the night. "SO COME AT ME! JUST TRY AND STOP ME, YOU FAKES! FOR ONLY A TRUE HERO IS WORTHY ENOUGH TO DEFEAT ME!"

...

At the utterance of 'true Hero', Izuku broke out of his stupor. He quickly realized that no one was making any attempt to do anything. Frozen in terror as the atmosphere almost reeked with the coppery rage filled ire of the Hero Killer. Whose sole focus was on the false Hero Endeavor. This was his chance. Izuku looked at the Support Item on his arms and then up at the Villain before him. He had to make a choice and he had to do it now. The Quirkless teen quickly tucked the closed knife away in his belt as he frantically stood up best he could on his injured leg.

I'm sorry, Chizome-san. It's what a Hero would do.

Without another thought, Izuku shot out the ends of his arm wrappings towards the ranting man hoping his aim was true. Entrapping tendrils wrapped the Villain up around his arms, torso, and the tops of his legs. The sudden attack threw him off balance and he fell to the ground. In an instant, Izuku jumped into action and pinned the Villain down. Pulling the binding cloth tight to secure his hold on the man.

"Stay down, Stain," Edge demanded, trying to appear threatening but the man could see remorse in his eyes.

Please understand, Chizome-san. I had to.

"If it had to be anyone," the Hero Killer said, a bare hint of a proud smile on his scarred face. "I'm glad it was you, Little Hero."

...

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Notes extension: post/663605774744977408/part-2-chapter-32-hosu-thats-a-wrap