Fuck the old hag, fuck this shitty old man for calling him a failure, and fuck the fact that he wasn't even patrolling with a full-on hero but the intern! If it wasn't for the fact that Grinning Highlighter was one of the Big Three of U.A. Katsuki would've argued against it… but right now-

"How about the fact you're sabotaging your own want to be a hero?"

"The first moment I catch wind you're bullying someone…"

"As you are right now, you're a failure to All Might's example of a hero."

Well, right now he was really curious. And Katsuki wasn't really one for messing around or hiding behind shit.

"Oi," Katsuki questioned. "Why you? Why did All Might's former sidekick pick you?" It wasn't tactful, but Katsuki was blunt and direct with his emotions.

Smiley-Senpai, as he was fast forming the name for, turned around with that curious look and a quirked eyebrow. "Uh… why do you wanna know Bakugou?" Smiley asked back, even as they walked.

Katsuki clicked his tongue. "I wanna try and make sense of a few things and knowing that helps," Katsuki grumbled, hating to admit that he didn't know… but if he was going to be a hero, it was becoming more and more clear that he needed to look at himself. And to do that, he wanted to use his senpai as a comparison.

"…" For once said hero in training wasn't showing his usual smile… before he lifted his arms behind his head, hand in hand. "I mean, I haven't asked Sir myself really. But if I was going to guess… it goes back to two things." At that, he pulled one hand away and held out two fingers. "The first is my potential. My Quirk might seem strong but it's not, it's only strong because I pushed myself, I trained with it, and I made it get to that point."

Katsuki could understand that at least. Oh sure, Explosion LOOKED like it was an amazing Quirk, but the fact was if he had a brain more like dunce-face's he'd probably be far worse with it. You needed a good knowledge of physics, a brain that can analyse with seconds to spare to pull off the aerial tricks he did. But if Smiles thinks his is that bad… "If you can phase through stuff… you phase through everything, right?" Katsuki guessed.

"You're close enough to the point, but yeah." Smiles remarked. "But if it was just that I don't think Sir would pick me for it alone. I was just a kid at U.A. with a not great Quirk after all – I only got as good as I am after training with Sir. The main reason I think is… well, it goes back to what a friend of mine says about me, that I 'shine like the sun'. He thinks I'm always positive and outgoing, that it's really easy to do something when I support them."

Katsuki raised a brow but even as Sunny Million – yeah, that worked better – grinned and talked a bit more about his friend, clearly a little embarrassed, what he'd just said reminded him of something Nighteye said.

"All Might isn't just a hero. He's THE hero. The symbol of peace."

Symbol of peace huh? A bright sunny personality, the ability to rescue others… All Might was always smiling after all…

… fuck. He's terrible with that sorta sappy cheesy shit.

Neito had to admit that it was a unique challenge working with the Pussycats. He had known from the start not to expect many big hero patrols, but he'd been wrong. Instead of patrolling nearby actively, the Pussycats often waited at their home base, the Den, and waited for crisis reports. Oh, there was still the occasional patrol, that was usually Ragdoll paired with Tiger or Pixie-Bob-

"Oh, aren't you such a scrumptious kitten! I call dibs once he hits-"

"Isn't that inappropriate? It's weird, right? And aren't you at least-"

"I'm 18 at heart!"

-who thankfully calmed down after the first encounter of him in his hero costume. But otherwise, between incident report checking and patrols, the main focus had been the four of them trying to get him to test his mental speed – giving him a series of situations to deal with and having to pick between their four Quirks as to which would work best.

"It's a fire! Going on near your position!" Mandalay's voice echoed in their headsets. Tiger was back at base, Mandalay and Ragdoll were covering the trails by car and he was with Pixie-Bob on the back of a giant rock tiger construct – one he was half sure was put that way on purpose. "There's not enough time for you to get to us and then back, you'll need to go in with Phantom Thief!"

Neito reached into his suit pocket and tapped a bundle of red hair he'd put there, feeling the power of Telepath enter him as he did. It wouldn't be as wide of a range as Mandalay, so to make sure he wiggled his fingers and feel them touch slightly more fluffy hair – only a minor detail, but it was enough for him to tell the difference between Mandalay who focused on looking after Kota, and Ragdoll who spent a bit more focus on self-care. Using Search briefly he could feel Mandalay and Ragdoll just on the edge of his range, switching back to Telepathy.

"I'll try to stay out of danger and evacuate anyone in trouble-" Neito started, Pixie-Bob clearly about to speak up before both were interrupted.

"It's a good idea if you get the chance, but you and Pixie-Bob need to contain the fire." Mandalay insisted.

"Me-ow, still a bit of feedback when you both do it," Pixie-Bob remarked, even as she started to get the beast beneath them moving faster. "Try using Search. It mostly focuses on people, but big changes in temperature tend to get noticed easily too!"

Neito nodded, even as he closed his eyes, focusing on the Search Quirk. A couple of people running, one pinned behind some debris with a branch on a weaker leg and a big… fuzzy field compared to the rest? That had to be it! Neito opened his eyes and pointed. "Go that way, sensed a few people and at least one of them is trapped!"

Pixie-Bob said nothing but the tiger beneath them sped up, earthen straps springing up to hold the two in place as it accelerated forward. It wasn't long before the both of them saw the fire, nothing too major yet, but it was already burning in a half dozen trees and threatening to- it was already in a seventh! "Phantom! Copy what I do!" Pixie-Bob called out, grabbing his hand briefly before the straps came undone for her, and she tumbled off the beast, with Neito doing the same shortly after. Even so, he tapped one of the buttons on the watch on his belt, focusing on the sound of it ticking. After Neito rolled to a stop, he spotted Pixie-Bob shove both pawed gauntlets down onto the ground, with Neito copying her soon after.

Earth Flow was an amazing Quirk really. Not just in power, but how it felt to use it. The earth becomes an extension of you, and you can twist it in all sorts of ways. While he couldn't do the beasts as Pixie-Bob could, he could use that, extending his power into it and having it break down into loose soil once more, even as a burst of soil erupted next to one of the trees, spraying against the fire that almost seemed to flicker angrily at being disrupted, before it was slammed into by the loose earth that Neito had just created, the soil smothering the flame and extinguishing it. Even as he focused on this, another beast erupted from the ground, more humanoid in shape, and lumbered beyond the trees, a person calling out in worry before stopping, a heavy thud sounding as it did. Over the next few minutes, Neito focused on coordinating with Pixie-Bob, picking off fires that might have escaped her or needed that little extra touch to fully kill it. He could hear Ragdoll's voice as she clearly found whoever had been pinned under the debris.

And then he could hear a warning beep. Four minutes, fifty seconds, he was about to run out of Earth Flow. He looked up at Pixie Bob to reach out and grab her hand again… but she simply smiled as she wiped her own forehead. Neito blinked, before looking to the trees… and barely hiding a gasp. While he'd been focusing on using Earth Flow to smother flames or help out, Pixie Bob had been busy moving the earth to keep the burnt trees supported, one still glowing with vague cinders but… they were all already out.

"I… but… what?" Neito stammered out.

"Let's call it an issue with your Quirk." Pixie Bob remarked. "You know how to use it… but I've had a lot of training with mine, to push it as hard as I can. Good job though, you picked up on what needed to be done with barely any input."

Neito looked at the scene, slack-jawed… before falling backwards out of shock.

"H-hey! Don't go taking a catnap on me! We need to check if anyone else is in trouble!"

Thanks to the size of Sir's agency - small for most but still with four heroes in it - I wasn't idle while Bakugou was out. In fact, if Mirio wasn't the one patrolling right now, I'm sure I'd be practicing my Quirk with him – as strong as Centipeder's exoskeleton was, I couldn't guarantee I couldn't pierce it given I could shove them into stone and none of us thought it was worth the risk. But that led to me getting a bit of teaching on another subject.

"Prediction is all about reading your enemy!" Sir noted, even as I had to take a step back, letting his uppercut just miss me. "Good, you didn't need that one ingrained into you, keep moving. Don't let the enemy know you're reading them!"

I'm starting to think All Might's teaching style rubbed off slightly onto him…

Iida Tenya kept himself calm and professional on the outside as he walked with Manual, but on the inside was a storm of emotion going through him. He honestly felt bad that he was deceiving Manual right now by working with him just to get close to Stain. After all, almost everyone would expect him to work with his brother or, failing that now, one of his brother's sidekicks. He was an Iida, he was reliable, and he would stick to his morals, right?

"Tenya… I'm sorry…"

And that was just it. Every time he thought he could try to ease up, to change it, his mind went back to his brother, bedridden, unlikely to ever walk again, and definitely no longer a Pro Hero. Of him not being sad because he lost, but because he was bringing hardship on Iida. All because of one man's selfish desire to cut down heroes – for what?! Tensei was an earnest, honest, hardworking person who always aspired to be a great hero!

"Hey, this is kinda hard to ask but… you went with my agency to go after the Hero Killer, right?"

The fact that he was so obvious that even Manual had found him out made him feel guilty. Because he WAS using Manual, Team Idaten had even offered him a spot in perpetuity – Enigma-san had made it clear with a personal call the night after the attack. They were just some of the heroes patrolling Hosu too – he spotted the fire-haired Burnin from Endeavour's agency a couple of days ago, and according to Manual, even Edgeshot had some people patrolling, which would explain why there were people with a more… ninja fashion as of late. Tenya had just thought it was the latest trend.

"… have you ever heard of the Crawler?"

"PLEASE don't go after Stain in revenge!"

And then there was the problem that struck right at the heart of things. Nebulos and his information. He hadn't asked for information about Stain, as he said he didn't want to rely on it as much, but the fact that one of his Classmates had known what he was going to do, had begged him not to do it, but also hadn't warned the teachers… what was he supposed to take from that? Did Nebulos trust him or not? Did he think he could handle the Hero Killer, or was he hoping that Iida could bury his desire for revenge, to stick to his heroic code?!

"Your brother… lost."

How was he meant to do that when all his brother was worried about was failing the image Tenya had of him! Tensei was a hero among heroes, someone who fought for what was right, even when it wasn't according to the law!

"It would be a very serious crime."

… the law that he was threatening to break with his actions. He could not even claim he wanted to bring Stain down to stop his spree, he just wanted vengeance for Tensei. If he found the Hero Killer… he wouldn't stop himself, he'd break the law and become little better than most criminals.

"You only get so much time to train as a hero!"

And Nebulos… he'd known that. He was putting his faith in Iida. Midoriya and Uraraka, they looked up to him as a friend and told him that he could talk to them. That he didn't need to put it all on his shoulders. He wanted to be able to do that. To force it down. To be the hero he should be instead of one he wanted to be. But…

… but if he's saying but in his mind, then it's already made up. He was going to be selfish for once.

I let out a groan as I collapsed into an armchair. It might not have been the biggest agency around, but there was a common area for those who stayed late, or when night-time patrols were going on. Mirio had gone home a couple of hours ago and Bakugou was still looking a bit puzzled, but between him coaching me with a bit of training and Sir's earlier brute force training, I was sore, tired, and exhausted. As for why I was only collapsing now? Adrenaline wearing off.

"Whyyy does he teach people like Aizawa did on the first daaaaay." I groaned out melodramatically.

Bubble Girl winced at that. She had the night duty along with Sir today – she had shown about midday and apparently was doing a late-night bit of patrolling, while Sir usually worked long hours and took time out during the middle of the day to enjoy his hobbies. "Hey, be glad you landed your jokes fine before, or he'd probably bring out the machine." She commented with a smile.

"… the what?" Bakugou questioned.

"A tickling machine. Because you can't make people laugh if you can't laugh yourself apparently." Bubble Girl groused, even as I chuckled a little at the remark.

Bakugou blinked once and then shook his head. "I fucking swear, nothing shocks me anymore." He muttered.

I reached around and grabbed the TV remote and sighed as I just leaned back and started to flick through the chapters. A game show, Drama, Pop-Idol doing some sort of interview, All Might Gossip-

"Pft, like All Might needs a toupee." Bakugou dismissed.

-animation, game show, drama, drama, a news reporter with fire and Nomu in the background, dr- wait.

I switched the channel back just to be sure, and my eyes widened in my suit as I could see what definitely looked like a white Nomu in the background, the night-time surroundings making it stand out even as a hero charged in and slammed into it, forcing it back a few steps.

I turned and looked at Bubble Girl. "I need to talk to Sir Nighteye, now!" I insisted.

"Ah, b-but he isn't in!" Bubble Girl pointed out.

"What?" Bakugou asked. "When did he leave?"

"About an hour ago." Bubble Girl noted. "He insisted he had something to do and that he should be back later!"

And it clicked into place instantly for me. "… Foresight."

"His Quirk?" Bubble Girl questioned. "Wait, he used it on you?"

Bakugou turned and looked at me… before grunting. "Of course. You were worried and wanted to be sure." He remarked.

I gulped a bit, even as I nodded. "Um, we have a classmate who's in Hosu right now on Internships-" I started

"And you were worried, but when he looked forward… he saw you seeing this report." Bubble Girl pieced together. "Alright, that makes sense then. If they aren't as bad as the one who went after the USJ then Sir Nighteye should be able to handle them."

Bakugou and I exchanged a glance. It went unsaid that Stain was the actual reason, but the Nomu were a good enough excuse for now.

Smoke. Fire. Noise. The sound of chaos engulfing everything, pointless destruction aimed at a society because they refused to try and let it exist. Chaos for chaos' own sake.

It was disgusting.

Stain was aware that there were differing opinions on him. He knew that many people found his killings too extreme. He knew that he had left a lot of saddened and angry people in his wake. And he did deep down feel sorrow for bringing that feeling onto others. But it had to be done. Hero society was rotten, with heroes for profit, for self-benefit, for fame.

Take, for example, his latest victim. He hadn't chosen Native simply because he had a tacky costume that many might consider cultural appropriation - he had done his research to know that he was calling on his own heritage – but because he was a hero who had a past of being selfish, and some black marks involving personal vendettas. It was for these reasons that he was going to kill the man, to lessen the drag on society. He felt no pity for Native himself, just for those that would mourn.

No matter. Once he was done here, he could go after this league and bring judgement upon-

And then, out of the corner of his eye, movement! He brought up his blade in a counterblow, not formed from instruction but experience, knocking a helmet loose… and revealing a young man on the ground in an… oddly familiar costume. "A child wearing a suit. Who is he?" Stain muttered to himself, before speaking up. "Go away. This isn't a place for children."

"A scarf as red as blood, carrying blades all over your body… you must be the Hero Killer: Stain! You are, aren't you?" The dark-haired child demanded, looking up at him, dark blue hair framing the darkness around his eyes. "I have been chasing you! I did not think I would find you so soon!" The look in his eyes… ah, the unfortunate side effect of his mission, bringing forth the darkness in those weaker, who could not see his reason why. "I am-"

"Your eyes… are you here for vengeance?" Stain questioned. The child may be a hero in training, but he was still at a point where his drive was forming. He didn't have to die yet. "Be careful of what you say. Depending on my mission, even children might become my targets."

"Are you saying that I am… not even a target?" The young boy asked. Oh dear, he took it the wrong way… or perhaps it was just far too personal for him. "Then listen, criminal! I am the younger brother of a hero you attacked." Oh? That suit… ah, Ingenium. "The younger brother of a most excellent older brother!" Really? A family thing? How droll. And something he would teach this child the futility of before dying. "I have come to stop you in his place! Remember my name for as long as you live! Ingenium! It is the name of the hero that will defeat you!"

Revenge. It could bring out the worst in people, but if they let the darkness surface to this level, it would consume them. They could never be on All Might's level. "I see. Die."

"Like I would!" Ingenium remarked, engine flaring to life. But his admission of familial connection is his downfall, Stain knew how that Quirk worked from his brief encounter with the first one, and simply leapt into the air. This let the kick simply swing and miss where he used to be.

"Ingenium. You're brothers, huh? In order to let news of me spread, I let him live." Stain remarked, even as he landed a spiked kick into the boy's shoulder, using it as an anchor to slam a foot down HARD on the boy's head and force him to the ground. "You're weak." At that, he readied his sword and thrust it down, impaling his other shoulder. He didn't take joy in hearing the cries of pain though. He'd much rather not have to kill either hero tonight, if only they could live to the true standards. "You and your brother are both weak because you're fakes!"

"Do not call him that!" Ingenium the Younger roared out at that. Well, that's surprising. "My brother is a most excellent hero, who leads people to try and be greater while always thinking he needed to try and be better as a hero, to improve! He's my hero, and now he's paralysed from the waist down!" Interesting… but redundant. The other Ingenium went into heroing as a family thing, didn't he? "There's no reason for you to crush him! He's an excellent hero who gave me a dream! I won't forgive you… I won't-"

"Save that guy first." Stain interrupted. Seeing the look of confusion on Ingenium the Younger's face, he continued. "Reflect on yourself and save others, don't use your power for yourself. Being taken in by hatred and trying to fulfill your own desires… that is the furthest from what a hero should be." He pulled the blade free and brought it up to his mouth. "If this is the example made by your brother, then his fate is deserved, and you will die." At that, he licked the blade with a smile as he activated Bloodcurdle. He brought his blade above Ingenium the Younger's back. "Goodbye. You're an offering to a more just world." Not that there was any spirit to it. This was just a side effect of his mission, and not one he was fond of. To end lives that lose their way for revenge, falling to the same failing of those he kills.

"Shut up… shut up!" Ingenium the Younger remarked. "No matter what you say, you're the villain who hurt my brother!"

If he had continued talking for another second, Stain might not have heard it. As it was, he heard it too late as a green lightning bolt darted from walk to wall, fist soon slammed into his cheek! "SMASH!"

"Mi-Midoriya-kun?" Ingenium the Younger named, even as Stain stumbled back.

The answer was very much the sort of thing anyone else would have expected out of Midoriya Izuku. Analysing the situation – or explaining how he did in this case. "I gathered the information I had, TV and otherwise. That 60% of the hero killer's victims were found in locations without many people. That's why I searched away from the centre of the commotion in the alleyways near the Normal Hero Agency. I know you talked about it with the others… but I knew you'd think the same thing." Izuku remarked. "Can you move? Let's-"

"Midoriya-kun!" Iida called out, sounding half frustrated and half scared. "Don't get involved! This has nothing to do with you, it's my mistake! It's why I can't move because I made a mistake and he used his Quirk!"

Briefly, Izuku's eyes darted down to Iida directly, taking in that he'd only been injured on the shoulders so far – one was a slash wound, likely done by his sword given he has it out, the other was a messy wound that looked vaguely circular, given the spikes on Stain's shoes… a brief encounter, what he'd likely just interrupted was the death blow. And – another hero. That must've been who Stain was after when Iida showed up. If it was just Iida or just Native, he could grab them and run, but if neither of them can move due to Stain's Quirk…

"Your friend has come to save you! Isn't that a great line?" Stain remarked. "However… I have a duty to kill him. If we clash, the weaker will be culled… so what will you do?"

Izuku looked Stain in the eyes, and it felt to him like he had stepped into the shadow of death. He didn't have the almost casual, bored look that Shigiraki Tomura and the villains at the USJ had, but rather determined, hardened eyes… the gaze of a killer. He reached behind him and silently tapped at his phone with one hand.

"Why?" Izuku questioned. "Why have you targeted Iida? Why do you need to kill him?"

Stain surprisingly didn't smile at that, as if he had resigned himself to what he was about to say. "He came to this alleyway with his priority being to kill me. To get revenge for his older brother. He's been consumed by his own selfish desire and thus became no better than the full-fledged heroes poisoning things." Stain remarked. "Or to put it in his own words… he made himself the mistake."

Iida was surprisingly quiet at that, admitting without even speaking the truth of it. Still, Izuku pressed the button prompt he knew would be on the touch screen to send out his location, kicking himself for having the information but not thinking to – no, as bad as this is, the Nomu rampaging around are bad too. He couldn't just rely on one of the other pros being able to come with him, and if he'd hesitated, Iida would be dead. Right now, he'd need to do his best and protect both of them. To stall for time if he could.

"Midoriya! Run! It's my mistake, you don't need to get involved-" Iida called out.

"If you say that then that means heroes can't do anything!" Izuku interrupted with… more than a hint of frustration to his voice. "We can talk about it later. Besides… it's like All Might says. Meddling in affairs is the essence of being a hero!"

The wide grin that stretched across the Hero Killer's face at those words did little to calm the tension.

Bakugou and I looked down as our phones buzzed with a sudden chat alert, that Izuku had sent… his location. In Hosu City.

"Deku…" Bakugou muttered, with a lot less anger than I thought.

Mineta jerked as he felt his phone buzz, before opening the chat. Midoriya… is in Hosu right now? Damn, poor guy. He gets into danger a lot, doesn't he?

"… worried about your friend?" Gang Orca asked, causing Mineta to jump, his phone going up into the air as if about to sail into the water… before a blackened hand reached out and carefully grabbed it.

Mineta accepted it back as Gang Orca handed it down. "… Nah. Midoriya's cool. He'll be fine." He admitted.

"Hawks!" Tokoyami called out, rushing through the agency.

Said hero let out a yawn. "Yo nightbird, what's ruffling your-" Hawks started.

"How fast could we get to Hosu City?" Tokoyami asked, bringing up his phone. "My classmate, he's IN Hosu right now, and-"

Hawks let out a sigh. "Tsukuyomi. Chill." He ordered, a bit more forceful this time. "Hate to say it, but even at my best speeds and good conditions, we'd need at least an hour to get there. Not helped by the fact that the thermals won't be great right now either." At that, he smiled. "Besides… I've seen a lot of your classmates in action, remember? They can look after themselves."

Tokoyami looked at his phone… and he couldn't help but feel this time was different. Especially with Andros having been fairly insistent on talking to Iida

Tenya watched on in a mix of horror and awe as Midoriya blurred forward faster than ever, using his technique to greater efficiency than during the tournament, ducking under the Hero Killer's blade. A warning of Stain going for a knife died in his throat as Midoriya seemed to keep the same motion going to move past Stain, then leaping over him in the same style as Bakugou.

"5% Detroit Smash!" Midoriya declared, punching down. And as he landed, Tenya shifted his gaze back and forth. He suspected Nebulos was the one who had told Midoriya about the technique but was that to make sure he was faster? Was that better than before, than it should be? And his eyes widened as he noticed the Hero Killer bring his knife up… and Midoriya suddenly stiffened.

And for a moment the world seemed to empty for Tenya. As the horror of the situation met with just what he'd been told before… Nebulos had been legitimately worried that he might die. And he was about to die. Had there been some mistake? Or had he been the one to make the mistake, as he had said before? He barely heard Stain talk as he brought his blade up-

Only for a pink blur to SLAM into Stain, forcing him to tumble back, rolling onto his feet as Ashido Mina skidded to a halt in front of Iida, wearing a white scarf around her neck but nothing else had changed about her costume, even as she steadied herself. "You guys can't keep out of trouble, can you?" Mina asked with only a slight nervous shake to her voice. "I saw the location and thought you guys might need a hand, but the Hero Killer?"

"It makes sense." What? Todoroki as well? He couldn't move to look, but he could feel the familiar chill race past him and form into an icy ramp, lifting Midoriya and Native back towards them. "Midoriya's not the type to send that without more information – which meant he was in trouble and needed help."

"Ashido-san? Todoroki-kun?" Midoriya called out in shock.

"Don't worry Midoriya. The pros will be on their way soon." Todoroki remarked. "I assume the same with you Ashido-san?"

"Eh… hopefully." Ashido admitted. "It kinda clicked quickly for me, so I didn't check if they… understood it."

Stain stared the two down for a moment. "The child of Endeavour… and that technique…"He muttered loudly. "This is getting to be a nuisance."

If things had been less tense, Mina might have asked if she could quote that someday. 'Ashido Mina: Pro Nuisance.' But this was neither the time nor the place. Even if she had the confidence to execute the Tanukigakure no Jutsu – that is, the technique of abusing the tendency of humans not to look above a certain angle – for a surprise strike that had burnt her hands slightly to pull off, the feeling that was radiating off of Stain was far too familiar to her. Familiar in the same way that Kurogiri guy felt. Familiar because both reminded her of-

"Everything I do is for my master."

That… monster of a villain she misdirected. The feeling of someone who had given up their humanity to become a monster. It hadn't helped that Stain had a reputation among the Ninja circles – Koiga and Butterfly both from what she'd been told. They called him the self-taught Ninja, the bloody knife, and a bunch of other gruesome titles that she was glad the media didn't use.

Before she can even suggest a plan, her eyes widen as a pair of knives fly at her, one tearing into her scarf and straight through, the other a little lower and narrowly nicking her shoulder.

"Watch out! His Quirk works by ingesting blood!" Midoriya called out, even as another knife was blocked by an icy wall from Todoroki's right – her left, a gout of flame shooting at Stain who simply moved almost inhumanly fast to avoid the angle of attack. If she stayed put Stain would lick at her skin and either get her blood or maybe acid if she could do it fast enough. Moving to the side would let him get to Iida. If Mina was more analytic, she might have come up with a third option on the spot.

Mina was Mina, however, and thus defaulted to her standard third option when nothing else will work. She stepped back briefly, before moving into a forward flip that would keep Stain back for a brief moment – brief enough that she could plant her hands down on the ground and force herself into a turn! It took more self-control than she was willing to admit to not call out "Breaking breaking~", but she'd survive if it meant that it would keep him away briefly. Still, she could see a glint of metal as he brought knives into his hands and leaped at Todoroki, a burst of heat making it clear how he was countering that even as Mina used the motion of her breakdancing to push herself back to her feet, before having to stumble back to avoid a swing from Stain himself.

He's too fast for Todoroki – which is frankly terrifying in itself – and she can't rely on purely physical moves. She let a bit of acid pool in her hand and spun in place, letting it spray over a wide area, splattering onto Todoroki's ice wall and forcing Stain back as the acid hissed lightly. It wouldn't do any serious injury though – she had tried to make the acid sound loud against the ice. Misdi-

Misdirection. And Stain was self-taught as a Ninja. Even as he tossed a knife at Todoroki she glanced into the air. His sword. He'd thrown the sword up there at some point, during her breakdancing. Another burst of heat from Todoroki made it clear he'd be retreating, which he did by jumping into the air! As he grabbed the sword Mina pooled more acid into her hands, one that made her left-hand tingle just to make, the other with a thicker consistency. As Stain moved over their heads and started to descend on the pro, Mina let herself become all instinct, even as she barely caught a green speck out of the corner of her eye moving.

As Midoriya grabbed the hero killer and tossed him through the air, Mina moved, trying to time his fall at the same time she moved, before throwing the acid in her right hand where he was likely to land! It barely made contact with the ground by the time Stain's boots hit it, but that was perfectly fine with her, even as she tossed the small amount of her left hand's acid at his sword, grimacing as the splatter falls a little short… before grinning as she can hear a loud hissing.

"Interesting friends you have here Ingenium." Stain remarked coolly, a smile on his face as he brought up his blade, some of the metal on it having already started to dissolve.

"You put some dissolving acid on his sword – he can't use it anymore!" Midoriya commented.

Todoroki turned slightly to look at Midoriya, both a bit behind Mina now. "More importantly, why can you move?" He asked.

"It's not a time limit," Midoriya noted. "I was the last to get paralysed. So, it could be that it gets less effective with more people, the amount he takes in is how it works, or it's based on blood type!"

"Mine's B…" The pro remarked.

"A for me," Iida commented. Mina decided discretion was best about her being AB here.

"Blood type?" Stain asked gleefully. "That's correct. And this… acid beneath me, it's just sticking – it's a glue trap, in other words."

Mina schooled her face at that, the fact he was noting it…

"You wouldn't be the first to try something like it."

Stain tossed the partially dissolved blade at Mina, who responded with a heavier glob of acid to weigh it down, but even as she did she could hear the sound of twin tears, her eyes widening as she started to force herself backwards as Stain leaped out of his boots and started to run towards her, knives outstretched.

Shoto watched with widened eyes as he started to slide his right foot forward, only stopping as Midoriya bounced off of the walls, forcing Stain to dodge out of the way and to let Ashido have the chance to skate backwards. Stain wasn't holding back. At this point, he's a predator being denied the death blow on two vulnerable pieces of prey, and it was unnerving even to himself. Even the old man had never shown that sort of look before.

Even as he let out a gout of flame to let Midoriya leap back as well, Shoto put one thing that had been annoying him about the situation in the first place. "Iida, you came here because of your brother, right?" Shoto muttered.

"Yes! And-" Iida started.

"You can apologize later." Ashido cut off. "Why do you need to know that Todoroki?"

Even Stain seemed to stop for a moment there, his bare feet on the pavement. Saying nothing but staring Shoto down. Shoto simply gave Stain a steely glare back.

"I asked because after going over his patterns, his attack on Iida's brother seemed out of character," Shoto noted. "Ingenium is by all accounts a fantastic hero, an inspiration for people, and has had no public scandals – something only All Might has managed to accomplish beyond gossip in his career." Even his old man couldn't completely avoid it.

Stain's eyes narrowed before he rushed forwards even faster than before, only an instinctual block of ice slowing him down at all as he started to leap over, only to kick off of the ice wall as Midoriya went to counter, nicking him and soon licking the blade, leaving Midoriya sprawling. That line of topic… was it that it annoyed him, or was he aware he was running low on time?

"So even you're not entirely confident about it," Shoto muttered, a flaming burst from him as well as a handful of acid forcing him to dash back for a moment. "About how… righteous your attack was."

"He was a fake like any other, just one that got closer to the heights!" Stain growled out, tossing out his knives, forcing Shoto to bring up a wider wall to block them, only to hear something else being pulled out as Stain jumped over the wall, the half-dissolved sword in hand, swinging it down towards Mina! "A family legacy being his only tie, working with vigilantes, these are just the ones I could be certain of!"

"-BURST!"

At that, a burst of wind seemed to rocket past Shoto as Iida slammed a leg into Stain, sending him flying back down the alley even as Shoto melted the ice wall. A bang almost like a gunshot echoed out as Stain landed roughly, barely managing to keep himself up as he was forced against the rear wall of the alley.

"The Ingenium name is a mark of pride for our family, yes," Iida said, fists clenched. "But it is not our reason for being heroes! My brother worked to save people, he tried to use me as an example because I looked up to him as a brother. And I failed him before. I can't change that, but I can push forward to be a better hero."

Before Stain could speak up Ashido pushed on. "But your pattern, and what you've said to others – you're getting rid of 'corrupt heroes'. So why did you go after Ingenium?" She called out.

Stain's eyes turned murderous as he dashed forward, pillars of ice forming instantly as Shoto tried to restrict his movements, Ashido forming what he assumed was more sticky acid and laying it out between some of the closer pillars. Stain, clearly spotting it, hopped over the goop, only for a chunk of the closest pillar to be sent rocketing towards him courtesy of a kick from Iida. It slammed into him hard, sending him flying back, but even then, he seemed to recover with inhuman speed, stabbing a free knife into one of the nearby ice pillars.

"He runs a strong organization, he keeps sidekicks working by his standards, and would only ever go beyond the law if it would let him be a hero because even heroes can't be everywhere all the time, not even All Might!" Iida proudly declared.

Stain let out an almost feral sounding roar of frustration as he flipped on top of one of the pillars, before going from pillar to pillar, dodging onto the walls and running on them briefly to dodge Shoto's flames that came forth, only for Midoriya – when had he recovered? – to bounce off the same wall, slamming a punch into his chest, sending Stain flying back where the fire had been only moments ago, and yet he seemed to stab two of his knives into the ground, forcing him to a stop, even as a sickening sound came from him… doing something to his arm, potentially dislocation. But his angry look remained.

"Iida, get Native out of here, we'll follow you when we can," Midoriya stated.

Stain's glare intensified at that. "Do not deny a more just society!" He roared out at that, the pressure in the air seeming to get more intense. Iida clearly tried to activate his engines, but black smoke spluttered out of them, Ashido's new scarf had mostly been torn from combat, and Midoriya had recovered from two cuts so far but who knows how long a third might take. They were getting far too many close calls, and nothing seemed to-

"If you wanted a more just society, then why did you cut down Ingenium?!" Midoriya yelled out in reply.

The moment he finished that Shoto could tell it had been the wrong thing for that moment, Stain's eyes seeming to shake in their sockets, a wilder glare than anything before. "Because the corruption of heroes is destroying society!" Stain yelled as he stepped forwards, his words not merely containing the sheer hate and anger for the corruption but seemed to create an all-consuming sense of dread. An immense weight that was pushing down on Shoto and the others.

"With so many fake heroes, with so many villains, they need to be culled. Heroes can't be asked to do that; someone has to be dyed in blood!" At that, Stain grabbed at his arm and noisily forced it back into place with such a sound that it made Shoto sick to his stomach, with Midoriya pale, Iida covering his mouth and Ashido muttering something inaudible at high speeds, her eyes shaking.

Stain's expression turned into one of maddened glee. "Nothing should stop me from taking back what it means to be a hero! No-one! I will judge and rid heroes of their corruption!" It almost felt like staring into a black hole as Stain started to move, but Shoto was finding it hard to move, his arms shaking in fear. "YOU CANNOT JUDGE ME! YOU WILL SEE THE JUSTICE OF MY METHODS!" At that, he started to move faster-

-only for something to zoom out of the darkness and slam into him from above, forcing the hero killer into the ground, as a dark green and blonde-haired figure in a white business suit landed down in front of them, his back to the children. In that brief moment, it was almost as if the pressure had vanished.

"You won't be enacting your so-called 'justice' today Hero Killer. Why?" The man who Shoto would later learn was named Sir Nighteye questioned, adjusting his glasses with a calmness that stood in stark contrast to the Hero Killer's enraged demeanour.

"Because I am here."