Chapter 15: Full Cowling Up!
-Gran Torino's apartment-
"So, wanna give it a try?" Gran Torino asked as Izuku coursed 15% of One For All through his entire body.
"You bet I do!" Izuku said with a grin.
"Alright, then we'll start with three minutes." The man told him, stretching.
"What for?" The boy asked in confusion.
"That's the amount of time you have to hit me with a smash!" The elderly hero told him before he started blasting around the room with his quirk.
'Let's do this!' The immortal thought as he tried to track the old hero's movements. As he came towards him, Izuku channeled One For All into physical hunt and absorbed the impact of the hits for a few seconds until he felt that he could move. 'Now!' He thought as he rocketed into the air and started to swing at the man.
One attack hit the wall and caused a bowling ball sized crater just by swinging his arm.
"Nice try!" Gran Torino jeered as he bounced around. Izuku then dashed over to where his staff was and grabbed it, before he started swinging it around and creating an atom sphere of air around him.
'No matter which direction he comes at, he'll get hit this time. I just gotta keep this up… Man, is this new mode difficult to maintain!' The boy thought. However he was unable to accommodate for a blind spot in the middle of his back.
"Clever tactics, newbie! But you've left yourself open at your back!" Gran Torino told him before he slipped right between his defense and delivered a hard kick to Izuku's back, making him lose balance.
'Shit!' He cursed mentally as he regained his footing. 'That attack made the flow of One For All stop. I need to get it flowing again.' He thought as he tried to activate One For All again.
"If you can't keep One For All going, then you've got no shot at this!" Gran Torino exclaimed as he landed another blow on the Fox Sin, disrupting his concentration again.
"Need time to concentrate!" Izuku said as he rolled underneath the couch. "There, alright. Now you're screwed!" The boy yelled as he powered up again and blasted the couch off him and towards Gran Torino.
"Whoa!" The old man exclaimed as he evaded the couch, leaving him open.
"SMASH!" The immortal yelled as he threw a fist at him. However as he did, the old man narrowly dodged it, causing the impact to hit the ceiling instead, and allowing the man to pin him. "Goddamn it." The boy growled as he was allowed to get back up.
"Using your surroundings to your advantage. Clever." The retired hero said. "Now, you've done well for your first time, but before we continue, let's try getting some breakfast first."
"Right, sorry." Izuku nodded.
(Elsewhere)
At the Gunhead agency, Uraraka was currently in the middle of some warm up exercises.
"Left! Right!" She exclaimed in tandem with a few others participating alongside her.
"Remember! Don't just go through the motions! Be sure to put your focus in each individual punch!" Gunhead told them. "And also remember, the key, is your base physical strength!" He added, holding his arms up to his chest.
'This feels so different compared to what I already know.' Ochako thought. Then she saw the pose Gunhead was in and froze. 'Look how cute that pose is!' She thought.
(Meanwhile)
At Fourth Kind's agency, the four armed man was currently sitting at his desk and had just slammed a cup of green tea on it. He was clearly displeased with how it was.
"This is lukewarm!" He yelled at a frightened Kirishima and Tetsutetsu. "Can't you two dense idiots make a decent cup of tea?!" The man added. "We want to impress clients who come to our agency! Is this the kind of crap you'd serve them too?!" He yelled as he slammed his fists on their heads. The boys luckily used their quirks to halt the impact.
"We're sorry, sir!" The two said in unison.
"Man, those quirks of yours make it satisfying to hit you." Fourth Kind said as he held his throbbing upper hands.
"Thank you, sir!" The two boys retold in unison.
(Elsewhere)
"To be a pro, it takes more than just power." Best Jeanist said as he styled someone's hair. "You must be capable, yes. But your appearance, speech and mannerisms must all be elegant. You must give off the aura of a hero." He said as the person he was styling was revealed to be Bakugo.
"Another excellent style, Best Jeanist." Several sidekicks said in unison.
'I came to the wrong agency…!' Bakugo thought as his hair instantly returned to its original style.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile at Uwabami's agency, the Snake hero was currently in the middle of a photo shoot, which Momo and Kendo were currently watching.
"I thought we were supposed to be her interns, not her entourage." The gingerette said as she watched the photoshoot go on.
"This is something we can't avoid to be a hero in the world we live in. Plus I'm sure there's something we're missing here." Momo told her as she too watched the photo shoot. 'Right? Maybe?' She thought.
'Poor girl's deep in denial.' Kendo thought with a sweat drop.
(Elsewhere)
At the Manual Agency, Manual and Iida just got back from a patrol. "Sorry things haven't been more actiony lately. Things have been kinda tense." The man told him.
"No no. This is fine." Iida replied reassuringly as he took his helmet off and put it in a desk. He then began to think about Stain, more specifically about how he would wound four or so heroes in each place he appeared. 'Which means, he'll likely strike again.' He thought.
(Elsewhere)
In the bar where Shigaraki and Kurogiri called their hideout, Stain stood there, looking at Tomura expectantly. "So, you're Tomura Shigaraki of the League of Villains. Why have you brought me here? I assume it isn't just to chat." The man spoke.
"We wish to offer the hand of friendship to you, hero killer Stain." Kurogiri told him.
"Yeah. With your skills, experience and influence combined with our resources? We'd be able to do some real damage!" Shigaraki added.
"What sort of 'damage'?" Stain questioned, crossing his arms.
"Honestly? A lot. Particularly the kind that'll plunge the world into anarchy, like taking out All Might, for example." Tomura shrugged, before holding up a picture of Izuku. "Or this little punk here." He added.
"Especially him." A familiar female voice said before Euryale came floating out of the darkness. "That little bastard's the reason I had to really work my ass off to break out of jail." She growled.
"So all you wish for is wanton destruction." Stain scoffed.
"Eh, so so. I haven't worked out the minutiae of what our end goal will be yet." Shigaraki shrugged.
"Hence why a more experienced person like you would be a good asset. You can help us better direct our efforts to bring the Hero society to its knees." Kurogiri added.
"You expect me to simply help in your goal of mindless chaos? I think not." The Hero Killer hissed as he drew his blades.
"Uh oh…" Shigaraki said nervously. "Kurogiri, get rid of this guy, quick!"
"Master, should I—." The living warp gate asked the man behind the screen.
"No, let it happen." The man said. "In order for Tomura to fully come into his own as a villain, he must learn how to mature." He continued. "This could be a good case to do so."
"... As you wish." Kuroguri said reluctantly.
"Oh… shit." Tomura groaned as Stain attacked.
(Elsewhere)
Back with Izuku and Gran Torino, the two were still training their asses off. And Izuku had just come up with a name for the defense move he'd used earlier. 'One for All 15%: Fox's Den'.
Right now he was still trying to use this move to block his teacher with… Moderate degrees of success.
"GACK!" Izuku got out as he took another blow through a hole in his defense, sending him face first in the wall. "Damn it, no matter how hard I try, there's always a blind spot in the middle of my shoulders at the back." He groaned.
"Nothing's perfect right away, newbie. You'll get it eventually." Gran Torino stated. "Now come on, we're going out. If you stick to fighting just me you'll end up developing some weird habits." He added.
"What the hell do you mean 'weird habits'?!" Izuku barked indignantly.
"Think of it this way, if you stick just fighting me, you'll be in trouble fighting someone who's the exact opposite." The man told him as he got dressed.
'Well… I guess that makes sense.' The teen shrugged mentally as he got his costume on. "So where are we gonna go?" He asked.
"Shibuya, there we'll find plenty of villains to fight." The man explained as they left the building.
"Shibuya? I figured we'd be in some place more populated." The Fox Sin said in surprise as a taxi stopped for them to get in.
"Oh it's plenty populated." Gran Torino told him.
"Okay…" The boy shrugged.
(Later)
Later on, the two found themselves on a train to Shibuya and as they did, Izuku tried to text Iida to tell him that they'd be passing Hosu, but when he checked it again, he saw that Iida only read the message.
'Weird. Iida doesn't usually wait more than three minutes to respond to a message.' The teen noted, feeling something off. However as they passed over Hosu, a building in the distance blew up. "What the—?" The green haired boy said before a hero was hurled through the wall of the train and a pale green and lanky hand moved some of the metal inside.
It was a creature with brains spilling out and four wild eyes. "A Nomu?!" The fox sin gasped.
"Stay here, kid!" Gran Torino ordered as he tackled the mindless creature off the train and into a building.
"Son of a-!" The teen cursed as the train captain tried to calm the passengers. "This has got to be something to do with the League of Villains. Which means… Oh shit!" He said before he leapt out of the train and started running. 'One for All Full Cowling: 10%!" He thought as he started running at near Mach speeds. "So this is how much speed 5-10% can give me, great." He said before he skid to a halt, causing the ground beneath him to pile up.
Standing in front of him were two more Nomu, one with wings and the other with just a brain and lower jaw. "Holy Shi—Wait, where's Iida?!" The Sin of Greed said as he looked around. Seeing no sign of his friend, he cursed. "Dammit, where is he?!" He growled before he remembered something. 'Wait, wasn't the Hero Killer sighted in… Motherfucker!' He cursed mentally.
Running like a madman through the alleys of Hosu, Izuku kept looking high and low for his speedster friend, and then he saw something. Jumping into action he bounced along the walls and then cranked up the percentage to twenty before throwing a Detroit Smash right into the Hero Killer's face!
The man's face contorted as he was sent flying from the impact and skidding to a halt on his back, the ground being turned up from behind slid down the alley with tremendous force.
"And stay down!" He yelled, landing in front of Iida.
"M-Midoriya? What are you doing here?" The bespectacled boy asked weakly from the ground. Izuku looked over his shoulder at the boy and gave him a nonchalant look.
"Oh hey Iida, didn't see you there." He said. "What's up?" He asked.
"G-get out of here! This doesn't concern you!" He got out through grit teeth. Izuku simply looked at him for a few seconds, turned around to face Stain as he got up (the villain now having a nasty black eye), let out a cavernous yawn, and then started rolling his neck and shoulders. "Did you not hear me?! I said get out of here!" Iida yelled.
"Oh I heard you, alright. I'm just not listening." The fox Sin told him before looking at Stain. "So, you're Stain, huh? Gotta say, I kinda thought you'd be taller." He said nonchalantly.
"I saw you at the sports festival… Sin of Greed." The man hissed.
"Ah, so my reputation precedes me." The Sin of Greed nodded. "Well so has yours, Hero Killer. Word is that you kill heroes who you think are fake. But let me ask you something." He continued, pointing at the man. "Let's say, hypothetically, that there's a girl who wants to be a hero. Her parents are poor, poorer than poor, really. And she wants to become a hero so that she can make plenty of money so that her parents, who are about as wonderful as you can think, can have an easy life." He added. "Tell me Stain, would you kill a girl who simply wants to help her family? Would you have the gall to call her fake too?!"
The question actually took Stain aback for a moment before he regained his composure. "Why do you ask me this question?" He questioned.
"Well, depending on how you answer, may determine if I just break a few of your bones, or just snap your neck." The fox Sin told him, cracking his knuckles. Stain then looked him dead in the eyes.
"I'd kill her because it's only a matter of time before she gets consumed by her greed." He declared. This made Iida gulp in worry. He knew who Izuku was talking about, and how deeply those words cut him.
"So… You have chosen death." Izuku said coldly as he took out his three section staff and twirled it around before he started attacking with the air pulses 20% of One for All allowed him to use. "Fox Hunt!" He yelled as he sent blades of air at the man.
Stain quickly leapt into the air to avoid the air blades before he charged at the immortal, blade ready. Izuku lazily dodged the slashes as 15% of one for all allowed him to out speed him long enough for him to grab Iida and jump back, placing him with Native.
Going back to 10%, he walked right up to Stain and the two stared at each other, the boy sending his location to all his friends on Twitter. Stain looked into his eyes and saw something he hadn't when Izuku asked him that question.
"Righteous Fury, the Fury of Love." The man said drawing his knives and leaping back. "Now I understand." He said.
"What are you talking about?" The boy asked.
"People always show their true colors when faced with death. But you show your true colors openly. You don't fear death… you welcome it." The man gasped. "And all this, for a feeling of love?" He wondered. "Why?" He asked.
"Because I promised I'd make the girl of my dreams mine. In order to make sure she stays safe, people like you need to be removed from the equation." The boy told him firmly.
Stain saw the unwaveringly cold expression on Izuku's face. "And that goes for all my friends. I will never again…" He said before he blocked Stain's sword by letting it be thrust through his palm. "Lose anyone I care about." He growled, before he gripped the sword and pulled it away, and punched Stain hard in the gut.
"Gah!" He grunted as he staggered back before falling to one knee. But then he saw a drop of blood dripping from the boy's hand as it healed, sliding his tongue out he let the drop hit it, and suddenly Izuku locked up.
"What the hell?!" The immortal squawked in surprise.
"You're powerful kid, I'll give you that." Stain groaned as he got back up, rather shakily. "And your convictions are definitely something to admire. But I have a duty to correct this society by killing fake heroes. However…" The man then turned back to him as he picked up his sword. "I may leave that girl you mentioned alone, who knows. Maybe there's hope for her." He added as he walked up to Iida and was about to stab him.
"Don't. You. Dare!" Izuku yelled. Though before Stain could kill Iida, a blast of fire sent him jumping back.
"What…?" Iida got out in surprise before glancing at the direction it came from. Then Todoroki came into view, and he had on a new costume. "Todoroki?" He asked.
Shoto's new costume consisted of a dark blue jacket with elbow-length sleeves, a collar high and joined in the center by a gray neckpiece, baggy pants of the same color, a metal-plated combat vest and white boots, their soles and a thin line running down the center of each of them a darker pale gray. He also sported a brown utility belt around his waist, with little metal capsules containing medical supplies hanging off the front.
"Shoto! Oh thank god! You got my message!" Izuku sighed in relief.
"I wish you'd have given more details about your location." The boy said as he held up his phone. "It's not like you to leave out details like that. You wouldn't do so unless you were in trouble." He added.
"Wow, ya don't say." The Fox Sin said sarcastically, still comically frozen while standing. "Now can you get this guy off me so I can figure out how to get moving again? My legs are killing me!" He yelled.
"Right." The scarred teen nodded before sending a wave of ice at the Hero Killer. Izuku then started sliding back and slid next to Shoto.
"Okay, so I think I may know how this guy's quirk works." Izuku groaned as he laid on his back, still frozen.
"How?" The boy asked.
"He needs to ingest the blood of his victims in order to immobilize them, though whether the duration differs with blood type is unknown to me." He explained. "I saw him taste a drop of my blood. So that's how I know." He said before whispering. "And since I can slowly get feeling back in my limbs, means there must be a time limit."
"So you figured it out." Stain said with a smirk. "Bravo."
"Okay so we know how his quirk works, but how are we going to beat him?" Shoto questioned as he created an ice wall, which Stain slashed apart. Izuku meanwhile felt his body snap back to him and he quickly went Full Cowl and swung his staff around to make him back up.
"Get behind me, Todoroki, I'm about to use a special move." He told him, gripping his staff tightly.
"Right." The boy nodded as he got behind the green haired teen.
"Special move: Fox's Den!" Izuku yelled as he started waving his staff around at incredible speeds in an atomic circle. "Sorry Stain, but as long as this move is up..." The boy told him. "You'll never be able to even touch us, let alone kill us."
Fun fact: Once you follow a scared and angry fox into its den? It's game over for you.
Dragon Emperor0: Aaaaand we're back! What's up everyone?
ThermalsniperN7: Did you miss us? Don't answer. We know you did.
Dragon Emperor0: Well this chapter is certainly gearing up to something pretty good. And I gotta say, Stain is basically digging his own grave at this point. Also… Euryale's back… Yaaaaay… Kill me now.
ThermalsniperN7: Stain's screwing himself over and Euryale is out of prison… If it weren't for the fact I'm not a drinker, I'd ask for some booze right now.
Dragon Emperor0: I'll drink to that. *drinks a shot* Anyway, see you next week.