Chapter 18: Matrona Héroe Subterráneo

Stain…the vigilante turned villain now known as the Hero Killer.

As a child, he was like any other growing up in the age of All Might, having dreams of becoming a hero. However, not long did he attend a hero course when he realized how perverted heroism had become. Everyone in his class spoke about how famous and rich they'll become and how many fans they will one day procure.

It churned young Stain's, Chizome Akaguro's, blood. This…was not the heroism he had thought it would be.

To Stain, being a hero is an act of selflessness in the purest form without the need for fame or money. No…In Stain's eyes, there is only one, true hero today…

And that is All Might.

This is why he is the Hero Killer: Stain…to willingly stain his hands and purge this society of its false heroes.

However, as much as he'd love to go find his next target, he can't risk coming out in broad daylight with so many civilians out and about. He may have intentionally made himself a villain, but he wasn't going to cause needless bloodshed on his quest.

So now, he waits, still in Hosu City and hunkered down in some derelict building until the sun disappears in the west.

Imagine his surprise when a well dressed ginger man saunters into the room he was sitting in.

"Ah! There you are. And here I thought you flew the coop," the man said, treating Stain like he was an old workmate. "Don't worry, I'm not a cop. I'm–"

"You're the Wicker Gentleman, the career criminal," the Hero Killer grunted.

"Oh! My reputation precedes me to the point that the Hero Killer himself has heard of me," Roman said.

"It's not everyday that a Quirkless man gains your notoriety. What do you want?"

"What I want is what you want: To purge this false hero society," Roman grinned.

Stain quirked a brow, now piqued.

"You're…La Cazadora?"

"You got that right, missy," Maria said. There was a crash down the stairs. "Sounds like the boys are gonna be a while. Why don't I get you into a room for your things." Ruby follows the woman down the hall. "I don't know why the man continued to live in this rundown place. But, I guess there is a bit of sentimental value here."

"Sentimental value?" Ruby questioned. They stop at a room with a skull charm attached to the doorknob. The room looked nicer compared to the ones they went past. It has a futon in the corner, at least. There was another room just across this one with a similar skull and just as nice room plus a futon.

"This here is your room for the week and across from you is Midoriya's room," Maria said. Ruby flinched when the floor shook from below. "Sounds like they're almost done. Go put your stuff in there so we can head back down to assess the damage."

"Okay," Ruby said. She puts her costume case, duffle bag and hamper case down in her room and puts Izuku's backpack in the other room. Ruby then sends a text to Yang and Tai, informing them that she had arrived safely. She heads back down stairs and sees Maria seated at the bottom. The woman raises a hand up, signaling Ruby to stop when she gets close and overhears a conversation between Gran Torino and Izuku, the former pinning down the latter.

"...It appeared that you had some understanding with One for All during the festival, but your admiration towards All Might and your sense of duty is shackling you down," Gran Torino said.

"Shackling…me down?" Izuku wondered.

"What does that mean?" Ruby wondered. Izuku adored All Might with all his being…it was the very thing that gave him the hope to be where he is now. So, how or why would that be a shackle?

"It's true you need to get stronger and fast. But time and enemies won't be waiting for that to happen," Gran Torino said, releasing Izuku from his hold. "You're thinking One for All is more special than it is."

Maria gets up from her seat. "Okay, I think now is the time to give Midoriya a break."

"And here you go, babying him like I knew you would!" Gran Torino frowned.

"Well, excuse me for wanting to spoil my sobrino nieto!" Maria smiled. She holds out her cane to Izuku and helps him up with it. She gives his arm a pat. "This is my first time meeting him, after all." She then grabs Izuku's freckled face and starts squeezing and pinching Izuku's cheeks. "Y qué chico tan adorable es."

"Huh?"

Ruby holds back a snicker.

"Sobri…the boy's not your grandnephew!" Gran Torino exclaimed.

"He might as well be now that he's inherited One for All," Maria said.

"How many times do I have to tell you that Toshinori is not your nephew either?"

"And how many times do I have to tell you to bésame el culo?" smirked Maria. She laughs.

Gran Torino snarled. "You're impossible as always. I'm gonna go get us something to eat. I'll leave the cleaning to you, kid."

Still in his costume, Izuku picks up a broom and dustpan and does as he was told while Gran Torino is gone.

All the while, he thought about Gran Torino's words.

"My admiration towards All Might and my sense of duty is shackling me down? Just what did he mean?" Izuku asked himself.

"There is some truth to his words," Maria said, taking a seat on the couch. Ruby, on the other hand, grabs a trash bin and holds it for Izuku. "How was your training up to this point? What were you doing before and how did you come to this conclusion?"

"Hmmm…Well, All Might and I were in kind of a rush with my training for his Quirk. I've only had it for two months and it still hurts me. All Might has had One for All for over 3 decades…that's a lot of raw power. A way to help me gauge it was to imagine an egg in a microwave. "

"Yeah, and your next idea at getting used to it was to start from the sky-down," Ruby deadpanned.

"A-And it was thanks to Rose that I was starting to get a better hand at All Might's Quirk," Izuku said, visibly flustered from that. "Right now, I can use One for All at 10% without risk of breaking anything, though getting it concentrated in one spot makes it hard to maintain it."

"...You keep calling One for All All Might's Quirk," Maria said, the flaps of her ocular prosthesis looking skeptical.

"Huh? But, it is All Might's Quirk," Izuku said, sounding like he was stating the obvious.

"Hm…So, Rose, you wish to become an underground hero?" Maria asked.

"Uh, y-yes, ma'am," Ruby said, slightly off guard by the change of subject.

"Once Sorahiko returns with lunch, you are to eat and go straight to bed."

"Why?"

Maria starts laughing. "'Why' you ask…How else I'm I going to train you?"

"Oh…um…but what if I can't sleep?" Ruby asked. She does occasionally get nights where her overactive mind keeps her up until 1 am, but she still falls asleep eventually.

"Not to worry. I've brought something to help with that. Do you like chamomile tea?" Maria asked.

"Yeah. I do! I haven't had any, though, ever since…" Ruby's cheery demeanor somber down to downheartedness. "…Blake ran off." Ruby had remembered nights where she had a hard time falling asleep, Blake would brew her a cup whether she'd stay the night.

"Rose…" Izuku muttered, feeling a ping of sympathy.

Maria looks at her with understanding eyes before she moves off the couch and to the kitchen. "Well, I'll brew you up some chamomile to go with your lunch."

Izuku moves over to Ruby. "Rose?"

Ruby shakes her head. "It's okay, Midoriya. I'm…I'll be okay. I'm sure that I'll see her again."

"Yeah. You will," Izuku smiled. He looks over at a damaged microwave, broken from Gran Torino's jumping around. "I'm still wondering about what Gran Torino meant about All Might and One for All. And what did La Cazadara mean by what she said about One for All? It was All Might's Quirk." It hits him. "Was…It's mine now. One for All is my Quirk now. I've been treating it like…I don't know, that I was borrowing it or something. Not only that, but I've been needing to be more flexible with it." He runs up the stairs and after a minute, returns with his burnt notebook, pen in hand. "I did fine during the sports festival, but I've been using One for All more like special moves instead of just using it as though its a part of my body because that's what Quirks are! I think I had it down during my fight against Polendina, but I was more focused on my gauge at the time..."

"Huh. Never thought of it like that, I guess that makes sense," Ruby said as Izuku muttered to himself. She remembered her habit of bursting around whenever she got particularly excited back in middle school. She has better control over it now, but she still had those moments. As Izuku said, it's a part of a person's body.

Unbeknownst to both, Maria smiled at the revelation, as did Gran Torino, who returned, but had yet to enter the building.

While Ruby, Izuku, and their mentors enjoyed their lunch…

"Come along, you two. We've got more ground to cover," Glynda, South Magia, said to Ren and Nora. The pair followed the woman from behind.

"Yes, ma'am!" Nora chirped while braiding Ren's hair.

The older woman sighs to herself.

"Your mom's Texas style brisket is as good as I remembered it, Lothaire!" Fatgum complimented as he stuffs another slice into his mouth. "It's been a while since I had a meal at Archam's Treat. I need to book there again at some point."

"I'm sure my mom would be thrilled to serve you again, sir," Jaune said, keeping up with the large hero as they patrolled.

Fatgum swallowed the last brisket in his tupperware before taking an energized stance.

"I feel amped up! Let's give today our all, Lothaire!"

"Yes, sir!"

Weiss sighs to herself as she puts down the magazine she had been reading.

She had been sitting here for a while now…she couldn't help but wonder if the pro hero she had chosen was having second thoughts of her being here…

Weiss could only hope coming to this radio station was a good idea.

"Oh." A pen falls out of the hands of a senior woman. "Oh, dear…" The poor woman starts the slow and easy attempt to pick it up before something in her gives out.

A different hand appears to pick up the item. "Here you go, ma'am."

It was Penny Polendina, now in her hero costume: an olive green German styled dress with a black hem that was striped with emerald green. The abdominal region was black with four golden buttons with matching buckles on her shoulder straps. She also wore an off white blouse with puffy shoulders, frilled flared cuffs and vertical black lining down the front center and a detachable black and light green collar with a green jewel. Black, thigh boots with bright green soles and top edge covered her legs and she still retained her skewed bow behind her head, accompanied by a black hairband.

"Oh, my…why, thank you, young lady," the old woman thanked, taking the pen back.

"The pleasure was all mine," Penny said cheerfully. "Do you need any assistance?"

"Oh, no. I'm fine. Thank you."

Penny nodded. "Please, have a wonderful evening!" She waves the woman goodbye and walks away towards the waiting General Hero.

He gives her an approving smile. "That was a nice thing to do." He hadn't told her to do so. Her sharp eyes happened to have noticed the woman dropping the pen on accident. "Kindness is an important asset for any hero."

"Of course. All Might had once said in an interview that no matter how small the problem is, a helping hand is always appreciated," Penny said.

"That's right, Marionetta."

"Where to now, General?"

"Hey!" James and Penny see Manual and Tenya heading in their direction. Manual looked happy to see them, but Tenya, wearing his helmet and mask, looked off in a different direction. "I didn't think we'd be crossing paths today, General."

"Neither did I, Manual, though my stay here is only temporary."

"It's because of the Hero Killer, isn't it?" Manual asked. A quiet gasp escaped Penny. She looks over Tenya, who did not even look in her direction.

James nodded, unaware of Penny's petrifying realization. "Yes. He's proven to be quite the elusive fellow. He hasn't appeared to have left the area yet, maybe due to the many heroes present. The Nightmare Hunter has been on Stain's trail, but it would seem even they are having some difficulty tracking him down."

Penny barely understood what James was saying as she looked at her friend as thoughts swirled in her head. The Hero Killer…is still here…is that why…

'I knew who I was going to pick from the very beginning. The General Hero. Right now, he's stationed at Hosu City.'

'Do you know of any other hero stationed there, Polendina?'

'Let's see…there's Native, Manual…'

Is that why…?

Then…had she…

"Really…Even the Nightmare Hunter's having a hard time? They've been tracking the Hero Killer for a while," Manual mused. He notices the horrified expression on Penny's face and realizes she was looking at Tenya. "...Well, I won't keep you and your ward any longer. We'll be off. Let's go, Tenya."

"...Yes, sir."

Everything seems to go in slow motion to Penny as Manual and Tenya move to pass James and her. She felt and heard her heart racing as Tenya drew close, her mind struggling for any words to say to him.

She wanted to tell Tenya to not do anything foolish, to not put himself in harm's way.

But, nothing came out of her mouth.

And, before she knew it, Tenya was gone with Manual.

She wanted to after him, to stop him…

"Let's go, Marionetta," James said, heading in the opposite direction. "We still have a few hours left before sunset."

"...Yes, sir."

She needs to call Ruby.

{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}

Ruby Rose

Quirk: Petal Burst

"She can burst into a swarm of rose petals and move at high speeds."

— Affiliation: UA High School Hero Class 1-A Student

— Birthday: 10/31 (Scorpio)

— Height: 162 cm

— Blood Type: O

— Likes: Support Equipment, Support Engineering, Sweets, Strawberries

— Color: Haute Couture (A52228)

{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}

Maria Calavera (La Cazadora)

Quirk: ?

"?"

— Affiliation: Pro Underground Hero

— Birthday: 10/19 (Libra)

— Height: 115 cm

— Blood Type: AB

— Likes: Cashews

— Color: Baharroth Blue (59C8CC)

{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}

- Don't you worry about the dark - I will light up the night with the love in my heart - I will burn like the sun that will keep you safe and warm -

Ruby was pulled from her nap a few hours later from the incoming call. She unzips her sleeping bag and climbs out of her hammock. She reaches for her phone, docked on her portable charger, next to her framed photos, Totoro backpack, and boots.

Ruby bleary answers the call, barely noticing it was a FaceTime call. "Hello?"

Yang appeared, wearing her tank top and chilling on her bed.

{Hey, baby sis! How's your internsh–whoa. What happened to you? You look like you just woke up.}

"That's because I did," Ruby yawned. She noticed the little screen of herself in the lower right hand corner. Her hair was in major disarray, one severe case of bedhead.

{You were napping?}

"Believe it or not, this is a part of my training. La Cazadora wants me to be awake for nighttime training," Ruby explained.

{Oh, boy. Your internal clock is gonna get shot. Whelp, guess that means I'm gonna stay up too!}

"Yang, no. Don't!"

{It's okay, Rubes. I've been taking online classes. I don't mind being up late.}

Yang impishly grins.

{Or do you want some alone time with Midoriya?}

Ruby whips her head to her wide open door and she turns red with embarrassment and frustration. "Gah. Stop it, Yang!"

Yang giggled.

{I'll leave you alone. With Midoriya. Don't worry, I won't tell Dad. Later!}

Ruby groans once her sister hangs up.

"Sisters…huh? 22 missed calls from…Polendina?" Ruby wondered, seeing the notification. "And there's a message too." And it looked like it was sent about 10 minutes ago.

Polendina: Please call me back, Ruby. It's about Tenya!

Ruby could almost feel the sense of urgency in the text and hurried to speed dial Penny's number. The first ring barely finished before the call was answered.

/Ruby! Thank goodness! I've been trying to call you!/

"I'm sorry, Polendina. I was napping so I could train later. So, what's happening? What's wrong?"

/The Hero Killer is in Hosu City!/

"He's still in Hosu? Are you okay?"

/This isn't about me!/

Izuku pokes his head into the room. "Rose?"

Ruby motions him in. "Hold on, Polendina. Midoriya is here." Izuku sits down next to Ruby. "I'm putting you on speaker."

/Okay…can you both hear me?/

"Yeah, we can," Izuku nodded. "What's wrong?"

/I think Tenya is here in Hosu to find the Hero Killer!/

Izuku and Ruby look at each other, both mouths agape and eyes wide.

/I-I don't know what to do…Should I tell someone? …But, what if he gets in trouble…what if he gets sent home…what if he gets expelled…?/

Dread filled Izuku and Ruby. If Aizawa were to catch wind of this…he could very well expel Tenya!

"L-Let's not jump to conclusions! Let's think rationally here! Maybe Iida's there for support!" Ruby insisted, nervously.

/I don't know…I don't know…/

Penny could be heard breathing in short, quick spurts.

"Polendina? Penny? Penny, what's wrong?" Ruby asked, starting to freak out a little. Izuku takes her phone.

"Penny? Penny! Take deep, slow breaths!" Izuku urged gently. "You're panicking, Penny, but we're here for you. Are you near a place to sit?"

/U-Um…yeah…/

"Okay, now, take deep and slow breaths while I count down from 10," Izuku said. Ruby watched in amazement. "10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1. Again. 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1. How do you feel now, Penny?"

/…A little better, I think…/

"Good. Now, look around and tell me three things you see."

/…I see…my books…my cot…and my jumbo Hello Kitty Golden Age All Might plush./

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Ruby blinked a few times in bewilderment.

Izuku nodded at Penny's answers. "Now, please tell me three things you hear."

/I hear…you talking…the air conditioner…and the stereo in here./

"We're almost done and you're doing good. Last thing, move three of your body parts."

/Okay…my leg…my arm…and my eyes…I think I'm feeling better now…/

She sounded it too, much to Ruby's relief.

"That's good to hear," Izuku said, relieved as well.

/I'm sorry for worrying you two./

"No, it's fine, Polendina."

"Yeah. We're all worried about Iida," Ruby said.

/I know, it's just…he seemed different. I'm worried that he'll do something drastic./

"Remember the pinkie promise we made? About how we're gonna be there for Iida?" Ruby asked.

/…Yeah…Penny…/

"Huh?"

/You both called me Penny./

"S-Sorry about that," Ruby apologized.

"Yeah. Sorry," Izuku said.

/No. It's okay! In fact, I'm thrilled! To be honest, I've been wondering if I should ask you guys to call me by my first name or not, especially since I've called you by your first names./

"It's no problem at all, Penny. We're friends now," Ruby said. "If you wanted us to call you by your first name, all you had to do is ask."

Penny giggled.

/You're right…It's almost time for bed. I'll call you guys tomorrow./

"Hold on, Pole–I mean, Penny. Would you mind exchanging phone numbers? If you get another attack, you can call me if you wish," Izuku said.

/Oh. Okay! Thank you so much, Izuku! I have a wonderful evening!/

After the exchange, Izuku hands Ruby back her phone. She stares at the device with a pensive look.

"Should we…call Iida?" she asked.

"...We can try."

The pair took turns to call Tenya, but they had no luck getting an answer, much to their concern.

"...That was cool. What you did for Penny, I mean," Ruby said to Izuku.

Izuku tries to be nonchalant and shrugs. "I sometimes help my mom when she gets an attack and she does the same for me. I eventually do it to myself. Us Midoriyas are anxious people, so we learn to manage it, either with meditation, therapies, or medication."

"Still, you knew what to do. I was on the verge of panicking, myself," Ruby said. "Whenever my sister starts to get an anxiety attack, it's usually my dad or Uncle Qrow."

"It's not hard to learn to help someone going through an attack," Izuku said. "Just, don't tell them to calm down, it will not help."

"I'll keep that in mind." An idea comes to mind. "Hey, why don't we hurry to Hosu and visit Iida?"

"...Rose, it's past 8 pm and Hosu's over an hour away," Izuku pointed out.

Ruby groans. "Why can't Iida just open up about this! What happened to 'It's a good thing that you are telling us this. Bottling it up will only harm you'!"

"Huh?" Izuku voiced, visibly confused.

"...Iida said that after what happened in our battle trial, when I told everyone in our class what happened to Yang," Ruby said. "He's gonna explode like I did in the battle trial. The difference between this and that time is that this isn't a class exercise. This…could get real."

Izuku visibly slouches. "...This is frustrating."

"Yeah…"

"Knock, knock," Maria said at the doorway. "Ready to go…" She grins. "Roslein Ryder?"

Hearing her hero name reminded Ruby why she was here. To become a hero. And maybe, with the thanks of her training, she could help Tenya get Stain in the future.

Provided that he doesn't try to do it by himself.

"Ready to go!" Ruby exclaimed, jumping into the dark main room, dressed in her costume.

Maria shushes her. "Gran Torino is still asleep."

"Oop." Ruby smacks her hands over her mouth. Her eyes darted around until they landed on the man snoring on the couch, still dressed in his hero costume. "He's asleep already?"

"He's been asleep not long after you went for your nap," Maria said. She playfully elbows Ruby. "He's such an old man. Let's go."

Izuku comes down into the lobby, dressed in full gear too.

"Are you coming with us, Midoriya?" Ruby whispered.

Izuku shook his head. "I haven't done any training today, so I thought I could try and test out some more flexible techniques in the alley nearby."

"Okay. Be careful," Ruby said.

"You too."

Ruby and Maria head out into the night, with only the moon, stars, streetlights, and late opened buildings illuminating the area. There weren't a lot of people out on the streets, which makes sense as most would be at home at this point. Still…

"There's…a lot more people out than I expected," Ruby observed. She even sees what could be college students emerging from what might be a bar.

"Really? I'd think it's usually more lively than this. What makes you say that?" Maria asked.

"I think it's because I live in an exurb area. Not a lot of big buildings except for the Emerald Bridge," Ruby said. She spots a missing poster for a lost cat. The long haired tabby cat looked grumpy with a red collar and gold colored tag.

"Not much of a city girl, huh?"

"When I was, like, really, really young," Ruby said. "I used to live in Sanus City up until the year after my mom died."

"That's back in Shizuoka, yes? Just north into Mountain Guren?"

"Yeah…Say, what was my mom like as your intern?" Ruby asked.

Before Maria responded, there was a noise from nearby. At first, the pair thought it was a villain until they saw a small shadow leap from boxes. Ruby recognized what it is.

"It's the cat from the poster!" she exclaimed. "And it's so cute and fluffy!" The cat runs off down the street. "Ah! Wait! Someone was looking for you!" Ruby runs after the cat.

"Ryder, wait! You don't know the area!" Maria called out, but Ruby was already too far ahead as she chased the cat.

The cat seemed more intelligent as it tried to lose Ruby, jumping and leaping on boxes and debris to get away. Ruby tries to keep up, but at some point, she manages to get herself lodged on a low pipe. So, she hung there as she watched the cat disappear, but not before it gave her smug look.

"Oh, cats."

Consider Taiyang Xiao Long's rule of not running off without permission broken.

Ruby reunites with Maria in a cafe not too far. The older woman wasn't pleased as she took a sip from her drink.

The girl silently takes a seat across from her mentor, looking ashamed.

"...So, what have we learned from this moment?" Maria asked in a serious tone.

"...To not run off," Ruby said.

"Correct. This is your first time in Agasu, so I highly doubt you have knowledge of the layout," Maria said. She takes out a folded paper. "I was going to give this to you to study." Maria gives Ruby the paper. She unfolds it to find a series of blocks colored in a variety of shades of gray, segmented in varying sized groups. Some of the blocks have names in them, likely names of different shops. One block seems to be colored in a dull shade of blue with the name of the cafe in it. "It is a cadastral map of this part of Agasu. You are tasked to go around and locate these buildings while mapping your route. I expect you to find every possible path available to you. And be sure to take note of anything noteworthy as well."

"Wouldn't it have been better if I did this during the day?" Ruby asked.

"I didn't see the point because the night makes things feel different," Maria said. "Tell me, when we were walking, did the street feel familiar to you?"

"No."

"Is that so? Even though it was part of the same path you took when you were on your way here?"

Ruby blinked with surprise. "Really?"

Maria nodded. "When night falls, it's like a whole different world. And right now, you need to go out there and familiarize yourself with the area at this time. As for me, I'm staying here to monitor your progress."

"I'm doing this alone?" Ruby questioned.

"You seemed perfectly fine with running off by yourself earlier," Maria retorted. Ruby glowered. "Now, off with you. Clocks ticking!"

[Night 1 of Ruby's Internship]

Chapter 19: Improvements to Be Made

As I was writing the scenes involving Maria and Gran Torino, they somehow reminded me of Phil and Gertrude from Hey Arnold. I hope the Spanish is okay.