Hello all, and welcome to chapter twelve of Hero! Here we are, launching into the next story arc, and I just have to say thank you for the continued support on this story! I'm glad you all are enjoying this! I've been getting more and more ideas for plots and stuff and that will continue onward! But for now, let's see how Kytheon handles his internship!
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Kytheon looked up at the building in front of him and smiled. After the students had parted ways at the train station, he had taken the required stops to get to the Yoroi Musha agency. Sure he could have gone for one of the higher heroes that had requested him, but he felt that he shared a kindred spirit with the old man. A phrase came unbidden to the front of his mind.
"Beware an old man in a profession where many die young."
In a line of work such as heroics, one who reaches old age and still manages to be at the top is certainly someone to be reckoned with. Sure, with his preliminary research, he saw that he was once in the top three and has been steadily falling, he merely chalked that up to better looking faces rising through the ranks. He held his costume briefcase to his side as he strode forwards and pushed open the door of the rather nondescript building. So Yoroi wasn't one for putting on a show, that was good.
He was greeted inside by a woman in very traditional clothing, who bowed to him. He blinked and bowed back.
"Good morning, Kytheon Iora. Mr. Musha is in his office right now, he asked me to guide you to the changing room first so you could get into costume. Then I will take you to him. Please, follow me." She said, before turning on her heel and gliding down a hallway. He was very briefly caught off guard by the sight of the fox tail waving behind her, but he quickly shook it off and followed after her.
Once inside the changing room, he opened up the case. He smiled, seeing the familiar armor gleaming in the light. He picked up the small white pamphlet that came with it, opening it to the first page and starting to read.
Dear Kytheon Iora,
Here you will find your hero costume. We here at the support center decided to make a few upgrades to what you had before, based on reports from the USJ incident. You will find that the armor has been made out of a special alloy that is just as tough as your previous set, but a fraction of the weight so that you don't need to worry about sinking like a stone. However, without better knowledge of your quirk, we have been unable to make too many new adjustments to your suit. We do hope you swing by in the future for some testing and explanations. I fear young Hatsume might explode with excitement if you keep it a mystery.
Sincerely, Power Loader.
Kytheon chuckled at the thought of that strange pink haired girl. She seemed like she would have a heart attack if ever she met Karn. Which would probably throw him into a slight panic mode, but oh well.
He pulled the armor out and laid the pieces down. They certainly were much lighter than before, which he would have to adapt to. But it probably wouldn't be too different from fighting in the jumpsuit like at the tournament. He knocked his knuckles against it, unsure of the true strength of the material, but shrugged. Surely the support department knew what they were doing. He began strapping himself in, noticing that the gatewatch symbol on the back was a bit more brightly emblazoned than before. He smiled, knowing the symbol was now his namesake as well. Once he was all suited up, he stepped back outside, where the fox tailed woman smiled and began to take him upstairs.
Once he was at the door, the woman left him. He raised his hand to knock when a gruff voice called to him from the other side.
"Come in."
Kytheon blinked and slid the door open, stepping through it. Inside was built like a dojo, and sitting in the lotus position in full armor, was Yoroi Musha. He met eyes with the veteran hero and bowed, before standing rigidly at attention as he stood up. The armored hero walked up close and circled Kytheon, looking him over before stopping in front of him.
"You are no kid. Who are you really?" Yoroi asked.
"Excuse me sir?"
"You carry yourself with the confidence and obedience of a soldier yet you appear to be in your teens. Your eyes tell a different story, as does the way your body stands. Your balance is perfect, every muscle coiled and ready to spring into action. Many pro heroes do not even have that discipline, let alone a teenager. So I ask you again. Who are you really?"
Kytheon swallowed. This old man could see through him in an instant. The years of experience were not just for show.
"I am Kytheon Iora. Hero name: Gatewatch. My legal guardian is the Pro hero Midnight."
Kytheon could see his teacher's eyes narrow from inside his helmet as they stared deep into his own.
"The tongue can be trained to mislead, to lie and deceive. You answered the surface of the question, yes. But there is another answer that cannot be told through word of mouth." The elder stepped back, drawing out a katana that gleamed in the limited sunlight coming through the window. "Show me who you are!"
Kytheon unfurled his sural from under the plate on his right hand, immediately shifting with practiced ease into a stance for combatting the sword the elder hero held. He could tell from the stance that Musha took that his abnormal weapon was not going to be a mystery to him. He would not have an advantage there. With a flick of his wrist, Kytheon built up a burst of speed along the length of the ribbon-like metal, circling his body before lashing out.
Musha immediately lunged into his guard, swinging the sword down at Kytheon. The teen leaned backwards, flicking his wrist downwards to try and wrap up Musha's sword and disarm him. But as soon as he moved, Musha had twisted and retreated slightly, a slash coming at his side. Kytheon dove over the sword slash, landing in a tucked roll, making sure to not land on his Sural as he swung it up to deflect the backswing aimed to catch his back. With the successful deflection, Kytheon went on the offensive again, creating a sphere of safety around himself of gleaming metal, glittering strips lashing out periodically, always being met in kind by a flash of steel from the pro hero.
This whole time, Kytheon kept his eyes on Musha's face as best he could, and the unblinking eyes gave him pause. Those orange orbs were constantly skimming his form, gleaming every so often when the weapons caught the light. It was as if he was reading Kytheon like a book. Realizing something, he leapt back to gain some distance, stopping his sural with a clatter but staying ready. Yoroi narrowed his eyes at the teen.
"You've noticed something."
"Perhaps." Kytheon said, not wanting to give Musha any hints.
"Interesting. Let's test your theory."
Quicker than before, Musha lunged forwards, a flash of steel as he thrust his katana forwards. This time, instead of moving to block, Kytheon waited until the last possible second before allowing his reflexes to take over, twisting out of the path of the sword and flicking his wrist, successfully knocking Yoroi's sword up. Then when he went to try and capitalize on the open guard, Yoroi moved with blinding speed, catching the swung blow with the flat of his sword. Sparks flew from where Kytheon's small shield impacted the sword. Kytheon tried to launch another assault, only to be met with a flurry of slashes that knocked all ribbons of his sural in different directions, cutting their speed. Kytheon jumped backwards again and tried to get ready for another assault when Yoroi sheathed his sword.
"Enough, stand down student."
Kytheon allowed himself to relax, arms falling down to his sides. Now that the adrenaline wasn't coursing through his veins, he realized just how drained he felt. Every impact with the older teacher's sword had been fierce, and he could feel the remnants of the impacts in his shoulders. He glanced at the clock and saw with mild surprise that the whole exchange only lasted about one minute.
"I will take you as my intern for the coming week. However, I expect that you will eventually share the truth with me."
"Excuse me sir?"
"You are no teen, no matter your appearance. I had yet to meet an opponent that was able to figure out how my quirk operated in such a short flurry of blows, and yet you were able to deduce and even form a modicum of a plan to foil it. That is not a skill a teen should have. That is the skill of someone who has been in more battles than times of peace against foes who threaten their life. You clearly fight with forms taught to you, and yet I have never seen them before. And while I have combatted a similar weapon to yours in the past, I have never seen one in the particular configuration you have. There are too many unknown details that do not match up with the information I have received from you this far."
Kytheon couldn't help but open his eyes a bit wider as he heard his teacher rattle off these details he noticed, all within the space of a minute long fight.
"So I will ask you one final time. Who. Are. You."
"I am Kytheon Iora, of the city of Akros in Theros. I am more widely known as Gideon Jura, Founder of the Gatewatch."
Yoroi Musha nodded as he took in the almost regal form Kytheon portrayed as he stated once more.
"And what is it that you want, Kytheon Iora?"
One eyebrow went up under Musha's helmet when he saw the wince that Kytheon tried to hide, Erebos's voice echoing in Kytheon's head.
"Peace."
"Peace?" Yoroi asked, folding his arms and staring at the armored teen before him. "A lofty goal, and a costly one."
"And I am prepared to do whatever it takes."
"And you already have…" Yoroi mumbled, narrowing his eyes. "You must be tired. My assistant will guide you to where you will be staying during your internship with me. I request that you join me downstairs for dinner to meet my sidekicks and to share more about yourself at Six o'clock on the dot." The elder sat back down in the lotus position. "Your training will officially start tomorrow. We will see what I can actually teach you then. You are dismissed."
And with a bow, Kytheon stepped out of the room.
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In an abandoned building in Hosu, a figure was hunched over a campfire, but when an explosion rang out, his head jerked around. Screams and yells could be heard, and a grin began to widen across his face. Normally the other so-called villains of this world meant nothing to him. But these blasts… They were far larger than any prior attacks he had heard. And that meant someone organized was moving. Someone with a purpose.
And this chaos meant that he could make his official debut.
The teen threw off his shabby coat he had draped over himself, clad in a pair of boots, pants made of hides and a set of bony pauldrons. He grabbed the can of dark green paint he looted, and drew the arch on his face before grabbing the weapon that had followed him after his death. With a swelling of energy, he strode out the front door and looked to the sky.
"Far from home, and yet much remains the same. Let's bring the rubblebelt!"
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Kytheon was tired, he had a headache, and the sight he could see was only making it so much worse.
The past few days had been relentless. He underwent constant training against Yoroi Musha himself, and never seemed to gain any ground on the older male. No matter what strategy he tried to use to thwart the old man's quirk, he never managed to succeed. From dawn to dusk, it was training and patrolling. Some people would recognize him on the street and try to talk to him, but he was getting better at sidestepping the situations. Sleep was a minimalist affair, collapsing late at night into the light futon and rising before the sun to practice fighting while exhausted. It was at that point that Kytheon realized how soft he had let this world make him, as this was nothing compared to his double stint on Zendikar and Ravnica.
Then the explosions started.
The fires lit up the skies in Hosu, and he and the rest of Yoroi's division was called to the scene to fight off the bizarre and twisted creatures that Kytheon recognized as Nomu, albeit kinds he had never seen before. But as it seemed that the pros had it well taken care of, he turned his head to the sounds of more commotion.
Screaming people were running away from the scene of a collapsing building, and even from this distance, Kytheon felt something strangely familiar about it.
"Musha! Something is going on over there as well! I am heading to help evacuate!"
"Understood, brat!"
Kytheon began running through the fleeing crowd, starting to glow slightly as he prepared for whatever might be there. That was when he heard someone shout something that he never thought he would hear.
"What's with those boars? Where did they come from?!"
His eyes widened as another building started to collapse, and a sound he didn't know he would hear again filled the streets. The tramping of hooves, thousands running in a stampede. The rhythm of the wild…
"Gods be damned, it can't be…"
"YES! SMASH THIS CITY TO THE GROUND! BREAK IT DOWN AND BURN THE ROT THAT LIES WITHIN! LET THE LAWS OF MAN FALL TO THE WAYSIDE! HEED NATURE'S CALLING AND LET LOOSE THE BEAST WITHIN!"
Kytheon stared at the absolute chaos going on as beasts of all shapes and sizes rampaged around. Boars were charging civilians on the streets as gorehorns and wrecking beasts smashed into the concrete structures on either side. And at the center, riding on the largest beast, was Domri Rade. He was waving his staff as red and green magic swirled around him, calling forth beasts from his memory, bellowing war cries as yet another building was toppled. He could see more Pro heroes coming to try and wrangle the beasts and bring them down as he moved in the way, stopping a boar from trampling a fleeing civilian. He tapped the ear piece Yoroi had given him.
"Musha! We need some big names over here to help stop this rampage. There are a ton of beasts running wild…. And someone I recognize is leading them!"
"You mean someone from your old life?"
"Yes, and unfortunately he is not a friend!"
Upon seeing a flash of golden light, Domri turned to look and gaped in shock.
"No way… Even here you try and stop me? Why are you here Gideon!?"
Kytheon looked up. "I could ask you the same thing Domri!" He bellowed, charging in. Domri sent a few of the larger beasts at Kytheon, but his aura flared from the impacts and a few slashes with his sural were enough to cripple the beasts. Domri spat on the ground.
"This place is no better than Ravnica, Gideon! It deserves what is coming to it! It's corrupt and it is weak! My mission has not changed, and I will bring about a new Gruul here!"
"You will be stopped, Domri!" Kytheon yelled as he slashed down another ceratok to get one step closer, only to be brutally knocked aside as Domri laughed.
"Not by you! You may have strength, but I have numbers! Can you really be so dumb as to fight an army by yourself?"
"I did just fine after you perished like a fool!" Kytheon barked, allowing himself a smirk of satisfaction as Domri's face twisted into a snarl.
"Things are different now!" He roared. He motioned for more beasts to charge the teen, but that allowed several of the other pro heroes who were listening while fighting to push inwards. Domri's eyes narrowed, and he could tell that things were going to end poorly. Already his mana was strained after summoning so many beasts to this world.
"This will not be the end, Gideon Jura! I will never be fully stopped, and you know the chaos I can and will cause. The rubblebelt will return, mark my words!" Domri yelled, calling up the largest boar he could, sending it barreling through a crowd as he dove into the rubble of a collapsed building. Kytheon immediately turned and ran forwards, stretching out an arm to call forth glowing chains under the massive creature, pinning it down long enough for some professionals to render it unconscious.
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"Nomus really are great… but what is that going on over there? Is someone trying to steal my thunder?" Shigaraki mumbled, scratching at his neck as he watched several buildings collapse, creating a large lot of rubble.
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Once the boar was taken care of and the professionals started taking care of the now leaderless beasts, Kytheon snuck into an alleyway to catch his breath and dodge the inevitable questioning that he would have been bombarded with. He had his own questions after all. Domri was here too? That raised the terrifying question of who else might be here. How many other dangerous planeswalkers could be lurking in the shadows? He was fortunate enough that it was just Domri, he doubted any of the pro heroes here could feasibly fight Nicol Bolas. The mere thought of the dragon pharaoh sent a shiver down his spine as he ran a hand through his hair. His earpiece chirped.
"Kytheon, is everything alright?"
"Yes sir. Everything seems to be wrapping up here. The villain got away, but several of his beasts are still rampaging. They are swiftly being brought under control, however. Things will be all good over here soon… hmm?" He mumbled as he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out, eyes widening when he saw it was Izuku, and just his location.
"Something the matter Kytheon?"
"A friend of mine just requested my help. I will meet you again back at the agency. It's not too far, and I know the way back."
"Very well, I know you can handle yourself well with the tools at your disposal. See you back at base for a full report."
"Understood sir. Thank you."
With that, Kytheon began running through the alleyways, zooming out on the map of his phone to pick the best route.
"What the hell have you gotten yourself into Izuku…"
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"Stop it!" Izuku yelled, limbs trembling as he tried to force himself to move, to do anything to stop the psychopath from killing the prone Tenya. How could things have gone so poorly so quick? He thought he had gotten better with full cowling, but this guy's quirk was too strong! But that was when a sound and sight that brought elation to his heart met his senses.
"Villain!"
Kytheon bellowed, flying in from behind, delivering a haymaker to the back of the Hero Killer's head, sending him tumbling forwards.
"Kytheon!" Izuku and Tenya both yelled.
Stain flipped and twisted so he would land on his feet, skidding back as Kytheon took stock of the situation. Tenya and Izuku were both apparently immobile, and there was a third hero he didn't recognize bleeding heavily to the side of the alley.
"Can any of you move?" He asked, receiving various voices of dissent, never taking his eyes off the hero killer standing there, staring at him. The expression behind his mask was unreadable, but Kytheon could feel the vile air of a murderer from him. He reminded him of Krenko, in a way. By far not the most powerful foe out there compared to some. But it was exactly that which let him get away with his crimes for so long.
"What are you doing here Kytheon?" Tenya gasped out.
"My job. There are pro heroes not too far from here, if we can get you to safety, you will survive."
"But the hero killer! We can't let him get away!"
"You're right, but we would only lose more people if we only kept up pursuit. A hero's job is to rescue people. It is not to fight!"
"Oh?" Stain said, tilting his head as his eyes widened. "You have good friends, Ingenium… But for now I have to kill you for standing in my way…" He said, shifting his sword into a new grip. Kytheon grimaced.
'There's no way I can get all three away from him, the moment I go to rescue one, the others are all in peril. He has many knives visible, so he probably has more hidden elsewhere. I bet he's at least proficient in aiming thrown knives so unless I fully bind him it is unlikely that I can even fully stop him…' Immediately Kytheon was jerked from his musings as Stain leapt forwards.
With a flash, Kytheon whipped out his sural, making a glowing arc of flashing steel to intercept the chipped katana as it swung down at him. Sparks flew as the weapons collided with each other, Stain leaping back to avoid the glowing chains Kytheon called out from the ground.
"Don't let him cut you Kytheon! His quirk has something to do with blood!"
"Understood!" Kytheon said, his whole body glowing as he called forth his aura to surround him. Stretching the mana in him thin, already worn low from the near constant training and the brief scuffle with Domri, he reached out with an anthem, causing the three paralyzed heroes to feel a warm presence wash over them, starting to push away their weariness, allowing them to start pushing against the quirk that bound them. However, this meant that Kytheon was distracted, receiving a boot to the jaw. While it wasn't enough to harm him, it was certainly enough to stagger him a few steps. He hissed and lashed out with his sural again, forcing Stain to jump backwards yet again.
Kytheon didn't even flinch as Stain threw a knife at his arm, allowing it to skate off the swirling golden aura and spiral off to the side without even leaving a scratch. Stain's eyes narrowed.
"One hell of a quirk you have, kid. Never seen anything like it before."
"It may be my quirk but it doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the people! I am Gatewatch, and it is my duty to protect those around me!" He declared, running forwards to make sure he kept the attention on himself and not any of the other paralyzed victims in the alleyway. Stain smirked as he dove in with a flurry of blows, all of which were expertly parried by Kytheon in flashes of steel and golden light.
"You, kid, are true hero material, different from the two fakes over there!"
'Two fakes? Three people down… one of these people Stain approves of. I need to protect the other two. But which one…'
"Why… why are you two… please stop… I've inherited my brother's name. I have to do it… That guy's mine!"
"Inherited it? What kind of a sentiment is that? Would your brother really wish for you to commit a murder? I won't pretend to know everything that went down between you and him, but I don't think this right now is you!"
Tenya gasped as Kytheon and Stain launched into another flurry of blows, noticing that there were more and more impacts against Kytheon's aura then against his sural, and Stain was fighting like a demon possessed. A barrage of knife stabs and sword slashes, intricately woven together. Slowly but surely, Kytheon was being driven back. That is when several things happened at once.
A sudden kick from Stain caught Kytheon off guard, the spiked shoes slashing him in a gap in his armor. One of the five ribbons of Kytheon's sural caught Stain on the side of the leg. The sudden pain was enough of a distraction for Stain to plunge his knife down and into the gap between his kneecap and thigh bone, but also meant that Stain received a powerful blow from a recovered Izuku, forcing him to leave the knife sticking out of Kytheon's leg.
Kytheon bit out a harsh curse in Akroan, falling as his leg gave out underneath him, Izuku stepping in front of him.
"Kytheon! Are you ok!?"
"It's like Krenko all over again…" He mumbled to himself. "Don't worry about me. How are you able to move?"
"I don't know! A time limit?"
"That doesn't make sense…" Kytheon looked over at the injured pro hero. "He was the last one gotten, but I can't move yet.."
"He takes in a person's blood to keep them from moving. Since I got free first, I can think of three possible reasons." Izuku said, and Kytheon smirked. Leave it to his friend to be able to perform such high analyses in the heat of battle.
"Let's hear it then." Kytheon said, getting up into a shaky but ready stance, focusing some aura around his leg to keep the knife from moving.
"It's either less effective with more people, the amount ingested could affect how long it works, or there could be a difference in effectiveness based on a person's blood type!"
"Blood type? Mine is B…"
"I'm type A…"
"And I… don't know mine." Kytheon finished, narrowing his eyes. "An interesting idea…"
"Blood type? That's correct."
"But I can't do anything just with knowledge of his quirk though." Izuku said, pushing himself to his feet. Kytheon nodded.
"Avoiding sharp pointy things has always kinda been on the to do list, huh. I want us to get all of us out of here, but he reacts too quickly and we would have no options to escape if we each carried one of the injured."
"So our best option…"
"...Is to hold out and try to draw enough attention to get more pro heroes here, yes." Kytheon finished, wincing as the knife blade shifted. Stain grinned.
"Even as injured as you are, you are determined to protect these two fakers even now? How admirable. Yes, you two definitely deserve to live."
"Kytheon, you've lost too much blood already against his quirk, you are at risk of falling victim if you go on the offensive. You stay back and protect the two of them while I keep him occupied up close."
"Understood, but the instant you slip up, we are switching places." Kytheon said, slowly shifting backwards even as energy surrounded Midoriya.
As Izuku began bouncing from wall to wall in a blur of green, Kytheon took another step back, ready to launch himself into the fight if he needed to, but for now trusting in Izuku's capabilities.
"Please stop… I'm already…"
"Silence, Tenya! If you want us to stop protecting you, stand up and show that you can do it yourself! Take that step and prove who you want to be remembered as!" Kytheon bit back a curse, thrusting his arms out, calling forth glowing chains to try and ensnare Stain, who had just paralyzed Izuku a second time. The Hero Killer leapt backwards and began dashing at Kytheon, repeatedly dodging from side to side to avoid the steadily weakening chains that Kytheon called upon.
"Your quirk is powerful. But it seems to be draining you and getting weaker… You are not invincible!" Stain snarled, getting in close. He lashed out with a kick, catching the handle of the knife in Kytheon's leg with the heel of his boot. In the roar of agony, Stain could see a flicker in Kytheon's aura as it went down to try and protect his leg from being cut off, leaving his torso bare. And with a thrust of his chipped katana…
"KYTHEON!"
"RECIPRO… BURST!"
CLANG
In a sudden burst of motion, a familiar white armor flew into view, breaking the katana before Kytheon could be impaled and brutally kicking Stain to the side, even as Kytheon fell to one knee.
"Kytheon, Midoriya, this has nothing to do with you two, and I apologize."
"You're saying that again?" Izuku asked, staring at Tenya.
"That's why I can't allow you two to bleed more than this!"
"It's no use trying to be reformed for appearance's sake. A person's essence does not change so easily." Stain spat, narrowing his eyes at the speedster standing once again. "You will never be anything but a fake who prioritizes his own selfish desires. You are a cancer to society that warps the idea of 'heroes.' Someone must set you straight."
"Don't listen to him Tenya! I've seen selfish people change and become a hero!"
"No, He's right. I have no right to call myself a hero… even so, I cannot give in." Tenya stated, clenching his fist even as blood poured from his shoulder wound. Kytheon smirked. He could feel the change in Tenya's resolve, and the new motivation that was taking root.
"If I give in, then Ingenium will die!"
"Out of the question!" Stain bellowed, lunging forwards only to have to jump back as Kytheon's sural lashed out in front of him to intercept the deranged murderer.
"Idiot! The Hero killer is after me and that kid in white armor, right? Don't fight back, it'd be better if you ran away!"
"Shut it! It is too late to do anything about it now, we can't run from the enemy! We can not back down now, after we have held out for so long! Besides, something has definitely changed in him right now. He's getting desperate, and he knows that a prolonged fight with multiple opponents does not favor him in the slightest." Kytheon said, lashing out at Stain whenever he tried to get in close to attack either Tenya or the hero. He heard some chuffs coming from Tenya's legs and remembered from the sports festival.
"Tenya! Your quirk is a part of you, yes?"
"Um, yes?"
"If you try to force it after the recipro burst, what will happen?"
"The engines are already overheated, I need more time to let them cool!"
"No time! I will bear this burden for you!" He said, clasping a hand on Tenya's shoulder.
"You're in the way!" Stain bellowed, launching a knife at Kytheon. Kytheon closed his eyes, knowing what was about to come. He dove in the way, taking the knife right to the back of his shoulder and letting it sink into his flesh as a golden light started to cover Tenya. He threw out his other arm, catching the knife in the back of his forearm with a yell.
"DO IT NOW IIDA! TRUST ME!" Kytheon screamed, bracing for what was to come, seeing Izuku standing up off to the side again.
"DAMMIT!" Tenya yelled as the engines started to glow, but not feeling any of the pain that should come from his engines overheating. He tried to ignore the agonized scream coming from Kytheon where he lay on the ground as he pressed forwards.
"Recipro… extend!"
Kytheon was in more pain than he would like to admit, as several circles on his legs started to glow red with heat, steadily escalating until the backs of the greaves he wore began to melt under the heat and burn his calves as he pressed himself into the ground, writhing in agony. Even amidst the torturous experience, he allowed himself a smirk as he saw Tenya approaching from the front and Izuku from the side in a pincer maneuver that Stain did not see coming until it was too late.
And with a brutal slam, Stain was slammed to the floor and rendered unconscious from the sheer force of the blow. Izuku and Tenya dropped to the ground with a pair of solid thuds.
"He's… He's got to be knocked out after all of that, right?" Izuku asked, staring in mild disbelief as Kytheon tried and failed to stand upright. Tenya and Izuku immediately whirled to look at Kytheon, gasping in disbelief at the state he was in.
"Oh my god Kytheon are you ok?!"
"Of course not Izuku…" Kytheon harshly chuckled, his legs smoking. "But he's down, so the sacrifice was worth it… that went much better than the last time I tried that…" he chuckled weakly, coughing. "Don't worry about me, restrain him before he can wake up!" He said, turning and dragging himself across over to the Pro hero staring at him in disbelief. "Can you move now, sir?"
With Stain unconscious, the pro hero nodded, pushing himself upright. "You are one reckless kid… I've never seen someone do that before. I remember seeing you on the tv for the sports festival, so I know you were powerful. But you've got an even stronger heart, Kid. Here, it's the least I could do. My name is Native." He said, slinging Kytheon over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.
"I'm sorry, even though I'm a Pro, I was just in the way, just another liability for you." Native said, glancing over his shoulder at Tenya and Izuku, who had finished tying up and disarming the hero killer and were now holding each other up and working together to drag stain along.
"His quirk favors a one-on-one confrontation." Midoriya chimed in. "I doubt any of us aside from Kytheon really stood a chance if it was just us alone."
Kytheon shook his head. "As you can see, that is clearly false. I may look indestructible, but even I have my limits."
"Well, that being said let's quickly get him to the police-"
"Wha- Why are you here?"
Kytheon looked across the abandoned street at the squat yellow figure that stood there. From the sound of it, Izuku recognized him. But Kytheon couldn't care anymore. With the loss of blood from his leg, back and arm, plus the severe burns on his legs, and the mana exhaustion, Kytheon couldn't care much about anything anymore, passing out on Native's shoulders, blissfully unaware of the danger he was still in.
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The small collection of students, seniors, and sidekicks were all standing, waiting for the ambulance and the police to arrive when suddenly…
"GET DOWN!"
The last nomu, the winged one that was missing an eye came swooping down, scooping up the unconscious Kytheon off of Native's shoulders with one claw and Izuku with the other, immediately rising higher into the sky.
"There's blood! Did he escape here after being beaten?"
"If he gets too high, I won't be able to reach him with my quirk!"
But a loud slurp and a flash of steel solved the sudden problem as Stain swept by one of the heroes and licked along her cheek, swiping up the blood of the flying nomu, causing it to freeze up and start plummeting to the ground.
"This society overgrown with fake heroes… and the criminals who wave their power around idly…"
Stain plunged his knife into the nomu's head, all four of them being sent crashing to the ground as a result. The unconscious Kytheon could not protect himself and ended up with a rough scrape on his face as Izuku turned and tried to scoot back.
"This is all… to create a more just society."
"He… saved them?"
"No, he must be taking them as hostages!"
"He just killed someone with no hesitation.."
"Anyway, get ready to fight for now!"
"Why are you all standing in a group?"
Everyone turned and looked, seeing Endeavor and Shoto come running around the corner.
"The villain should've escaped this way."
"How are things on your end?"
"Things got a little rough. But Shoto and I managed. Don't tell me that man is…?"
Stain's breathing was labored and raspy as he turned his head.
"Endeavor…"
"Hero Killer!"
"Wait Todoroki...s!" Gran Torino shouted, sticking out a hand to stop both Enji and Shoto who were moving to attack immediately. Stain stood fully and turned, leaving the unconscious Kytheon and weakened Izuku behind as his mask fell off.
"You fake… I must make things right... Someone must be dyed in blood… I must take back what it means to be a hero! Come! Try and get me, you fakes! The only one I'll let kill me is the true hero… ALL MIGHT!"
After the bold declaration, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of Stain's knife hitting the ground.
############################
In the Hosu general hospital, Kytheon blearily blinked his eyes until they were clear, groaning in pain. Every inch of his body was agonizing over the numerous injuries that littered his body, and he could feel the pressure of several bandages and a splint formed around his leg. His eyes took in the rather bland ceiling, before pushing himself upright.
"Kytheon!"
The Akroan teen heard two voices calling out to him, and he looked over to see a very relieved looking Tenya and Izuku, both sporting hospital gowns and their own bandages. He allowed a smile to spread over his face, which morphed into a wince as his injuries flared again. He focused and allowed a little bit of mana to flow to the injured spots, letting it soothe a bit of the intensity. Izuku smiled.
"I think you're the only one that slept last night…" He said, glancing over at Tenya, who nodded. Kytheon laughed.
"Not like I had much of a say in the matter though. I am glad to see you are doing alright, last night was extreme…"
"Yeah, thinking about it now, we did something amazing, huh. Seeing an ending like that really makes you feel like it's a miracle we are alive."
"Oh? Did something happen after I passed out?" Kytheon asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn't think that the end to the fight was that impressive over all.
"Oh, right… you were unconscious. One of the nomu grabbed both of us, but Stain somehow broke free and saved both of us. It was pretty terrifying… With my leg like this and your state back then, he probably could have easily killed both of us…"
"But he didn't." Kytheon finished, looking down. "He did say that we were two who were allowed to live, though, didn't he? But still… to be saved by a villain…" he trailed off. The idea was not exactly foreign to him, but the thought of Nicol Bolas changing his mind and helping them fight the Eldrazi was a rather amusing thought.
"Oh? You wounded kids are awake?"
Kytheon turned to see the squat yellow figure from before along with a man in a blue and white wetsuit and helmet standing in the door. Judging by the voices from next to him, these were the mentors they were interning with, Gran Torino and Manual. It appeared as though Gran Torino was gonna dress Izuku down then and there when their apparent visitor stepped through the door.
Kytheon had seen werewolves and wolfir before on Innistrad, so dog-headed men were not exactly new to him. This man wasn't so fierce as a wolf, but Kytheon had to say he still carried himself with dignity. Kenji Tsuragame was a man who radiated authority, and Kytheon was not surprised to hear he was the chief of police for the district. Tenya stood up, and Izuku and Kytheon both made a motion to join him, but Kenji raised a hand.
"Please, stay seated, especially you young man."
Kytheon glanced down, realizing that with the splint on one leg and the swath of bandages around the other, he supposed that made sense.
"You must be the U.A. students who brought down the Hero Killer, right?"
"Yes sir." Kytheon responded with a resolute nod.
"Regarding the hero killer we arrested… He had fairly serious injuries, with several bones broken and a few minor lacerations, and is receiving treatment under strict guard, woof. Since you are U.A. students, I'm sure you already know that when superpowers were still becoming the norm, the police attached high importance to leadership and standards, and made sure Quirks were not used as weapons. And then, the profession of 'hero' emerged to fill that gap, woof. For an individual's use of force and power that can easily kill others, actions that normally would be appropriate to denounce, to be accepted officially is thanks to early heroes who followed the ethics and rules of the profession, woof. Even up against the hero killer, for uncertified individuals to cause injury with their quirks without specific instruction from their guardians or supervisors is a clear violation of the rules. The two of you, and the pro heroes Manual and Gran Torino must receive strict punishment."
"Wait wait wait. The two of them?" Kytheon asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. "I was there, I am certain that I would be among those guilty parties. Why would they be receiving punishment and not me?" He asked, trying to force himself to his feet and failing. Kenji raised a hand to stay him.
"Based on the reports from your fellow students and the pro hero Native, you never used your quirk to cause injury unlawfully. You caused injury with your hero tool, but after discussion with Yoroi Musha, you were certified to use that this week, and were permitted to use it, in general and for the situation you alerted him to. I will have a discussion with him about the endangerment of U.A. students, but you have violated no laws, unlike your first stint with confronting crime." He chuckled, thinking back on the report from that first day. Kytheon was not laughing.
"But if Tenya hadn't done anything, the Hero Killer would have killed Native and gotten away with it. If Izuku hadn't arrived, Tenya would have died as well. How can self defense and the protection of others be considered illegal?"
"Are you saying that as long as it turns out alright, it's okay to bend the rules?"
Kytheon grit his teeth. It was like dealing with the Azorius all over again. "I'm saying that the rules shouldn't prevent such actions in the first place! What point is there to a hero if they are unable to save what matters to them?"
"That is why you are not a full-fledged hero yet. Goodness, what are you being taught by U.A? I always knew Yoroi was a bit old-fashioned…"
Kytheon had to bite back a stream of Akroan curses by reminding himself that a hero was a profession here, and not the title he was used to from other planes. Hero meant different things here. He settled for grinding out the Akroan word for 'dog' through gritted teeth.
"At least hear him out until the end, kid." Gran Torino said, raising an eyebrow at the aggression in Kytheon's gaze.
"That was the official opinion of the police. And the punishment and such would only happen if this were all made public, woof. If this were made public, you would probably be applauded by the public, but you would not be able to escape punishment. On the other hand, this is a bit underhanded, but if it is not made public, the injuries would support Gran Torino being the hero that saved the day, and it would end there, woof. Thankfully, there were barely any witnesses, and the violation would be crushed there. But this would also mean no one would know about your good judgement or achievements, with the exception of you, Kytheon."
"No."
"Hmm?"
Kenji glanced at Kytheon, who seemed to have calmed down. Now he was just sitting slightly slumped, his hands resting in his lap.
"A true hero does not pursue the glory of victory and applause. A true hero's reward is simply knowing that the job was done. If these two agree to close the case here and not get credit for taking Stain down, I wish to remain just as anonymous as they are. They were the ones who defeated Stain, not me. I wish to have no recognition for the event."
He felt all of the eyes in the room on him as he clenched his fists and looked up at Kenji. "That is my decision."
Kenji smiled and tilted his head. "You are an impressive young man, Kytheon Iora. I look forward to watching your promising career take place." He said. Manual sighed.
"Either way, we will need to take responsibility for being negligent in our supervisory duties."
Kytheon glanced over as he watched Tenya walk forward and bow to Manual.
"I am truly sorry." The glasses wearing teen said, closing his eyes.
"All right. You'll cause trouble for others! If you understand, then don't do it again!" "I won't!"
"I'm sorry…" Izuku said, bowing his head, and Kytheon mimicked his motion.
"Because of the unfairness of adults, you two will not be able to receive the praise you would have probably gotten, and the third of you has elected not to. But at the very least, as someone who also protects the peace, I can say thank you."
Kytheon smiled. "And I thank you too for your service, sir."
##################################
But the impacts of that night would be felt far more than any realized, as the news was made public the next day.
"They say they arrested the hero killer!"
"Really? Who got him?"
"Gran Torino, if you can imagine it!"
"Eh? I thought he retired!"
And of course, the media was having a field day.
"The three villains that were successfully arrested during the Hosu City riots are all men with unknown addresses and identities. Based on their distinctive appearance and the presence of two people NHA TV filmed by chance, there are those saying they are connected to the League of Villains that attacked U.A. High School last month. However, Hosu was also the target of a different attack, this one by a yet unidentified villain. The villain looked to be in his teens, wearing crude armor and war paint of some variety, and his quirk appeared to be able to conjure beasts out of thin air. While some were recognizable as Boars, some of the other creatures that were summoned were of an unknown variety, whose DNA has baffled zoologists called to investigate the subdued animals. We currently have no leads on the whereabouts of this villain, but all heroes and civilians are warned: Though he looks like a teenager, he is not to be underestimated. He is incredibly dangerous and not to be taken on alone."
Meanwhile, in a bar across town…
"It's all anyone is talking about. And if they aren't talking about him, they are talking about that upstart brat who is new to the scene. Are the Nomus really the least interesting thing? Not only have they not forgotten Stain, we weren't even able to make the side story…. That brat with the animals… what is his deal?"
###########################################
Hwoof! And there we go! The Stain arc, all wrapped up! Or at least as wrapped up as something like that can be.
We have a new player on the field! Domri Rade has joined the battle, having learned his lesson! I will tell you all that it is very very unlikely that any other Magic characters beyond the two will join in the fray now, I don't want the focus to be taken off of the two opposing forces that already exist.
Yoroi Musha! With what little we actually know about him, I figured I had the most leeway to play with him as opposed to sending Kytheon to say Endeavor or Best Jeanist. Since we don't even know his quirk, I just threw in my personal little headcanon there.
The Stain Fight! Oh god you guys have no idea how painful it was trying to rewrite this in a way that felt satisfying. Some of you may be a little mad that I wrote out Todoroki for that scene, but having both Kytheon and Todoroki would have made the fight so low stakes, and not even writing the Stain fight at all by removing Kytheon from the equation would be something I could not allow. It's funny, the Kytheon vs Stain thing was something I had in mind from the very beginning of the fic, but when it actually came to writing it it was a slog, as evidenced by the longer than average gap between postings. Umm… happy halloween?
Kytheon gets hurt again! I hope I made it believable enough that he would be injured in this way. Again, I refer you to when he managed to get stabbed by Krenko of all people. That short story is actually pretty well worth the read. And he used the thing that he used on Liliana! I was tempted to have him save that for the inevitable fight where he does it to Izuku instead and practically explodes, but I realized that by writing Todoroki out of the fight, Tenya would be unable to use the recipro extend. Bada bing, bada boom, Kytheon nearly burns his legs off.
Kytheon not in trouble? Gotta look at it like an Azorius, people. I feel I made it pretty clear in the story, but as they portray it, Kytheon would not be in trouble for his actions considering he did not violate any laws.
And Domri's place in the leaderboard! Of course his story would be more interesting than the nomu attack, seeing as we have a teenager commanding an army of alien beasts he conjured out of thin air to destroy buildings, as opposed to the same creatures seen before just blowing some stuff up. And it's not like he could overshadow Stain being arrested. That will always be big news. Cry about it Shigaraki.
Next chapter will cover some of the remaining bits of fallout from the stain and Domri attacks, including Kytheon's connections with the mystery teen, followed by a return to form for the students of UA. Thank you so much for the continued support, I've recently started another story where I crossover RWBY with King of Fighters, so check that out if such a thing interests you. Again, I appreciate the patience and I hope this chapter was just as riveting as the ones that made you like this story in the first place. Until next time, see ya later!