At the Water Tower,..
"What the hell was all that!?" Tomura said, throwing his binoculars onto the ground. "All of our Nomu, dead! That alien stealing our spotlight! What the shit!?"
"Technically only one died. You pointed that out yourself earlier," Kurogiri corrected.
"TECHNICALITIES DON'T COMFORT ME!" Tomura shouted. "Especially when we don't know where they'll be taking them!"
"That's a shame," Virus said, as he appeared from the ground. "Those Nomus could've used some more time to be cooked."
"And you! What's the deal with you breaking that Hero Killer like that!? I wanted to do that!"
"Oops, I guess I beat you to the punch," Virus said, shrugging. "By the way, I think you're on camera, Shigaraki."
Virus pointed to a helicopter that was flying above Tomura and Kurogiri. "Wave hi to them, since you want that credit so badly."
"Ugh, take us back to the bar, Kurogiri! I need a fucking drink!" Tomura growled, as Kurogiri obliged. Before Virus could step through, Kurogiri closed his portal.
"Oh, seems like those two are in a mood," Virus chuckled. He looked up to the helicopter, shook his head as his red V flashed, and disappeared by turning into a shadow.
Thursday Morning, Hosu General Hospital...
"Hey Iida, Midoriya, how you guys doing?" Hiroshi asked, as he and the others walked into the hospital room the two were staying at. Because of the knife wounds the two had gotten from Stain, they were taken into the hospital to get treated. Gran Torino, Burnin', and Native were also in the hospital to get their knife wounds taken cared of as well. Stain himself was under heavy medical observation thanks to the many, many broken bones he sustained, some light burns, and his broken spine. They were all dressed casually for the day, since their workplace mentors gave them the morning off.
"Not bad, the scratch just need a couple stitches and some disinfecting," Izuku answered.
"They told me that the knife wound on my left arm, while deep, shouldn't be leaving too much nerve damage," Tenya said, looking down at the ground.
"That's good to hear," Setsuna said, smiling at them.
"... I'm sorry about all of this," Tenya apologized. "I just-"
"It's alright, Iida. We know that you're sorry," Hiroshi said, holding his hand up. "I'm just glad that we all were here to stop it from getting any worse."
"Yea! We're SiDE Team, and we're here for each other!" Pony said, to the confusion of Itsuka, Denki, Kosei, and Minoru.
"The heck's Side Team?" Denki asked.
"It's our group name! 'Situational Defense Emergency Team!" Pony explained. "I came up with the name, after Hiroshi and Hero told us about those defense teams on those other Earths!"
"What's the I?" Itsuka asked.
"It's the I in Situational, here, I made a patch for it," Pony said, pulling out a stylized patch she made showing off the SiDE Team logo.
"Can we be a part of SiDE Team?" Kosei asked.
"Sure, I don't see why not," Hiroshi said, shrugging. "Admittedly, if this were a real defense team, I'd say that the 'founding members' would make the first squad, while you guys and the rest make different squads."
"Makes sense to me," Itsuka said, shrugging.
"So why are you all doing here?" Izuku asked.
"Well, besides checking up on you guys-" Setsuna said, pointing to the door behind her with her thumb. "- our workplace mentors are all talking with each other and the police about everything that went down."
"... Oh," Tenya said, his eyes shifting away.
"I-I'm sure it's nothing serious!" Ochako assured, as Pony nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Considering what happened, it probably is," Minoru said, as Kosei kicked him in the butt. "What!? Iida went after a serial killer on his own! How is that not serious!?"
"I'll take full responsibility for everything," Tenya said. "After all, it was my fault that I dragged you all-"
"We wanted to help you out, Iida," Izuku said, looking at him. "If it means getting in trouble together, then I'm fine with it."
"Same here," Hiroshi said, crossing his arms. "Besides, it's not like we really did much to the Hero Killer overall."
"Yea, most of it was him getting fucked up by Virus," Kosei pointed out. "No one would be able to tell which injuries were caused by you or Midoriya."
"Still, we should expect a severe scolding," Momo sighed. "This is the closest we've gotten to actually breaking the law. The USJ and the Alien Barossa Incidents were special circumstances, and Iida went out actively seeking the Hero Killer, and we went out to actively search for Iida in turn."
"Let's stay positive, guys!" Setsuna said, feeling the mood getting heavy. "We really didn't do much to actually fight, and Midoriya did technically get permission to fight Stain."
"And Todoroki got permission to defend us from Burnin'!" Denki said, pointing to Shoto. He turned to face the scarred boy, who was staring at the ground. "Todoroki?"
"Huh?" Shoto said, snapping out of his thoughts.
"You alright, Todoroki?" Hiroshi asked. He thought back to when Virus appeared in front of everyone, and what he said about Shoto's brother, who apparently died. "Are you stuck on what Virus said last night?"
Shoto turned his gaze away.
"Todoroki?" Momo asked.
"... I'm not ready to talk about it yet," he said, in a low soft whisper.
"We understand," Itsuka said, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Honestly, I'm sure that Virus was just saying stuff to throw everyone off."
"... Yea, of course..." he said, still barely audible. The door opened, and all of the workplace mentors came walking in, followed by a tall imposing man dressed in a sharp suit and tie.
Though the dog face was definitely out of place.
"So you two are awake, huh?" Gran Torino said.
"Y-yes! Are you doing alright, Gran Torino?" Izuku asked.
"Feh, was just a scratch, not something that's going to keep me down," he replied.
"Same!" Burnin' added. "Just need a couple stitches for my cheek and a good night's rest, and I'm back in action!"
"Where's Native?" Ochako asked.
"Well, he's not a workplace mentor, but he did give us some thoughts on what happened, as well as vouching for you kids about how you didn't use your Quirks, save for the one with the Solid Air breath Quirk," Gunhead said, pointing to Kosei.
"Sorry, it was just on instinct, I didn't mean to-"
"It's alright, you just used it once, and it was defensively, so it's excusable there," the dog headed man said. "I should introduce myself, I am Kenji Tsuragamae, Hosu's chief of police."
"H-Hosu's chief of police!?" Izuku said, eyes wide.
"Yes, and I see that your friend with the gauntlet is Ultraman Hero's host. I keep in contact with the Mustafu chief of police," Chief Tsuragamae said. He gave Hiroshi a polite bow. "I have to thank you and Mt. Lady for taking care of the giant alien when it attacked. Hosu and all of its civilians and heroes are in your debt."
"It's alright, I just did what I had to do," Hiroshi said, scratching the back of his head. "But I guess I'm still in trouble for going to help Iida, huh?"
"Indeed, that is the issue at hand," Chief Tsuragamae said, coughing into his hand. "I'm well aware of your special permissions to handle alien threats and criminal activity thanks to the government and UA. But that doesn't cover fighting the Hero Killer."
"Wait, but Furinji didn't even use Hero. He just tackled and used his canister gun on him," Denki pointed out. "It's not like he really broke any laws regarding that."
"Yea, and it's not like we actually used any of our Quirks on Stain!" Setsuna said.
"But your friends did," Chief Tsuragamae pointed out, as Tenya and Izuku gulped. "Even though Mr. Midoriya had permission from Gran Torino, the old man did not necessarily have the full authority to let him do so. And Mr. Iida went ahead and used his Quirk to injure the Hero Killer to prevent him from attacking Mr. Furinji. And it isn't like Mr. Furinji has the license to use his support gear yet. At the very least, those three, as well as their mentors, would need to be judged impartially for their actions."
"Hey, wait," Shoto said, stepping forward, to everyone's surprise. "If Iida hadn't done anything, Native would've been killed by the Hero Killer. And without Midoriya fighting him, we wouldn't have had the chance to escape, either. Native, Gran Torino, Iida, and Burnin' were all paralyzed. And Furinji and Hero didn't even stay for long, they had to go off and fight that alien!"
"Todoroki, calm down-" Hiroshi said, surprised by the dual-haired boy's outburst.
"Everything turned out fine, didn't it!? So why can't the law overlook this one thing one time-"
"Shoto, calm down, let him finish," Burnin' said. Shoto bit his lip, and stepped back.
"Such a green take on the law. Seems like you still have quite a bit to learn," Chief Tsuragamae said. "Anyways, that would be the case, if we were to go public about the circumstances. I was obliged to tell you about what would happen. If we told the public, no doubt you all would be given praise, though you wouldn't be able to escape punishment. Whereas we use a cover story, such as Endeavor and Burnin' being the ones who took him down, since his burns match their Quirks, as well as excusing any of his broken bones, spine, and bruises as being the result of the aliens Virus and Illne. You all will be able to escape punishment, but you won't be getting any of the credit you deserve. Thankfully there were few witnesses to the events besides the pros around, so keeping this under wraps should not be difficult."
"So what do you all say? I'm an understanding man, and I'd rather not pursue charges for a group of young promising heroes-in-training such as yourselves!" he finished, flashing them a thumbs up.
"Still, it's on us mentors to take responsibility for all of you," Manual said, sighing.
"I'm sorry for what I've done. I cannot express how much regret I have for doing this, to you, and for dragging my friends into it!" Tenya said, bowing his head to Manual.
"Yea, you caused me a lot of trouble! So don't do it again!" Manual said, giving him a light chop to the head. "But I'm glad that you're alright, and that your brother got the justice he deserved."
"We're sorry, too," Setsuna said, as she, Momo, and Itsuka nodded. "I know that it was just a coincidence that you had an appointment to do in Hosu, but we still took advantage of it to get involved in something we should've told our teachers and you about."
"While I'm not happy, I am certainly impressed that you three were willing to risk getting into trouble for a friend," Uwabami sighed, her arms crossed. "Tell you what, why don't you make it up to me by helping me out with a few more modelling jobs, outside of our workplace training?"
"Sounds good to me!" Setsuna said, grinning, while Momo and Itsuka were slightly more mortified.
"I'm sorry!" Ochako said, bowing.
"Me too!" Pony added.
"Well, from what Native told us, you two didn't use your Quirks, so you should be alright," Gunhead said, crossing his arms and tapping his left bicep with his right index finger. "But he also told us that you two didn't successfully disarm two of those, um, Ballast Raiders?"
"Valis Raiders."
"Yes, those things. So it seems like we're gonna have to really drill in your training, and even harder than before!" Gunhead said, as Ochako and Pony gulped.
"I need to apologize to you guys as well," Hiroshi said, turning to Denki, Kosei, Minoru, and Mt. Lady.
"Whoa, why us?" Denki asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I should've told you all from the beginning about why I wanted to patrol Hosu, and that I should've been honest. Lying through omission is still lying, and it wasn't right of me to do so," Hiroshi stated. "I could've risked your safeties if things went wrong."
"Yea, you better be-" Minoru said, before Denki and Kosei punched him on the top of his head.
"It's cool, we understand why you kept us out of the loop," Kosei said, shrugging. "We really aren't in your group of friends to begin with, so I get the apprehensiveness."
"Still, I hope after this that you'll trust us more to help out," Denki added. "Legally, of course."
"It stings being used like that, I'll admit," Mt. Lady sighed. But she gave him a small smile and patted his head. "But you know, you've got your heart in the right place. Way more than mine, in a way. So while I'm upset, I'm at least glad that you managed to help out a friend, and that you and everyone involved got out with minimal injuries."
Hiroshi took a deep breath, and sighed. "Still, I got to make it up to you all somehow. How about I treat you all out to eat? I'm sure my parents would be fine if I ask for some money for that."
"That sounds good to me!" Denki said, grinning. As he and the other boys turned to each other and started to talk about what they'd want to eat, Hiroshi turned to Chief Tsuragamae.
"Is it alright if I inform my sister and another friend of ours what happened? They were in on the plan to help Iida, but they couldn't 'cuz they were both too far. And I don't feel like it'd be right if we leave them out on how this all went down."
"Hm... I don't see why not. Just as long as you all stress the importance of not letting anyone else know about the truth," Chief Tsuragamae said, stroking his chin in thought.
"Don't worry, I think they'll understand," Hiroshi said, nodding.
"I wish you had told us that from the start," Shoto muttered, before Burnin' patted his head.
"Hey, you doing alright, Shoto?" Burnin' asked. "I mean, what that Virus guy said-"
"I... just need some time to think about it... I'm sorry that I dragged you into following me on a whim-"
"It's alright! I'm just glad that I did, since I could give you permission to use your Quirk defensively!" Burnin' said, grinning.
Izuku turned to Gran Torino, and opened his mouth.
"No need to apologize, kid," Gran Torino said, holding his hand up to stop Izuku. "You did good under the circumstances. Right now, I need to make a call."
"A-alright," Izuku said, as Gran Torino walked out of the room.
"I should get going, too," Manual said, as he followed Gran Torino. "Don't worry about being left behind, just rest up until the doctors give the okay to come back."
"Alright, sir," Tenya said, nodding.
"We should get going too, you three," Uwabami said, motioning her trainees to follow her. "We'll spend this day going over the paperwork examples again instead of doing any more patrols."
"And you two will be spending the rest of this week training hard with me," Gunhead said. "No more patrols for you two."
"Yes sir!" Ochako and Pony said, nodding.
"And I suppose we can just use this day to relax after everything that's happened," Mt. Lady said, flipping her hair a bit.
"Of course," Hiroshi said. "But I just have one question for Burnin' before we all go."
"Sure kid, shoot it."
"If Endeavor bringing down Stain is the cover story, he had to give the okay, right? Where is he then?"
"Oh, he left a while before we finished our meeting. Something about needing to do some paperwork back at the office."
Endeavor sat down at his desk, his doors locked, grasping his hands together in front of his face. Last night was rattling. That alien Ceteria stopping his fire. The Hero Killer being broken like a doll. That alien Virus barely making an effort and knocking them all away while he snapped Stain's back.
But most of all, Virus knew about Touya.
Somehow, through his shadow, he found out about Touya.
He unlocked and opened the top drawer of his desk, and dug through the papers, pulling out a buried picture of him and his family. It was when they went to the waterpark like Fuyumi had been asking them for weeks. He and Rei were smiling for the last time together, as a small red-haired boy who resembled him and a small white-haired girl with red streaks had giant grins on their faces. On his shoulder's was a white haired toddler who was pulling at his hair. This was the last happy moment he had with his oldest son.
His hands trembled as he recalled the day he failed him. The day that he couldn't look back and put everything he had into Shoto. The day his family had been irreparably broken.
Tears dripped from his eyes, regrets gripping his heart. If only he had understood his son better, if only he had gone to that hill. If only...
"I'm sorry... Touya..."
Tomura grumbled as he read through the newspapers and skimmed through the news channels. Hero Killer this, aliens that. The Unearthly League only ever got mentioned when people theorized the connections between them all, especially with its name and the presence of the Nomus. Not to mention all the talk revealing the Hero Killer's sob story, about how he was disillusioned with the hero system and shit (like no one else was). The only upside he got was watching Virus and Illne breaking the Hero Killer like the toy he is. Some lucky bystander nearby managed to get the whole thing. The news didn't show Virus breaking Stain's back, but the clips online did. And it was hilarious, though he wouldn't admit it to Virus's face.
"Dammit all..." he muttered. "Instead of the world forgetting about him, they just won't stop talking about him... not to mention those fucking aliens..."
"It's not so bad, Shigaraki!" Virus said, as he and Illne stepped off the wall. "People are making the connections between the Unearthly League's name and the aliens, and the fact that the Nomus are getting coverage as well, means that our little group is getting all sorts of attention!"
"Only because you aliens are hogging it, and we're getting it by association!" Tomura shouted, standing up and slamming his hands the table.
"Calm down, Young Tomura," Tomura's Teacher said through the monitor, as Tomura sat back down, grinding his teeth. "Virus is right. While the Hero Killer and this giant bird were the stars, our group's name is attached to them. And we can use that to attract new recruits. Ones that could be of higher caliber than that riffraff we just picked off the streets."
"Oh, I hope we do," Virus said, chuckling. "I wonder what type of moths will fly to our flame..."
"I suppose I should contact the Villain Broker sometime soon..." Kurogiri muttered.
"Villain Broker?" Virus asked, turning towards the mist man.
"Yes, he goes by the alias Giran. We were dealing with him before you and your allies joined our group to get villains for the USJ invasion."
"I see. And he's trustworthy? After all, he did give you bit villains who got captured, or were scared off when I came along to see them," Virus said, shrugging as he took a seat.
"That was because we were seeking numbers, not quality. This time, I'll specify that, in order to avoid that fiasco."
"Hm... I think I want to meet him!" Virus said, clapping his hands together. He got up, and turned towards the wall.
"You don't need to-"
"I want to. And as you saw yesterday, I do what I want. Illne, be a dear and keep them company!"
"Hmph, how do you even hope to find him? You don't know what he looks like."
"I don't need to, the shadows will be enough."
With that, Virus stepped onto the wall, and disappeared.
"That pupil of yours is so much trouble, Toshinori!" Gran Torino complained over the payphone. "Thanks to him and his friends, I'm getting a 3 months suspension on my teaching license and a half cut to my pay. What an inconvenience. He's just like you! Always acting, rarely thinking!"
"I am so sorry, Gran Torino!" All Might said over the phone, softly but still filled with fear and respect. "At least you were there to give him permission..."
"It's whatever. In the end, you chose a good kid. Besides, only really got that teaching license to fulfill my promise to your predecessor. Speaking of which, have you not told him more about your past? He called her a 'he'."
"Oh... well-"
"Toshinori, he's going to need to know more about the history he's inheriting. Especially with what we're facing now."
"What are you-"
"You know what I'm talking about. The fact that the media's making the connections between the aliens, the Unearthly League, and the Hero Killer, the fact that the media's covering his history after his identity was discovered... someone's been making plans behind the scenes, someone who's meticulously moving each piece to his needs. The man you thought you killed... he must be behind this. And he's gotten his hands on some very powerful allies. Extraterrestrial ones."
"... I don't want to believe that he survived what I did to him, but it... it makes too much sense..."
"You're going to need to sit that kid and his friends down and tell them everything. His admiration for you is no joke. They're going to need to know all that they can in order to face off against a monster like that. That man might have aliens on his side, but we have one, too."
"Of course... I'll tell them the first thing I can when they're back from their workplace trainings."
Shuichi scrolled through his newsfeed on his laptop, alone in the dark. This week had been pretty normal, getting harassed from his window by the neighborhood jackasses, spending time in his room, listening to his family yell at him behind his closed door. The usual. He'll never understand why his family thought that it was a good idea to live in a shithole of a bumpkin country town where they weren't wanted.
He watched a few news clips about the Hero Killer Stain, or rather, Chizome Akaguro, who had been first independent villain to have a high body count in years since All Might's debut, and how he came to his philosophy of getting rid all of the fakes. He liked the cut of this guy's jib from what the news said, though the sheer fucking beating that he got from those aliens scared him. He was... admittedly curious about what this Unearthly League was like. These aliens were like him in a way; strangers that didn't belong. Strangers that scare people. And from what the news and those clips showed, they were just doing what they wanted.
He respected that. He wanted to live like that. Maybe... Maybe he should find these guys... Though he wasn't sure. If they really were the Hero Killer's allies, then he was uncertain how they'd treat him if he failed or was captured... Probably would be safer to just stay home for now.
Dabi scrolled through the phone he took from a guy he killed a while ago. The salaryman certainly had no use for it anymore. He looked through the news articles about this Unearthly League and these aliens that were a part of it, the ones that broke the Hero Killer for failing them. He grinned. He liked that unbridled beatdown. That unrestrained freedom. Not to mention that alien that grabbed Endeavor's fire like it was nothing! And their giants that rampage throughout the cities!
He could use these aliens to his advantage. He'll find that Unearthly League, and force them to let him join. Everything to bring down Endeavor.
Himiko squealed as she replayed the clip of Stain being beaten up over and over. That was so great, watching all that blood dripping from him. Sure, he ended up with broken bones and permanent paralysis, but that blood... She licked her blade clean of its blood, as she left the corpse of that salesman behind. She just had to find that Unearthly League. Maybe she'll get to see more fun things with them.
"Hey, Hiro! You alright?" "I wasn't scared when I heard the news!" Jin asked, as he watched the TV he was lent by UA. The news was playing the Hosu Incident almost nonstop, and he saw Hiroshi among the people there when that weirdo Stain guy got broken and snapped in half.
"Yea, I'm doing alright, Mr. Bubaigawara," Hiroshi answered, as Jin sighed a breath of relief. "Thanks for the concern. Sorry I haven't been able to see you in a while."
"It's fine, you're on that workplace training deal, right?" "Wished you'd call more often!"
"I probably should've, huh? So how're you doing?"
"Got to go to the store with that Eraserhead guy following me, so I got some goodies to eat!" "Couldn't get any smokes or alcohol 'cuz this is a school, though, that sucks!"
"I bet. No one's been bugging you?"
"Nah, no one's been talking to me." "I think I'm scaring the little shits away."
"I see. And you're doing alright with your talks with Hound Dog?"
"Yea, that guy's real cool!" "He's alright."
"That's good. You'll be seeing me and my other friends soon enough, the week's almost over. Oh, I gotta go, my mentor's calling me over. Talk to you soon."
"See you later, Hiro!" "Bye, fuckface!"
Giran walked through the alleyway, having finished his meeting with a friend. He had been watching those clips about the Unearthly League and that Stain guy. It's been a while since that Kurogiri guy called him, and with the exposure their little group had been getting, there's no doubt that they'll be wanting his services again. Though this time, he needs to focus more on 'quality' rather than 'quantity', given how the USJ Incident went down, and there's no doubt that they'll tell him that, too.
"Gonna make some big cash soon-" he said to himself.
"So you're that 'Villain Broker' that Kurogiri mentioned."
Giran stiffened, and turned towards the wall, and saw an unfamiliar figure. That wasn't good.
The figure stepped off the wall, forming into the Virus that he's heard about but never actually got to see. No wonder some of those thugs who turned down joining the USJ Incident were scared of him. There was just something completely off about him. He kept his cool, though, and held onto his signature winning smile for the alien.
"And you're that alien that the news and some of my thugs who saw you were talking about," Giran replied.
"I see my reputation precedes me!" Virus laughed. Giran was familiar with that type of laughter. Laughter that was hollow, that was only for show. Laughter that showed how little he thought of others. Though in Virus's case, it's probably more how little he thought of humans rather than anyone in specific.
"So. What do you want? I'm sure you're not here to borrow a smoke from me," Giran said, as he flicked his used cigarette away before pulling out a new one, and using his revolver's lighter to light it. "'Cuz right now, I'm all out."
"I don't need to. I can create plenty of smoke on my own," Virus said. He curled his right hand's fingers to make a tunnel with his thumb, and 'blew' through it, creating a cloud of smoke from it. The smoke flew into Giran's face, making him choke unexpectedly and dropped his cigarette. This smoke was black, thick, and nauseating, like someone managed to connect twenty or more diesel engines into one exhaust pipe.
"Dammit, and that was my last one," Giran grumbled, wheezing as the smoke dissipated immediately. His signature winning smile was now slightly smaller, if only because he was deeply annoyed now. "Alright, so that's a smoke gone. What do you really want?"
"Oh, an attitude! I like you, Okuta," Virus said. Giran froze. So the whole "talking to shadows" thing he said in those clips was true. No one in the business knew his real name. "So how's that old mother of yours? I bet all that money you get from brokering is going all into her comfortable little house in the countryside, since the only thing you love more than cash is her. Shame she doesn't know anything about your dealings, or I bet you she'll never speak to you again!"
Giran gritted his teeth. So his shadow went and blabbed about his love for his mom, did it? Well who doesn't love their mother? Maybe Virus, but he wasn't so sure if he even had a mother. "Ooooh, seems like I've touched a nerve right there."
Giran fired his revolver into Virus, only to see the bullet fall to the ground flattened from the impact. "So that's a real gun, huh? Seems a little risky to use a revolver to light up cigarettes like that. Could make a hole clean through your head."
"What can I say? I like risks," Giran said, trying to regain composure. So that went to shit. "But really, what do you want?"
"You see, I simply had to meet you for myself," Virus said, appearing right next to Giran with his left arm wrapped around his shoulders. Giran jumped a bit, looking at the space where Virus was standing earlier to him standing to his right. "I wanted to know, 'What kind of person would be able to connect our little Unearthly League with villains of all kinds, low quality to high'? And I have to say, you're an interesting fellow. To dip yourself so dip into the dark, yet also hold onto a set of principles and your love for your mother, how charming."
"That's it? You just wanted to meet me?" Giran said, raising an eyebrow.
"That, and I wanted to tell you that you give us the best you got! My alien friends are hard to impress!" Virus said, poking Giran in the face with his right index finger. "I can't promise you that my friends won't kill whoever you bring or even you if they're not impressed! So you best look and look!"
Virus released his hold on the Villain Broker, and gave him a simple wave. "See you later, and good luck!"
As Virus turned into shadows and disappeared, Giran grasped his chest, heart pumping. Well, hopefully his contacts will be impressive enough, for both theirs and his sake.
Saturday, the End of Workplace Training...
"Thank you for letting us into your agency, Mt. Lady," Hiroshi said, as he and the other three bowed their heads to the pro hero.
"Yea, it was real cool patrolling with you and learning the ropes!" Denki said, grinning.
"I'm just glad it's all over, no more excitement," Minoru sighed, relieved that the rest of the week hadn't been chaotic as the first three days.
"I hope we'll be able to work again in the future soon!" Kosei said, slightly blushing. It was a dream getting to work with Mt. Lady, even with all the bumps in the road.
"I'm glad that you all got to learn something, even if I wasn't the best teacher," Mt. Lady said, crossing her arms and sighing. "And that you got to help a friend, regardless of the legalities of it. This is one spotlight I'm glad I'm not under for once."
"Well, you could also take this as a lesson for yourself, too," Hiroshi said, looking at her. "Maybe focus on learning how to teach what you're best at."
As the four boys waved goodbye one last time, Mt. Lady waved back, though she crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out a bit in thought. "What I'm best at, huh..."
"Hey, Mt. Lady, you've got a lot of emails for interviews," Mr. Sano said, poking her shoulder and getting her attention. "I need you to come here and help come up with a schedule for them if you're gonna take them."
"Interviews... That's it!" Mt. Lady said, hitting her left palm with the base of her right hand as she got struck by inspiration.
"What's it?"
"Later, let's get to scheduling those interviews!" she said, pushing him back into the agency and closing the door behind her.
"Well, we've had a big bump in the road for a while there, but we did it, girls," Uwabami said, as they stood in the lobby. The three girls and their workplace mentor had gone back to her agency, where they spent the rest of the week on going over paperwork and how to network with other heroes and the like. "I hope you all learned something valuable."
"You bet!" Setsuna said, grinning. "Glad we got to experience this with you."
"It was enlightening," Momo said, nodding.
"That's one way to put it," Itsuka said, sighing a bit.
"Hope you'll all remember to keep your eyes and ears peeled for my calls for backup models!" Uwabami said, smiling as she waved them off. Momo and Itsuka stiffened as they were reminded of the condition she gave them for going off to help Tenya. Setsuna grinned, replying "Of course! We'll be on the lookout for them!"
"You two done well within a week here!" Gunhead complimented, as Ochako and Pony stood in the lobby to give their goodbyes to him. The two both had a look of absolute zen, as if their battle instincts were awakened by Gunhead's instructions. "I'm real proud of you two!"
"Thank you, Mr. Gunhead," Ochako said, bowing to him.
"Indeed, you were a most informative teacher," Pony followed.
"Well, I shouldn't keep you two here for too much longer! Go catch your trains, and I hope we'll get to see each other soon again!" he said, as they left. People watched the intense girls walk towards the station, their intimidating auras not matching their cute round faces.
"I guess this is it for you two," Hawks said, as he sat at his office's couch in front of the two UA students. "Hope you had fun here."
"It was... interesting," Fuka said, struggling to find the right words to say to avoid sounding ungratefully. She and Fumikage started and ended the week the same way; them chasing after Hawks as he flew from situation from situation, with Fumikage always being the last to follow. It wasn't really much of a learning experience beyond deciding potential upgrades to increase her speed, and that for being the Number 3 Hero, Hawks was... surprisingly lackadaisical, though at the same time, he was an effective hero thanks to his mastery over his Quirk.
Fumikage kept his mouth shut, and nodded in agreement with Fuka. This had been a humiliating week for him. To only be treated like a messenger pigeon for the Number 3 Hero's curiosity... He was more than that. He'll need to focus on that idea he had a while ago... It's crazy, but it might work.
Fuka sighed as they gave their final goodbyes to Hawks and walked out of the lobby. She had seen the news about Stain, how Tenya and the others were with the heroes who confronted them and how Endeavor and Burnin' were the ones that took him down, and how Virus, Illne, and surprisingly a third member of their race had appeared and beat and broke the Hero Killer in front of so many pros. She was thankful that her brother and their friends didn't fight Stain themselves, though it seemed kinda odd. She called Hiroshi the day after the fight, and he told her that there's a lot more to the story, but that he'll tell her when they see each other, since it needed a more in-person explanation from him and the others. He already told Kyoka the same thing after she called them, too. Hopefully whatever it is, it wasn't serious.
Kyoka sighed as she left Death Arms' agency. The hostage situation was surprisingly not too hard, given that she was only in charge of determining how many criminals there were and how many were moving around. Death Arms and his sidekicks were the ones that handled the heavy work while she ended up guiding the hostages out of the building with zero fuss.
Still, it couldn't possibly be compared to what happened with Tenya and the others. Facing off with Stain, Endeavor and his sidekick Burnin' taking him down for good, Hiroshi and Hero dealing with another giant alien, those Nomus, and finally Stain getting beaten and broken by Virus and Illne? Not to mention that third member of their race, that was not a very welcomed sign. They all had it rough.
Though the call she made to Hiroshi that Wednesday was suspicious. Said that he'll tell her more about it when they meet up in person and alone with the rest of their friends. So something else must've happened, too. Hopefully it wasn't too serious.
"I'm sorry that I wasn't the trainee that I should've been," Tenya said, bowing to Manual again before he left.
"Hey, it's alright, you've apologized enough. I'm glad that things worked out in the end," Manual said, smiling a bit. "Just be sure to not let yourself get too hung on things, alright? And let your friends in on your problems."
"Of course," Tenya said. He still had so much to learn to be a hero. It wasn't as natural to him as it was for Izuku or Hiroshi, and he couldn't let himself be left behind by them, or their friends. "I promise you, the next time you see me, I'll be a much better hero-in-training than I was here."
"That's what I like to hear," Manual said, patting Tenya's shoulder. "See you in the future, Sigma Speed."
Tenya nodded, and marched off towards the train station, ready to face his friends with a new perspective towards heroism.
"My time here was short, but I'm so thankful that you took me under your wing!" Izuku said, as he stood outside of Gran Torino's building. "Thanks to you, I've reached 18% control of One for All as my base, and-"
Gran Torino smacked him in the leg with his cane. "You idiot, we were aiming to raise it to 20%, remember!? Thanks to you needing to rest up from Wednesday night until Thursday noontime, we wasted valuable training for your Quirk!"
"I-I'm sorry! I forgot about that as my goal, and-"
"I'm just messing with you, kid," Gran Torino said. "You're still got a lot to learn, but you did good. Still more room for improvement, of course, but we'll get to that soon enough."
"O-of course!" Izuku said, as he turned around, but before he took too many steps away from the building, he remembered a question he had. "Oh! I was wondering about something, Gran Torino..."
"What is it? I got taiyaki in the microwave."
"You're really strong, and you taught All Might... but you're not like, famous at all. Why is that?"
"I never really cared about being a hero at all."
"What!?"
"There was a time where I needed to use my Quirk freely and legally. Being a hero was just what I needed to do that. That's the only reasons why I got my licenses for heroism and teaching. If you want to know to more, just ask All Might. He'll be able to fill you in on more details."
"I see..."
Izuku started to walk off again, as Gran Torino stared at him. He sighed. Despite the differences in personality, he still saw a little of All Might in the boy.
"Hey, kid."
"Huh?"
"What's your name?" Gran Torino said, putting up the senile look on his face again.
"My name!? You should know it by now, it's Izuku Midori-"
"Not that name."
Izuku stood there, wondering what he meant before he realized the question. "Oh! My name... My name is Deku!"
Gran Torino smiled, and waved off the boy as he walked back into his building, satisfied that All Might had chosen a good successor to his position as the Symbol of Peace. And with that Hiroshi kid and his alien, he's got some valuable allies against that monster they faced so long ago...
In a Special Jail Cell...
Stain screamed and struggled against the straps of his raised bed and his many, many casts. He struggled to move his now useless legs. That alien. That damn alien! What was the point behind that!? There was no message behind this-
"Seems like you're enjoying your early retirement, Mr. Stain."
He turned his eyes to the side as best as he could, since his neck was in a brace. He could see the outline of a shadow forming on the wall. As Virus stepped off the wall, the light in the room disappeared. "Don't worry, I've blocked the cameras and door, so we can talk unabated! Of course, guards will still be coming here to check what's happened."
"Why are you here? Here to finish me off? You've ruined my life far enough-"
"So like those heroes you've crippled and killed?"
"That was different, that was-"
"- the same end results. Justify all you want, but at the end of it all, lives are ruined, aren't they?"
Virus stood over the bedridden Stain, looking down on him. "I simply here to tell you a little more about my convictions."
Stain raised an eyebrow (or at least, as best as he could between the wrappings). "So you do have more than just that ridiculous conviction to see a 'show'."
"Indeed. I figured that since you're here now because of me, I'd tell you more! Consider it as my payment for breaking your back."
Virus grabbed Stain's chin and pulled the man forward, making him growl in pain. "It's to find a certain thing that's been hidden on this Earth for longer than your little Quirks have been, and it requires a great deal of despair to find and unlock. And wouldn't you know it, the best source for this despair comes from broken people like you. Like Shigaraki. To get the goals you've worked hard ripped away from your hands. It's why I left you alive. Though the same can be said for simply exposing one's secrets."
"What!?"
"Don't worry, I think the next person that'll face despair will be a pro hero or something. I'll keep things fair."
"You think that I'll just accept-"
"I don't."
Someone began to bang at the door. "Oh, sounds like my visit's up. Well, enjoy the rest of your time here, Mr. Stain."
"COME BACK HERE!" Stain screamed as Virus disappeared. The door busted open, as the guards looked around, confused as to what had happened. "COME BACK HERE YOU BASTARD!"
Sunday
"So any reason why you wanted to meet with us, Hiroshi?" Aizawa said. The boy had called him and Principal Nezu to set up a meeting with his parents along with Cementoss and Midnight to discuss something on Wednesday, but he didn't have the chance to elaborate after everything that happened at Hosu. He sighed, wondering if it had anything to do with the Hero Killer.
"Well, the reason I asked is to see if we can lighten Bakugo's punishment," Hiroshi said, to the astonishment of his parents and the faculty present. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it should be lifted entirely. It just that, well, after some thinking about it, it seemed like a little harsh, especially after what I did, right? Like I met a bunch of people called the Anti-Alien Attack Alliance, and one of the things they said was like, that I was really brutal with him, even if I really wasn't. And well, my classmates that were with me told me the same thing. So when I happened to meet him again during our patrols, I apologized and said I'll try to make things right."
"Hm... I suppose it was," his father said, stroking his beard. "I guess that if he proves that he's making decent progress with Hound Dog's sessions, that the stipulations we've given him can be shortened besides that."
"Another thing is that he wants to fight me again, only this time on 'fairer' terms," Hiroshi said.
Everyone in the room gave a resounding "No."
"Lightening the punishment is as far as we'll go," his mother said, shaking her head. "You don't owe him anything beyond that."
"Indeed. Adjusting a punishment is one thing, wanting to have another fight is another," his father added.
"You two clearly have shown that you can't get along, so I don't think it would be smart to let you fight one another again," Cementoss stated.
"While it was an accident, and I do think we can shave off some of the punishment, a fight's out of the question," Midnight said.
"We're already being generous with letting him remain a student here, and you both still have your own issues to deal with. If it were later into the semesters, perhaps, but not now," Aizawa said.
"I understand that you want to make things right, Mr. Furinji," Principal Nezu said, holding his paws together. "And rest assured, we'll follow through with lightening Mr. Bakugo's punishment as long as his progress with Hound Dog is steady. But another fight is out of the question."
"Even if we have you all as witnesses or judges to stop it?" Hiroshi asked.
"Even if you have us all there as witnesses or judges," Principal Nezu affirmed.
Hiroshi crossed his arms. "So that's not gonna happen."
"Hopefully Mr. Bakugo won't be too angry," Hero replied.
"I don't think he'll be happy at least."
"I see. That's fair, thank you for the time," Hiroshi said, nodding.
"Before you leave, are you fine from what happened in Hosu?" Midnight asked, as she thought back to the news about the Hosu Incident.
"Yea, I'm fine. I've dealt with giant aliens before-"
"Not just that. The Hero Killer, are you-"
"He wasn't a problem. I'm glad that Endeavor and Burnin' were able to take him down. Not sure how I feel about Virus and Illne breaking him, though, that wasn't great. Those two are the ones I'm worried about, and the fact that they have another ally like them is way more pressing."
"I see..."
"I think we've taken up enough of your Sunday," his father said, as the three stood and gave a polite bow to the principal and teachers, who returned it. As they left the building, Hiroshi gave a quick greeting to Jin who was mopping the floor of the lobby, and they went off.
Monday
"Man, I can't believe you guys ran into the Hero Killer!" Eijiro said, looking at Hiroshi, Izuku, and the others as they waited for the school day to begin.
"Yea, that must've been scary!" Mina said, shivering as she remembered all the stories that she's read about Stain.
"I think seeing those aliens again was scarier, really," Toru said, trembling.
"It was!" Minoru said, biting at his nails. "I didn't sign up with Mt. Lady to get the shit scared out of me like that!"
"Honestly I'm just glad that Stain's behind bars," Hiroshi said, shrugging. "We're lucky no one got hurt really badly, and that we had the technical numbers on our side that threw him off when we came along."
"That's right, are you alright, Iida?" Tsuyu asked, looking at the aforementioned teen. "I thought I'd have the most exciting thing with helping capturing some smugglers, but I think what happened in Hosu is more dramatic..."
"Indeed I am! As much as I am relieved that my brother's attacker has been imprisoned, I am also relieved that he will no longer injure and kill more heroes!" Tenya said, having regained his usual energy.
"That's 'cuz his back's super broken..." Mashirao said. "And with all those broken bones, I'm sure that he's not going to heal the same way."
"Do you really think that he might be involved with the Unearthly League?" Rikido asked. "That's what I've been hearing online."
"I dunno, it seems like he wasn't," Izuku said, as he thought about it. "Still, that's not going to change how others might think of it..."
"Uraraka, how was yours and Tsunotori's?" Toru asked, when she noticed the very intense look on the usually cheerful girl's face.
"It was... enlightening," she said, as she went through the motions of practicing the martial arts moves that Gunhead had drilled into her.
"It's like her battle instincts were awakened..." Eijiro observed.
"Yea, and Tsunotori was with her, so that must mean she's doing the same thing in 1B..." Denki added.
"Hey, Furinji!"
Hiroshi turned around, and saw Katsuki approaching his desk. "So. Did you get permission for our rematch?"
The entirety of the class who weren't there that day stared at Hiroshi, wondering what he meant.
"Nope. They all turned it down," Hiroshi said, curtly.
"What!? Why not!?"
"They didn't think it was a good idea."
"Bullshit! Why didn't you argue with them to get the okay!? You owe me-"
"I don't owe you anything, Bakugo. I promised that I'd try, not that I'll definitely get their permission," Hiroshi stated. "At the very least, they're willing to shorten your punishment if your sessions with Hound Dog shows progress-"
"You think that's good enough-"
"Alright, settle down people," Aizawa said, as everyone, including Katsuki, snapped back to their desks. He glared at Hiroshi, who put his attention to the front. Another chance, lost and denied. How infuriating. So much for burying the hatchet.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad that I'm back at school," Kosei said, his face on his desk.
"That is an understandable reaction to have. You, Tokage, and Itsuka had come face to face with a maniacal murderer such as the Hero Killer during Hosu's siege of Nomus and aliens," Reiko said, poking him in the head.
"That is true. You all are alright, correct? I assume that Mr. Hiroshi is doing fine, since he's used to fighting with giant aliens by now," Jurota asked.
"Yea, we are! Endeavor and Burnin' were there, so it was good to see them handle things!" Setsuna said. "Besides that, it was a lot of fun working with Uwabami and her modelling jobs!"
"I'm just glad we got to do something that was heroic while we were there," Itsuka sighed. "I know that heroes are allowed to have side jobs, but I really don't think modelling is for me..."
Everyone turned to Pony, who was busy practicing martial art moves, as an aura of intensity surrounded her and her eyes have gone blank. "I have attained martial arts enlightenment, and nothing can stop me now, long ranged or close ranged," she said, eerily calm for the energetic girl.
"Man, Gunhead's martial arts training must be really intense if that's the result of one week..." Sen said, before writing something down. "I should go with him next time..."
"I should've gone with you or someone else," Fuka sighed. "I barely learned anything at Hawks' agency with Tokoyami. He was just too fast to catch up with, and we struggled to keep up with him. All I learned was that for someone so laidback, his efficiency and skill are the real deal, which is why he's the Number 3 Hero..."
"That's better than serving tea or housekeeping," Tetsutetsu muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm pretty sure that Fourth Kind's knuckles are permanently embedded into the back of my head now, like Kirishima's..."
"Alright, get into your seats!" Vlad King barked, as the students obeyed. "While I know that you all must be tired from your workplace trainings, heroes don't get to rest for long. So I want you all to still pay attention to your classes!"
"Yes sir!"
Later that Day
"Alright, you sprouts, it's time for a basic hero training exercise!" All Might said to the gathered Hero Course students, who had dressed up in their hero costumes. "I know that you all must be exhausted from your workplace trainings, but that's precisely why we're here! To see how much you've grown from witnessing firsthand how pro heroes work! And it'll be an easy one too!"
"What is it?" Hanta asked.
"Is it something I can actually do?" Katsuki grumbled, glaring at Hiroshi. "No thanks to him..."
"What's easy about training!?" Minoru said.
"Let me finish!" All Might said, coughing into his hand. "It'll be a rescue-training race! And yes, Young Bakugo, you can! As long as you remember to keep the damage to a minimum!"
"Of course I can," Katsuki answered, crossing his arms.
"Shouldn't we be at the USJ then?" Tenya asked, with Jurota nodding in agreement.
"The USJ is for disaster rescue training. This exercise, like I said, is a race! Which is why we're here at Training Field Gamma! It's a field of factories and pipes that combine together to form a mazelike area! You'll be divided into 7 groups of 6, 3 1A students and 3 1B students each! Each group will take a turn to race to save a hostage. In this case, me! Now come here and pick your lots!"
The first group that was starting off was Hiroshi, Izuku, Katsuki, Sen, Jurota, and Kinoko. All Might had picked the area where he was going to be 'held hostage' at, and they prepared themselves while waiting for the signal to start.
"This is not going to end well for me," Kinoko said. "I'm not nearly as fast as any of you!"
"This will be a challenge for my Quirk..." Sen said, looking through the pipes.
"Hold your hand and call out-!"
"HEROOOOO!"
Light appeared around Hiroshi and Hero appeared in Flash Hermes. "Sorry, but I think I'll be able to take the victory here."
"That's what you think, alien," Katsuki grumbled.
"I'm not going to let you two win this easily, Hero, Hiroshi!" Izuku said, as he let One for All flow through his body.
"START!"
The signal went off, and the six sped off, as Hero, Katsuki, and Izuku took to the skies.
"Flash MOVEMENT!" Hero shouted, and he disappeared from sight before reappearing far ahead of them, though still in sight.
"I'm not about to let you win!" Katsuki yelled, when Izuku overtook him easily. He stared in shock as he leaped from building to building, faster than he's ever seen. Faster than he's ever been. He growled, and began to fire off more Explosions, faster and faster, struggling to keep up with them. He was barely able to do so, frustrating him.
Meanwhile, Sen and Kinoko had taken to running through the field of pipes on foot.
"Damn, I knew it! This really isn't my field of expertise!" Sen said, cursing how his Quirk wasn't suited for racing like this.
"This isn't meant for a girl like me!" Kinoko whined, as she ran and turned all of the corners.
Jurota, on the other hand, activated his Quirk, and used it to climb all over the place, jumping from building to building, pipe to pipe.
"This is difficult, but doable!" Jurota said, as he watched the 3 1A students in the skies. "Though I guess I'm at a disadvantage against people who could fly or jump higher than I ever could."
"You're not getting ahead of me!" Katsuki screamed. He held back the urge to fire his Explosion at Izuku, who was the closest to him. This wasn't a combat exercise, after all. Still didn't make it easy.
"Sorry, Kacchan, but you're not-" Izuku started to say, when he slipped on a pipe and fell down. Katsuki laughed as Izuku stumbled onto the ground, letting the 3 1B students to overtake him, but it was a hollow victory when he reached second to All Might.
"Excellent work, all of you!" All Might complimented, as everyone caught up to Hero and Katsuki. Izuku ran behind the other three, embarrassed of his mistake. "You've certainly gave it your all here!"
Katsuki glared at Hero as he changed back with Hiroshi. This was infuriating; so he won't face him in a fight, but a race is alright? He didn't even all of his forms! Granted, a speed form that could fly was suitable for an exercise like this, but still...
Izuku sighed, as he laid on the ground, defeated by humiliation, though he noticed All Might giving him a quick thumbs up before turning around. "Now, let's keep this going, you kids!"
The last group to go was Mina, Tsuyu, Mashirao, Setsuna, Fuka, and Shihai.
"Our classmates here will be the victors!" Neito said, hiding the fact that he was cursing himself for having to race against Tenya, Minoru, Mezo, Pony, and Ibara, since they all had mutant-type Quirks that he couldn't copy, and he could only copy Juzo's Quirk before the timer went off for his group. At least he managed to place higher than Minoru.
"Well, Kuroiro does have an advantage, since there are a lot of dark spaces around that he could use to move through," Momo said, as Shihai grinned.
"From the dark, my victory will be swift," he muttered.
"Do your best, Setsuna, Fuka!" Hiroshi cheered.
"START!"
The six students ran off, with Setsuna separating her body into pieces and flying over the buildings, taking periodic breaks to reform before resuming her flight. Fuka flew through the air, thinking back to her experience in Hawks' agency and deciding that she should go with that upgrade idea eventually, realizing how slightly faster the others were.
Shihai had leaped into the shadows, ready to move quickly past everyone, when something odd happened. When he entered the shadows, he found himself in a strange world. Usually his body would 'melt' and become a part of the blackness, but this time, he was still whole, and floating around.
"What in the world!?" he said, looking around. He saw the shadows of his classmates nearby, but also of others in the distance. There was seemingly no end to the shadows he was seeing. He heard the shadows of his classmates saying things.
"I refuse to be second! I can't be second! I'm... I'm supposed to be the best! If I'm not the best, than who am I!?"
"I'd be such a ladykiller if I was taller... stupid permanent stunted growth, I can be big where it counts, right down there-"
"I know that I'm never meant to be the protagonist of any story, but that doesn't mean I can't be the character that steals the spotlight!"
"I wish that someone as fabulous as I had friends... my Quirk... my Quirk is so pathetic..."
"I don't want to be the outsider... but I'm not fully Japanese... do they really like me?"
"I need to do more to shed my past self... I need to be manlier! I can't be weak anymore!"
"I wish I stood out more. Nothing's really special about a big tail..."
"I really wonder if I have a chance with Furinji's sister... she's a little younger than us, sure, but she's so smart and pretty... She's probably got a lot of admirers already..."
"I'm so scared of never being seen... I know my invisibility's great, but I wish I could turn it off..."
"I need to shed my shyness if I want to be an Idol Heroine... I can't be one if I'm nervous!"
"My father... he ruined my life and our family... Touya... I wish things had gone differently..."
"I have so much growing to do to catch up with my friends... Stain has taught me that much."
"I did so badly on my race! All Might trusted me with One for All, and I messed up! I know he's proud of me for getting a hang of it, but still!"
"What was that last one!?" he said. He recognized that voice as Izuku's. What did he mean 'All Might trusted him with One for All'? What's One for All?
"Oh my, I didn't expect a visitor here."
Shihai turned around, and felt his heart drop. Approaching him was a helmeted figure in a trench coat, one that he had seen in the news, and now finally in person.
Virus.
"And here I was, just going to join my friends at our little old hideout. I suppose your Quirk lets you move through shadows or the like? I guess I've been using my allies and I have been using our shadow teleportation ability here on this Earth quite a bit that it broke the boundary between your shadow ability and ours," he theorized, rubbing his helmet's chin in thought.
"You- What are these!?"
"These are the shadows of people, your classmates in particular. They tell me all sorts of secrets that you all are hiding, no question asked. 100% truthfulness," Virus said, as he pulled Izuku's shadow closer to him. "This one's my favorite."
"I can't let the others know about my Quirklessness."
"Midoriya's... Quirkless!?" Shihai said. He wasn't particularly close to the boy, but he did find himself respecting him a lot, especially with how quickly he gained control over his Quirk. What did he mean he was Quirkless?
"Sh sh, it's about to get better," Virus said, prodding the shadow.
"All Might's entrusted me with his Quirk One for All, but I've got so much to still learn... I have to become a worthy successor for the Symbol of Peace."
"He... he got his Quirk from All Might!?"
"That's right! All Might, the Symbol of Peace, the Number 1 Hero, has handed his Quirk down to an unassuming boy!" Virus said, releasing Izuku's shadow from his grasp. "He's a not-so-natural borne hero!"
"Wait, if these are all my classmates' shadows-" Shihai said, looking around their shadows, "- where's Furinji's?"
"Oh, Ultraman Hero's host? Hm, that's just about the only shadow I can't find," Virus said, his cheerfulness dropping a bit. "I suppose becoming a host to a Giant of Light severed his shadow's connection to this world."
"But enough about that-" Virus said, as he suddenly appeared right next to Shihai. He grabbed the boy's left arm, and bent his elbow backwards. Shihai screamed, as his arm flopped down, broken. "- I think that since you're here, we should have a little fun. Don't worry, I won't break you. Much."
"Kuroiro!" Hiroshi said, as he and the rest of the Hero Course kids looked around. All Might was searching another section of Training Field Gamma for him. Even Katsuki was looking for him, however reluctant he was. "Kuroiro, where are you!? The race is over! Actually, class's over, period!"
"What's going on?" Setsuna said, crossing her arms. "I thought he would beaten us all with his Quirk! How is he not here?"
"I hope he didn't get lost," Kinoko fretted, as everyone looked at every dark crevice they could.
"I guess that could've happened," Fuka said. "This is our first time at this particular training field."
"I'm sure I'd have gotten lost if I hadn't used my Quirk," Kyoka said, fiddling with her earlobe.
"I'm sure he just needed to use the toilet," Minoru said, shrugging. "He's probably too embarrassed to come out and admit it."
Suddenly, from a dark corridor, Shihai was sent flying out, screaming. He collided against a large pipe.
"Holy shit!" Kosei said, as everyone crowded around the boy. They saw blood dribbling down from his mouth, that his left arm was broken, and his right shin was snapped in two.
"Ooooooh, that looks like it hurts. Not hard enough to break your back or neck, thankfully, but still, quite painful for a human."
Everyone froze as they turned to the corridor. Virus came out of the darkness, rubbing his helmet's chin in thought.
"Virus!" everyone shouted.
"Surprise!" he replied, shrugging. "No, really, I'm surprised to find myself here so soon, too. Didn't plan on coming here for a while. Oh well, plans change on the fly. The ones I have will still be carried out eventually anyway."
"Hold your hand and call out-!"
"HEROOOOO!"
Light surrounded Hiroshi and Hero appeared in Muscle Hercules, moving to protect the others from Virus.
"Now now, let's calm down," Virus said, putting his hands up, as if he hadn't just injured Shihai. "Let's just talk for a moment."
"Why are you here? How did you get here?" Hero demanded, as Ochako used her Quirk to lighten Shihai while Momo used her Quirk to make splints for the boy's broken limbs.
"Well, I was actually heading over to the Unearthly League's hideout, but imagine my surprise to see that boy in the world of shadows," Virus said, pointing to the unconscious Shihai.
"Kuroiro got into the same world that you use!?" Kinoko said, covering her mouth.
"That he did! I suppose the amount of times my allies and I have moved through the world of shadows broke the boundary between the way he moves through the darkness and how we move. Very peculiar set of circumstances," Virus said, tapping his helmet's chin in thought. "He learned quite a bit there, too, like some of your deepest secrets."
The teens stared at him, wondering what he meant by that, though the SiDE Team teens realized what he meant.
"For instance, that boy-" Virus pointed to Yuga, whose pointed smile hid his fear, "- is afraid of his Quirk's incapability with his body thanks to a birth defect. How overusing it makes him almost useless, and that it's costing him friendships with how weak and pathetic he really is."
"I- I-" Yuga stuttered, holding his stomach.
"Don't talk to him like that!" Tenya shouted, glaring at Virus.
"Oh, and I can't forget about you, Mr. 'I'll Take Down Stain Myself'! How does it feel, having to be saved by your friends, and having to hide the fact that it was Mr. Midoriya who actually took down the Hero Killer, denying him the credit he rightfully deserves!" Virus said, pointing to Tenya.
"Wait, really!?" Mina said, eyes wide at Tenya and Izuku.
"Oops, no one else was supposed to know, right? Because if people knew a student took down a villain without a license, that the government would have to punish him for doing so!"
"Leave us alone!" Pony cried.
"Oh? Doth my ears deceive me? Does Little Miss Foreigner feel like she really belongs now to make demands for her 'friends'?" Virus said, laughing. "I thought you were afraid that no one wanted you around! After all, why would anyone want to associate with a half-American like you?"
Pony struggled to hold her tears back, as Ochako hugged her comfortingly. Hero glared at the alien, who was exposing his friends' secrets left and right. "What's your endgame here, Virus!?"
"For a show! A show of despair! Of agony!" Virus said, as he curled his fingers and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed. "You humans are just simply the most entertaining things I've seen in a long time! This planet's the most entertaining thing I've seen in a long time! Why not indulge in it!? In this world's darkness!?"
"Oh, but I can't forget the rest of these secrets I know. Since I'm here now, I'll share even more now, whether you want me to or not! Grape-haired lad!" Virus said, pointing to Minoru. "- Yours, quite frankly, is simply carnal. Must be tragic to overcompensate yourself, knowing that no girl would want a permanently small boy like you! You've hit the peak of your height a long time ago, and all the girls you know just see you as a strange perverted child, so why not play into that!?"
"Shut up! That's not true!" Minoru said, biting his lips.
"Must be tough trying to stand out among your classmates, since all you have is that tail!" Virus said, pointing to Mashirao. Mashirao looked around, his tail drooping down from its fighting position.
"And you can't stand out! Must be hard, never being able to see yourself in a mirror!" Virus said to Toru. "Oh, if only you could turn that invisibility off!"
"Don't say that!" Toru said, balling up her hands.
"Poor, poor Todoroki, having all that boiling water poured onto your face by your mother," Virus said. Shoto's eyes widened before they furrowed as his classmates stared at him. He jumped in front of Hero, ice shot out from his right foot, speeding towards Virus, only for the alien to lift his left hand and tap the ice lightly before it touched him, shattering it and the trail it created. "Though that's understandable, since Endeavor's beatings was taxing on you and her, not to mention how your oldest brother's death by accidental self-immolation broke you all."
"SHUT UP!" Shoto screamed, pointing his left arm at the alien. The alien created a flame-like shadow with his right hand, and moved it, making the fire point upwards towards the sky.
"Told you I could've handled Endeavor's fire," Virus smugly said. "Oh, but let's not forget the biggest, greatest, most spectacular secret! Mr. Izuku Midoriya!"
Izuku, Hero, and the rest of the SiDE Team stiffened. He couldn't be-
"How does it feel-"
"DON'T SAY IT!" Izuku shouted. He let One for All course through his body as fast as he could without letting it go overboard, and sprung towards Virus. He swung his fist, putting a little more of his Quirk into it to silence the alien.
Virus caught it, wind blowing from the impact. He stood there, unmoving, as his hand tightened around Izuku's fist.
"What's the matter? Afraid of what they'll said? Afraid of them knowing the truth behind you and your Quirk?" Virus said, as Izuku felt an invisible grin growing on the alien's face. "Afraid of your own Quirklessness?"
Izuku's heart stopped. As did the rest of SiDE Team's.
"Midoriya?" Tsuyu said, looking at the still teen.
"Quirkless? What are you talking about!? He's the strongest guy here, barring Hero and Hiroshi!" Eijiro said. "You're definitely lying here!"
"Yea! If he was Quirkless, than how can he do all those crazy powerful punches!?" Hanta said.
"Oh no, I'm not. Shadows never lie," Virus said, as he threw Izuku at the crowd of Hero Course students. The boy had gone catatonic at the words that had left Virus's mouth. "Mr. Izuku Midoriya was born with the rarest defect of all in Japan, in the world! From a father with minor firebreathing and a mother with weak telekinetic pull, there he came, a boy without a Quirk of his own! Oh, the ironies of him wanting to be a hero regardless!"
"... Midoriya?" Eijiro asked, looking at the unresponsive boy.
Katsuki grinded and gnashed his teeth. Then what he said that day was true-?
"The boy was beaten down and berated for his dream! By one Mr. Katsuki Bakugo, who feared the potential this Quirkless boy had, and so decided to beat his dream out of him to remain the best! The years go by, and he's almost but given up hope! But as luck would have it, one man found that spark of heroism. One man saw that potential. One man chose to pass his unique Quirk onto him."
"Don't say it! Please!" Izuku begged, snapping out of his catatonia. "He doesn't deserve this! You can't do this!"
"You've gone far enough, Virus!" Hero shouted. He sprinted towards Virus and threw his mightiest punch, all of his power at All Might Scale. Much like seconds earlier, Virus caught the punch, though the wind pressure from it shattered the pipes and buildings behind him.
"You're gonna have to put in more strength if you want to beat me, Mr. Hero," Virus said, as he punched him in the gut, forcing Hero to plant his feet down to avoid flying hard into the students behind him. "You're going to need to be stronger than-"
"I AM HERE!"
All Might came down from the sky, punching Virus. Dust kicked up from the impact, forcing everyone to cover and close their eyes, while Ochako and Pony held onto the rope holding the unconscious Shihai to prevent him from flying away. As the dust cleared, Virus had somehow dodged All Might's punch.
"And the man of the hour has arrived," Virus said, clapping. "You must've seen the fireworks from earlier! Gotta say, very impressed. I believe this is the first time we've properly met, All Might. Though I already know so much about you than you know."
"So you're the alien that's been terrorizing Earth," All Might said, the smile on his face gone. "How dare you come after children!"
"Hey, they're future heroes, are they not? They should be prepared to face villains! If they're not, then that little light of theirs just might get snuffed out, don't you think?" Virus said, laughing. "Come on, smile! Aren't you the hero that saves everyone with a smile?"
Virus pointed his index fingers on his helmet's mouth before moving them, as if he were tracing a smile onto it. "After all, you might not be smiling for much longer without your Quirk."
All Might's shadowed eyes widened in shock, as the Hero Course students stared at him. "How- How did you-"
"Out of all the shadows I wanted to see, yours was the first one I went to!" Virus said, as he paced in front of the Number 1 Hero. "I wanted to see just what type of person could be the best of the best, so much that other countries consider him a honorary member of their Top Ten! And wouldn't you know it, what I found was... interesting."
"Silence! You have no right to-"
"Oh it doesn't matter if I have the right or not, I'll tell it all anyways."
All Might threw another punch at Virus, who caught it without budging. "Oh, I can tell already, all that power you had when you fought my new friend is all but a weakening fire. Better hold on to that, wouldn't want to go to that reunion without them."
"What!? He can't be-"
"Oh he very much is still alive. Broken, but still quite alive. Much like Stain!" Virus answered, his grip tightening around All Might's large fist. "The man who killed your predecessor, the man who you and your lineage dedicated their lives to fighting, has risen from the grave you put him in. All for One has been biding his time, All Might."
"VIRUS!" Hero shouted, lunging in for another punch. Virus held his right hand out, and blasted Hero with a shadowy beam, pushing him backwards, keeping from interfering.
"Your inheritor will have to face him soon enough, and I cannot wait to see him struggle and struggle until he's all but broken like you are," Virus said, as Izuku and the others looked at the two, confused. "Isn't that right... Mr. Midoriya?"
"W-wait, the person that Midoriya got his Quirk from-" Itsuka said, her eyes wide.
"- It's- It's All Might!?" Kosei said, his jaw dropping. Kinoko turned to Fuka and the rest of SiDE Team, who had looked at each other with horror.
"Did... did you all know?" she said in a small shocked whisper.
"Cat's out of the bag now, All Might! They all know the truth! The truth about One for All! The truth about Mr. Midoriya's Quirklessness! So why not show them!?" Virus said, as he pulled his right hand away from firing his beam at Hero, only to redirect it into All Might's injured left side, hitting it beam after beam. "SHOW THEM! SHOW THEM YOUR TRUE WEAK DECREPIT FORM!"
All Might spat out blood as Virus released his grip on his fist, sending the gargantuan man flying backwards into a wall of pipes. He laid there, struggling to hold his form.
"Struck in your weak spot and yet you're still holding onto your muscular form? Admirable," Virus said, as he stepped towards the downed hero. "That's what I like about you."
"ALL MIGHT!" Hero fired a sphere of earth-like energy into Virus, Hiroshi having increased his scale to Double All Might. Virus grabbed the sphere, and threw it into the air before aiming a beam of shadowy energy at the unprotected Hero Course students. Hero leaped in front of them, and crossed his arms to form a barrier to protect them.
"Come on, show them!" Virus shouted, as he stepped onto All Might's old wound. All Might grunted as Virus's heel dug into his torso, grabbing his leg, though the alien managed to pull his hands off and kept stepping harder. "Show them all the despair you've been holding back! Show them!"
With each step, All Might screamed louder and louder, horrifying the students. Before the final step, Virus noticed something moving in his peripheral vision. Katsuki had left his classmates' side and jumped towards the alien using an Explosion, and aimed his right hand at Virus's face.
"TAKE THIS YOU ALIEN BASTARD!" Katsuki yelled, launching a large Explosion into Virus's face. A cloud of smoke formed, around Virus, but before Katsuki could celebrate, a gloved hand shot out of the smoke, grabbing him by the face, before throwing him hard against the pipes. Katsuki grunted at the impact as he forced himself back up. "Is- Is that all that you've got!?"
"I'm not interested in you," Virus stated bluntly. "You're nothing to All Might's heir or Ultraman Hero's host. You want to be strong, but you're not. You'll always be second best. Or rather, third best now. Though at least you'll provide some decent despair."
"S-SHUT IT! SHUT UP!" Katsuki screamed, tears flowing down his face. "THAT'S NOT TRUE! I'M NOBODY'S SECOND OR THIRD BEST! I'M-"
"Bored of you already," Virus said, turning his attention back to the injured All Might. "Now then, one more step should do it."
Virus raised his heel high, and stepped onto All Might's wound. He couldn't hold it any longer. With a pained scream, a cloud of steam and dust flew out from around the two. As it cleared, everyone was shocked to see a skeletal man laying in All Might's place, wearing the same costume.
"N-no way..." Denki said, trembling.
"A-All Might?" Toru said, her gloves presumably covering her mouth.
"There we go, that's what I like to see," Virus laughed. He stepped away from All Might, and finished firing his beam at Hero. "I'm done here. I'm not about to ruin my friend's own plan to bring you despair. Because that will also be a fantastic show to see. And despite the giant aliens, I do still need quite a number of people alive, so don't expect another fight from me soon."
Virus turned towards one pipe that had managed to remain standing, ready to leave, when rock-like energy covered Hero's right fist. He threw punches, launching it towards Virus and knocking him backwards, before charging towards the villain himself, with rock-like energy wrapping around his left fist. "HERCULEAN DOUBLE SMASH!"
Virus was caught off guard by the attack, though he covered his hands with shadowy energy, pointing them at Hero himself.
"SHADOW SERENADE!"
An explosion of dust and smoke rose from their attacks' impacts, wind threatening to push everyone away. Izuku had leaped towards All Might and put all of his weight onto the weakened man to keep him from flying away. Everyone else had grabbed onto the ground or nearby pipes. Katsuki braced himself by firing off Explosions to counter against the strong wind.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Izuku sobbed, tears dripping down onto his idol. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry-"
As the smoke cleared, Hero had been knocked back into the pipes and walls behind him. Light surrounded him, and Hiroshi laid in place, breathing heavily from exhaustion before losing consciousness altogether. Meanwhile, Virus had been pushed back from where he was standing, his heels having to dig into the concrete to stop himself from flying away, and dust covering him.
"... Incredible. Simply incredible! That certainly caught me off guard!" Virus said, dusting himself off. "You're really something else, Mr. Hero! As an award, I won't be telling anyone else about your friends' darkest secrets! This is the first step to something bigger, and I can't wait for that day!"
Virus laughed and laughed, as he turned into shadow and fell backwards, falling onto the ground before vanishing from their presence. The teens were left alone, with only the sounds of distant sirens and Izuku's sobs filling the air.
ORIGINAL AO3 NOTES:
- Figures they'd use the fact that Virus and Illne fucked Stain up badly as part of the cover story, right?
- Also, thought this was just a breather chapter, did you? HA YOU FOOLS IT WASN'T.
- Personally always thought it was weird how Gran Torino just mentioned like, All for One at a payphone in a hospital with zero privacy. Like, for something so secretive, you'd avoid saying stuff like that over the phone and in an area where there could be passersby who'd overhear him.
- Since Stain's been crippled, he's no longer held in Tartarus. He's now in a special hospital-like jail cell where he can be taken cared of and monitored. I think those exist, right? Well, let's pretend that they do for this story.
- The idea that Shihai could get into the same world of shadows like Virus and his allies use was an idea that I came up with much earlier, though it wasn't necessarily something I knew how it would play out, and I only came up with the justification while writing this chapter. Plus I kinda wanted to show Virus off a little more.