Disclaimer: Boku no Hero Academia characters and plot events belongs to Horikoshi Kohei.

To Be a Hero

trash of society

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Urayasu City

Gang Orca had seen many things during his years going on missions and being a hero, but this monstrous being was something new to him. The creature was like a science experiment gone bad—its large muscular body was telling of its strength to blow through cement walls, but what was unnatural was the ghastly sight of its brains spilling out and that wild, insentient look in its bulging eyes. "What kind of creature is this?!"

"It's a-a Nomu," Shiro, who had been saved by the hero's quick action, was in disbelief. The last time she saw a Nomu was in USJ, and the creature had all but killed Eraserhead. The memory of seeing the man bleeding and unconscious made her entire body rigid with fear and anger. "Why are there more of them...?!"

And why, were they here of all places? Does this have anything to do with what Midoriya sent in the groupchat? Was this the doing of the League of Villains?

Shigaraki…!

Seeing the mixed emotions in the girl's eyes, Gang Orca got a sense of why the sight of the being was so terrifying. He had heard about the USJ attack and can deduct this 'Nomu' was what All Might had fought to keep the students safe. But this time it wasn't just one of them, with his enhanced hearing he could pick up that there was at least a handful more wreaking havoc in the inner city.

The Nomu swung its arm down again at the hero, but he intercepted it and threw a powerful punch back right in its face. The force was enough to rattle anyone's brain, but the Nomu seemed unaffected and let out a shrill screech. Clearly, it was out for blood. Dodging another blow, the hero released a hypersonic wave and it propelled the creature back into the side of a building. However, after a few moments of pained shrieks, was slowly moving out of the rubble like it had simply absorbed the shockwaves.

"There's not much time," Gang Orca instructed quickly to the still-shocked girl. "By now my agency and many others should have been alarmed. I'll call for one of my subordinates to take you back."

"N-No! I want to stay and fight!" Shiro snapped out of it with a determined glare. She couldn't be helpless! "I need to!"

Gang Orca narrowed his eyes seriously, "You do not hold a licence to fight villains and this is not your typical villain. As a student, you do not have permission to fight—"

"Then give me permission," she demanded pointedly. "You can do that! I've encountered a Nomu before—I know I can't physically do anything against those things, but logistically, I can help you! Let me help. You said that's what heroes do, right?!"

He had to applaud the galls of the girl to speak to him in such a way, but what she said moved him. He'd taken on the role of an educator and she was a fast learner. He couldn't stand there and make a hypocrite of himself when he had said heroes always acted with heart. And she was right; students are permitted to fight only under a hero's explicit permission and guide. "You must stay within my sight at all times," he ordered. "Any engagement with the Nomu is prohibited unless you are aided by me or another Pro Hero. Do you understand?"

Shiro was already in battle mode once the hero finished his intructions, and she nodded with a burning fire in her eyes as the Nomu came charging at them once more.

This time, I won't let it hurt anymore people!

"Shigaraki, I'm not sure master would be pleased about this," Kurogiri warned as Urayasu City transformed from a peaceful night to that of unrest. As ordered by the male, three Nomus—half from the army they brought—were roaming about the port city and destroying everything and anything in their paths.

"He only said to keep her alive," Shigaraki indicated. He would always follow the master's orders… And he had given permission for him to use the six Nomus as a learning experience. As long as no rules were broken, the master always allowed Shigaraki to do as he pleased. "Besides, that hero she's with won't let her die that easily."

His ruby eyes followed the trail of destruction with glee; whether the Nomus will be successful or not didn't matter, he just wanted to see how much pain and destruction they can cause among the two cities. He didn't care for Stain's twisted ideal of breeding true heroes—he just wanted to crush every single one of them. Releasing Nomus in Hosu was in part to take care of Stain, but importantly because it was in west Tokyo, and the city as a whole was a hub for those self-righteous, disgusting heroes. He was in luck that Shiro happened to be in a city that also bordered the east side of Tokyo. It was just like in the video games where he would surround the enemy on both sides and forcing them into a corner.

You want to be a hero so bad… Watching the girl trying to act the same way as those heroes made him cringe with anger. Then I want to see how well you can handle the destruction caused by three Nomus. Can you save everyone?

The screams of civilians as buildings crumbled was intoxicating to his mind.

"Kurogiri!" he spoke with a maniacal laugh. "Isn't this fun? Look at the players scrambling! We'll check on Hosu next... Let's see which city can bring out the most trash heroes!"

Hoards of people were running for their lives in the inner city, which was causing a total congestion of the area. When Shiro and Gang Orca had arrived to the scene from chasing the first Nomu, they were met with two more Nomus of different shapes and sizes and chimeric abilities. One was even flying. Other Pro Heroes at the scene already were having a hard time keeping them at bay as they seem to be immune to their attacks and spreading out further.

"It's Gang Orca!"

"Our country's No. 10 hero! Save us!"

Gang Orca slammed the first Nomu down into the concrete and turned to Shiro, "Help the civilians get to safety! I have to take care of this!"

Shiro nodded and dashed off to the crowdest area. Looking up ahead, she could see a flying Nomu heading towards that crowd and she immediately activated the dial in her right eye and threw a trash can lid at the creature with all her strength. The metal clanged loudly as it hit the Nomu in the face, causing it to stop momentarily. The female Pro Hero that was trying to subdue the Nomu gave Shiro confused glance seeing that the girl was merely a student, but she was appreciative of her help and went to blast the Nomu away from the large group of civilians.

"Everyone, exit into the alley on your left!" Shiro shouted, guiding the people closest to her towards the area and hoping that the rest will follow. Scanning around, she could see a clear escape route down the alley to the other side of the street where there was a secure storm shelter. "Please don't push, you will all get there!"

However, while she was getting the group to safety, the flying Nomu was quick to knock the female Pro Hero into a building a block away with its muscle augmenting Quirk. The woman was injured badly and couldn't move from her spot, thus the creature focused its attention back on Shiro. It screeched angrily and headed straight for her in retribution.

I can't have it coming towards the civilians…! I need 30 seconds to stall, her right eye spun wildly as she ducked to lead the villain away from the group. She jumped on top of a large truck that was next to a large pole and taunted, "Over here, bird-brain!"

"IEEEEEEK!"

As the Nomu came plunging towards her, Shito calculated in her head the exact moment she can jump. There was only one shot at this and anything out of place will potentially cost hers and the lives of others. Three… Two… One!

She leapt away just as the flying Nomu reached the car and she immediately used her ribbons to bind the creature to the sturdy pole next to her. She knew she couldn't hold it off for long, but the ribbons were made with a special alloy that will be able to keep it bound for a least the amount of time needed for the rest of the group she was rescuing to escape unharmed. "There, that should—"

FISST—!

Her ruby eyes widened with disturbance as a gas started to produce out of struggling Nomu's body. Gas? she covered her nose and leapt from the gas, but the Nomu's struggle proved fruitful as it broke the pole he was bound to and the large structure came timbering down straight at Shiro. Coupled with it opening its mouth to gather a spark-like orb, she realized that it was about to ignite the gas.

A sliver of a memory flashed across her eyes as she vaguely remember watching a similar scene of a large, burning wooden bar falling towards her. Then, it skipped back to a familiar young face that she couldn't quite recall, making her freeze in her spot. Who...?

"OI!"

The sound made her snap out of it and she realized that she wasn't going to make it.

BOOOOOM!

The wind was knocked out of her lungs as she felt an impact on her body, but no burning sensations from the explosion followed and she quickly opened her eyes to see that someone had scooped her away seconds before the sparks ignited. "B-Bakugou?!"

"Damn you Shitty Pigtails, why're you trying get yourself killed again?!" the blonde growled before landing on the ground with her in his arms. His grip on her was tight with anger and worry. "Stop being fucking stupid and stay out of danger!"

Shiro didn't refute; her mind was in a jumble of confusion and questions but she snapped out of it and the only question she could think of was: "Why are you here?"

"Ha?! We were patrolling by the border when I stopped to see that text from fucking Deku and suddenly that pompous No. 4 ran off towards this city! You should be glad that I followed 'cause you would've been rotisserie chicken by now," he glowered.

It then clicked that Midoriya's text had been a call for help. However, with the situation at hand there was no time to spare to get help when her own city was under attack. She really hoped that someone else had understood the message—there was no time to dwell on this further because the flying Nomu had escaped from its bindings with another shrill cry.

"Stay back, I'll blow his shitty brains out!"

But before Bakugou can take any action, the Nomu shrieked from being pulled back by invisible threads. Two of them found its way to Bakugou as well to stop him from joining the fight.

Best Jeanist, Quirk: Fiber Master.

"I did not allow you to engage in a fight with these villains," Best Jeanist reminded as he controlled the threads in his hands. Each thread was piercing and slicing the Nomu's skin, but he noticed its regenerative abilities and frowned. "You two, it's dangerous here. Leave this to the Pros."

Bakugou was visibly shaking from anger. Shiro, while being in the presence of hero held in even higher regard than Gang Orca, wasn't in the mindset to mindlessly follow bureaucratic rules and stop saving people when she still can. "With all due respect, Gang Orca gave me permission to be here and I intend to stay. Also, I could use Bakugou's help!"

"An intern of Gang Orca's?" Best Jeanist frowned. "Hm, I cannot speak against his decision about you, but Bakugou is my intern and he will not partake."

"As if—!" Bakugou gritted, but Shiro stopped him with a hand out in front of him and eyes that said to trust her.

"In situations like this, the most important thing right now is to keep the civilians safe and not argue about the rules! We're not trying to get in your way, we just want to make sure this thing ends now!"

With a moment's thought, the Genius hero decided that the girl was right and snuffed. "Come with me then," he said strictly before leaving to toss the struggling Nomu back to where other Pro Heroes with relevant Quirks can properly knock it unconscious.

Upon release, the spiky blonde let out a feral growl. "Damn him to hell…" his fiery eyes locked with Shiro's and he bared his teeth, "I didn't need your pity begging! I was going to do something no matter what!"

"I know," she replied, causing him to stop his antagonistic rant and watch her facial expression switch into a serious glower. She wasn't playing around. "You're going to what you want anyway, might as well get permission first so you don't get into severe trouble later. Now, are you going to put aside your godforsaken pride for one second and be a hero or not?"

She wasn't looking down on him. She was looking out for him like a decent friend.

It was infuriating.

"Tch!" Bakugou turned abruptly with an angry blush. "Let's go then!"

Hosu City

When Midoriya's train to Shibuya was attacked by a Nomu, the growing worry in the pit of his stomach had intensified. He couldn't stay back even though Gran Torino had ordered him to not move; they were in Hosu and he had an inkling that the Nomu, as part of the League of Villains, was somehow connected to the Hero Killer. He had hypothesized that the villain was still around, having not finished his business here yet, and Iida was in the same city with a vengeance. Then learning he had ran off from Manual, he was scared for his friend's life.

I hope I'm not too late!

He was proven right to his dismay—when he reached Iida the male was already badly injured and the Hero Killer was just about to finish him off. It wasn't just Iida that was injured, there was another Pro Hero who had been badly injured in the corner. He couldn't grab both of them as he was by himself; he just prayed that someone in his class groupchat had understood his message and alerted the authorities to come to his location before it was too late.

"Midoriya-kun, don't get involved!" Iida gritted from the ground. Stain had cut him and his Quirk had paralyzed him from moving. "This has nothing to do with you!"

Seeing his friend in pain and still being stubborn, Midoriya was in disbelief. "What are you saying?!"

"Your friend came to save you. That's a great line, isn't it?" Stain spoke as he gave Midoriya a glance and trailed his eyes back to the male on the ground. "But I have a duty to kill him. If we clash, of course, the weaker will be culled."

Just his words alone was able to instill a foreboding fear down to Midoriya's core.

"Now, what will you do?"

He's different from the villains from USJ. His eyes are those… Of a real killer.

"Run away! I told you, didn't I? It has nothing to do with you!" Iida shouted.

"If you say that, then heroes can't do anything!" he shouted back with bite. His back was to the injured male in a protective stance. There's a lot of things I'd like to say, but I'll say them later. It's like All Might said… "Meddling when you don't need to… Is the essence of being a hero!"

Hearing those words, Stain grinned. This kid is different from the others.

In a flash, Midoriya was coming towards the villain with green static building up around his body. It was just like he trained with Gran Torino, to use only 5% of his power allowed him to utilize the tremendous ability without hurting himself. Imagine an egg in a microwave… Get close to him in one movement!

"Don't get cut, Midoriya-kun! That's how he activates his Quirk!"

Midoriya ducked just before Stain could swipe one of his swords at him and he got behind the man. Quickly jumping, he flew above him. "Five percent Detroit… SMASH!"

The impact blew the villain back and Midoriya was certain that he had done it; however, he suddenly felt a suffocating restriction in his body and dropped to the ground. "Wh… My body…!" On his left shoulder was a miniscule of a cut.

The Hero Killer walked towards his frozen form and he was able to see the small drop of blood on one of his knives. Realization hit Midoriya. I see… He somehow controls blood by ingesting it orally…!

"It wasn't powerful enough," Stain mused. "It's not that you saw through my movements. You left my field of vision and maneuvered so that you would definitely be able to bring me down... That was what your movement was like. People who are all talk are a dime a dozen, but you are worth letting live. You're different from these guys."

The tip of his sword was pointed at Iida's face and Midoriya struggled to move helplessly. "Stop it—!"

FWOOOOOOSH!

A burning stream of fire blasted towards the Hero Killer and forced him to jump back, saving Iida's life at that moment. The three conscious people at the scene all widened their eyes in surprise to see Todoroki standing at the entrance of the alleyway with flames swirling around his left side.

"One after another…" Stain grunted with annoyance. "There are a lot of people getting in my way today."

"Midoriya. You need to give more details in times like this," Todoroki said as he held up his cell with the pinned location on his screen. "You made me late."

"Todoroki-kun…!" Does that mean Endeavor's around, too?

"It took me a few seconds to figure out what you meant since you only sent a location," he replied and activated his right side so that a billowing mound of ice formed to raise the injured Pro Hero, Iida, and Midoriya off the ground before using fire to let them slide behind him. "You meant that you were in trouble and to call for help, right? Don't worry. The Pros will also get here in a few minutes."

The combination of ice and fire attacks caused Stain to retreat several feet and he grunted. My time will be up soon, huh?

"It's just like the information about him implies," Todoroki narrowed his eyes as he faced the villain. "I won't let you kill these guys, Hero Killer."

"Heh," Stain lurched forward with his sword. "You have good friends, Ingenium!"

As the fight between the dual Quirk male and villain broke out, Iida was gritting his teeth with frustration. "Please, stop! I've inherited my brother's name… I have to do it… That guys' mine…!"

"You inherited it? That's strange," Todoroki replied while he forced an iceberg up towards Stain, momentarily blocking his sight of the threat. "The Ingenium I saw before didn't have that look on his face, though. You've got a lot going on behind the scenes in your family, too, huh?"

C-Can't move…! Midoriya was grunting in pain as he tried with all his might to move his limbs so he can help. When he felt his fingers twitch, he realized that the effects of Stain's Quirk was slowly wearing off. Meanwhile, the block of ice was sliced into numerous pieces as it crumbled to the ground. Stain had an annoyed look in his eyes.

"To block your own view against an opponent faster than you… What a foolish plan!"

The flames on Todoroki's left side set ablaze. "I wonder about that—" but before he could move, two small knives impaled itself into his arm and he winced in pain.

"You're pretty good, too," the Hero Killer was above him with the tip of his jagged sword pointed at the Pro Hero next to him.

"Above you!" Midoriya's body slammed into the villain and he dragged him along the side of the building with all his strength. "Somehow I can move again!"

"A time limit?"

"N-No, that kid should've been the last one he got," the Pro Hero, Native, winced in pain. "I can't move yet."

The green haired male was slammed down to the ground as Stain released himself and landed back on his feet. His face showed both irritation and comendment. "Get back, Midoriya!" Todoroki ordered as ice shards rushed towards the villain. Midoriya scrambled to his side with a pant.

"He takes in a person's blood to keep them from moving… Since I got free first, I can think of three possible reasons. It could be 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?" Native mumbled, "I'm type B…"

"I'm A…" Iida added.

Todoroki and Midoriya looked at each other. They were both type O, so if that was the case, then Stain's Quirk has less paralyzing effect on both of them.

"Not bad," Stain grinned. "You are correct."

Hero Killer: Stain, Quirk: Bloodcurdle.

"I can't really do anything just by knowing his Quirk, though..." Midoriya frowned, watching the villain's every step carefully. Todoroki nodded while gripping his injured arm.

"I wanted to hurry up and carry those two out of there, but he can react so fast that he can avoid ice and fire. I can't leave myself that open. I think our best option is to hold on by avoiding close combat until the Pros get here."

"Todoroki-kun, you've already shed too much blood. I'll distract him, so you support me from behind!"

"That's a pretty big risk, but yeah…" his heterochromatic eyes lowered with determination. "The two of us will protect them!"

Iida watched his two classmates' back as they faced the Hero Killer. They showed such bravery and strength that he could only bite the insides of his cheeks with regret and frustration. He wasn't strong enough to do the one thing he vowed in order to bring justice to his bedriddened hero brother, and now he had even dragged two of his classmates into this mess. He was a failure!

"Iida, I've been worried about you since your older brother was attacked," Todoroki's voice broke the male out of his turmoil as Midoriya dashed forward for a frontal attack first. "Because I know well the face of someone who would act on pent-up resentment. I also know just how narrow the field of vision can get for someone like that… After reconciling with my mother, she taught me that I have to move forward without it holding me back."

"Todoroki-kun…?"

"I have no intention of forgiving my old man, but I joined his internship so I could experience the fact that he is the number two hero with my own eyes and body and accept that."

"Get ready. We're going out."

"Where? To do what?"

"If this incident follows precedent, then the Hero Killer will appear in Hosu City again. We will be going there for a time on a business trip and work there."

No matter what a scumbag he is, I had to appreciate the judgement and instincts of a man called the number two hero, Todoroki gritted his teeth and threw a blast of flames at Stain to cover Midoriya as he got behind the villain. "It was so simple… So simple yet I couldn't see it because of the rage I had—the rage that is in you right now."

The meaning behind Todoroki's words hit Iida stronger than any blow Stain had given him. These two…

"Save that guy first."

"I came to save you, Iida-kun!"

"The two of us will protect them!"

"S-Stop it…" Tears welled up in his eyes. His friends were getting hurt because of his irresponsible actions. "Please.. I'm already…"

Forcing the flame to become even bigger, Todoroki turned back to Iida for a second with a look of urge and encouragement in his piercing eyes. Just a few words from Shiro and Midoriya was able to let me see clearly… So... "If you want us to stop, then stand up!"

The only words I can say to you are…

"Look properly at what you want to be!"

With that final push, Iida's hand twitched and he was able to get his engine started just as Stain's sword came slashing at Todoroki. "Iida-kun!" Midoriya shouted as the engine Quirk user used his Reciprocal Burst to counter Stain's sword and save the other male.

"The Hero Killer is right... I am different than you two because I was only driven by my selfish desires. I can't hold a candle to you guys… But I cannot allow you to bleed anymore because of me!" he vowed. I will atone for my mistake!

"It's no use trying to be reformed for appearance's sake," Stain degraded with a scowl, gripping his broken sword with blood dripping down his hand. "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!"

"Iida, don't listen to the logic of a murderer—"

"No, he's right. I have no right to call myself a hero… Even so, I cannot give in," he said with pain and renewed determination in his eyes. "If I give in, then Ingenium will die."

"Out of the question!"

There was a change in Stain's expression but it was so brief that nobody but Todoroki caught it. There was a crazy tenacity in Stain—now with Iida standing alongside Midoriya and him, it was making him flustered. He's getting desperate…

The three of them will have to take Stain down simultaneously with this last burst... Or else they will not make it.

Urayasu City

"Damn it, I can't see these shitheads!"

Shiro was getting the last of the injured people from the inner city into safety as Bakugou watched her back and blew away any threat coming their way. Best Jeanist had apprehended one of the three Nomus, and Gang Orca landed an earth-shattering punch at the Nomu with six arms. It knocked the creature unconscious, though the impact of it had caused the road to break and shatter, creating flying debris and sand particles to engulf the street.

She spared a glance at the blonde through the cloud of smoke just in time to see a silhouette of the last Nomu behind him. Her heart pounded as she quickly activated the right dial in her eye, "Bakugou, behi—!"

Just as the Nomu attempted to swipe at him, he blasted at the ground to flip his body around and aimed multiple flash explosions at its back. The Nomu was shrieking as it stumbled. "What're you staring for?! We gotta go!" he growled as he got away and pulled on Shiro's arm. Meanwhile, the Nomu was taking a few moments to regrew the torn skin but Gang Orca was on it to give the final blow.

Feeling Bakugou's grip on her made her hit the realization that even though she had warned him and tried to help, it was marveling at how fast he was to maneuver out of that pinch. His quickness, his intelligence; it surpassed her own by miles.

Shaking her head to pull herself out of it, she released his hold on her arm and followed close behind. "Gang Orca's got the last one so we should report back," she stated instead.

"Don't order me around!"

His attitude was seriously unbefitting of a hero, though. It was a pain to be around him, yet... "Thanks for having my back," she said begrudgingly. She couldn't have rescued nearly as many people if he hadn't helped with attacks and allowed her full attention to stay on her task. The muscles on the blonde's back visbly tensed, but he did not stop.

"Stupid! I just didn't want to deal with the screaming and crying."

...Of course, she rolled her eyes. A thought ebbed at the back of her mind: just what kind of hero did Bakugou want to be if he didn't like anything except to fight and prove that he was the strongest? He's such an anomaly.

Yet, something in her didn't doubt that being a hero was what he had and will always aim for.

"Shiro," Gang Orca's voice bellowed as they approached the Pros getting the three Nomus rounded up for the authorities. He glanced at Bakugou with his narrowed eyes, "Is this a classmate of yours? I am glad you both are unharmed."

"So you're interning under him?" Bakugou grumbled at Shiro with a biting sense of jealousy. Gang Orca's image was much more in line with his own. Though Best Jeanist was No. 4 in the country, he had gotten no useful fighting lessons from him and tonight's events was the only thing that allowed him some sort of excitement. "Tch!"

"That will be my unruly intern," Best Jeanist said as he walked up to the orca. Taking care of the Nomus had caused his hair to get all ruffled, though no one but himself noticed such a thing. "I'm surprised you requested for a student this year. I can see why, though."

"Oh? You're bothered. She said something that bothered you, didn't she," Gang Orca grinned.

"Not particularly," the other hero insisted before turning away. "Bakugou, come. We must return. Chaos can sometimes tempt people and draw out the cruelty that lies sleeping inside them at their core. It will be business as usual when we get back."

"Sure, Best Jeanist!" the sidekicks that came along chanted.

Bakugou glared at the hero, but that only made him get dragged along by threads.

What is he, a dog? Shiro wondered as she watched the male go. Clearly being ordered around by the Pro Hero was something that he couldn't get over and she now knew why he was so angry with her earlier. Now that she thought about it, Best Jeanist was a renowned stickler for appearances... Bakugou should've known this when he picked the hero's agency. What an idiot...

"Unruly intern, huh?" Gang Orca was deep in thought. From what he's seen from the sports festival, Bakugou was very strong. Wild, but strong. Seeing him in person confirmed it. All that strength in one place, as long as it was projected in the right direction, could be beneficial to society. But if it isn't...

"He's just rough around the edges. Maybe Best Jeanist is the best choice for him..." Shiro's absentminded mumble grew the hero's attention back to reality. He looked at the usually quiet girl curiously as another thought surfaced.

"Hm. Is he the boyfriend?"

"...!" Taken aback, a small blush made its way to the girl's face as she looked at her internship mentor angry with embarassment. "I-I told you, I don't have one!"

Gang Orca smirked, letting her know he was just teasing to lighten what was a pretty intense and dire night. "Oh. It's just that you were staring pretty intently at your phone before the attack, and suddenly Best Jeanist shows up with his little intern."

"That as nothing to do with him," she huffed, but her hand reached back into her pocket at the mention of messages. Her expression grew serious as she revealed to the hero. "It's my friend who's in Hosu City... I'm worried they're having the same problem as us."

"The same type of villains occuring at two different places simultaneously? They seem too mindless and uncoordinated for this type of attack... Unless there was someone behind it."

"At USJ, there was a portal villain who can transport others to different locations within minutes. The organization he's in has to be behind these attacks," she insisted. There was no other explanation; it was the League of Villains. The organization was slowly becoming more notorious among the population and it was causing unrest.

Seeing that there was no more incoming messages from Midoriya on her phone, Shiro gripped it tight.

I hope everything is okay...

Hosu City

"Native-san, can you move?" Midoriya asked while Todoroki and Iida was tying up the unconscious Hero Killer. They had barely made it, but the villain was apprehended for now thanks to their combined strengths.

"Yeah, I'm okay now," the Pro Hero said as he picked up the badly injured boy on his back. "You hurt your legs pretty badly. Let me at least carry you out."

"T-Thank you very much…"

"That's my line."

"There," Todoroki tied the last knot and pulled at the rope. "You can really find anything at the trash collection site."

"Todoroki-kun, I'll pull it!" Iida volunteered adamantly, but the male shook his head. He was the least harmed out of the three of them.

"Your arms are messed up, right? I'll be fine."

"Sorry…" Native apologized to the three as they trudged out of the alley. "Even though I'm a Pro, I was just in the way."

"No, I don't think you could've done anything one-on-one with the Hero Killer's Quirk," Midoriya consoled. "He's too strong…"

Stain had made some mistakes while trying to fight the three of them combined, but he was still so strong that they barely made it out alive. It was only fortunate that Midoriya had a fast recovery time from his Quirk, and Iida's speed and power from his Recipro Burst was what threw him off.

"Well, then, let's quickly turn him over to the police," Native said as they walked out to the street. They came face to face with an old man who was just about to enter the alley. Midoriya's eyes widened.

"G-Gran Tor—"

"Why are you here?!" Gran Torino exclaimed before using his Jet Quirk to connect his boots with the male's face. "I thought I told you to stay seated on the bullet train!"

"Who's this?" Todoroki asked.

"The hero I'm interning with... Gran Torino," Midoriya winced. "But why? How did you know we were here?"

Still fuming, the short old man replied, "I was told to come here all of a sudden by Endeavor. Well, I don't really know what's going on, but at least you didn't die out here, kid. Geez."

"I-I'm sorry..."

Meanwhile, more footsteps was heard and a group of Pro Heroes appeared around the corner, all urgently towards their location. "Endeavor-san said there was a request for help here, but... Eh? Children?" one of them looked at the students with confusion.

"Those injuries look serious! I'll call the ambulance right away!"

"H-Hey, this is..." one of them noticed the tied up man behind Todoroki. "Is that the Hero Killer?!"

"What—?"

"Call the police, too!"

As the Pros fussed and dialed the numbers for the needed services, Iida limped over towards Todoroki and Midoriya and bowed down with remorse. "You two were injured because of me. I am truly sorry! I..." Tears formed in his eyes as he bit his lip. "I couldn't see anything... Through my anger..."

Midoriya's expression soften at the sight of the aplogetic male. "I'm sorry too... Even though you were feeling so cornered, I didn't notice at all. Even though we're friends..."

"Pull yourself together. You're the class rep, right?" Todoroki said in his own way of encouraging the crying male. Iida nodded and wiped away his tears with his less injured arm.

The fight with Stain couldn't have taken more than ten minutes, but to them, it felt like a very long one. They were just glad that it was over...

"Get down!" Gran Torino suddenly warned with alarm. He sensed something flying straight at them—it was an injured Nomu that had escaped Endeavor's grasp! But before anyone can react quick enough, its clawed feet grabbed Midoriya off of Native's back and pulled him away.

"MIDORIYA!"

Its powerful wings caused a forcefield of wind to trap the others while he made an escape. Debris flew about and one Pro got splashed with a bit of its own blood. To know that the creature was able to escape even after a beating from Endeavor was alarming—but in a second, the Pro felt a rough tongue lick the blood off her cheek and suddenly the Nomu shrieked, its limbs frozen in place as it pummel downward with Midoriya in tow.

With a burst of energy, the Hero Killer started dashing towards the falling Nomu with a hidden knife in his hand, his arms released from his bindings and eyes glowing a vicious red. "This scoiety overgrown with fake heroes... And the criminals who wave their power around idly... Should all be purged!" he declared as he plunged the knife into the Nomu's skull. Midoriya turned to look at the villain with wide eyes. It was unbelievable... He saved him by killing the Nomu!

"That is all..." Stain had one hand gripping Midoriya's hero suit and the other pulling the knife out. A spurt of blood came with it, "...To create a more just society."

"H-He saved the boy?!"

"But he killed that thing with no hesitation!"

"Anyway, get ready to fight!"

The Pro Heroes braced themselves when suddenly Endeavor made his presence from chasing the flying Nomu over to this location. "Why are you guys standing around?" he barked before his blue eyes narrowed at the Hero Killer in front of him. "Don't tell me, this man is...?"

With labored breaths, Stain inclined his head to look at the No. 2 hero. The mask around his eye slipped off. "Endeavor."

"Hero Killer!" the hero grinned as he activated a large flame around his arm and got ready to fight. However, Gran Torino stopped him.

"Wait, Todoroki!"

Slowly, Stain released Midoriya and got up. He slowly, with labored breaths, turned towards the group of heroes with complete ire and disgust in his eyes. The sight of his expression was chilling to the bone to everyone at the scene.

It was dark, monstrous, and full of conviction.

"You fakes... I must make things right... Someone must be dyed in blood..." The closer he stepped, the more constricted everyone felt. It was like an invisible evil force had grabbed them by the torso and squeezed. "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!"

His aura was so strong that one of the Pros even staggered back. The darkness engulfed them and left a promise of suffering for his cause. And then, just as quickly as it came, it stopped. Stain stopped moving and his knife dropped to the ground with a clang!

"He's..." Endeavor realized, "...Unconscious."

A breath of relief washed over everyone before Todoroki and Iida fell to the ground. Midoriya's emerald eyes were blank with the sense of fear still lingering in his soul. The Hero Killer hadn't licked anyone's blood, but at that place, for that one moment...

The Hero Killer was the only one who stood up to fight against his opponent.

"What the hell?!" Watching from a tower afar, Shigaraki was angry. "Why'd that Nomu have to go and get killed? Why is that kid there? There's so much I want to say that I can't keep up... This is a mess..."

All of his Nomus were apprehended. The kid showed up and didn't die. He wasn't allowed to kill his sister. The destruction that the Nomus caused weren't as satisfying as he had wanted it to be. What a disaster! But...

This is not over... Not in the least.

He let all five of his fingers touch the binocular and it crumbled to dust. "Let's go back."

The ability gap between the first Nomu and the ones master gave him tonight were day and night, but the only consolidating fact was that the Hero Killer was also gone...

"Were you satisfied with the results, Shigaraki?" Kurogiri asked as he activated his portal to let Shigaraki retreat.

"Idiot. That depends on tomorrow."

Hopefully the errors are minimal! I speed-typed half of this because I wanted to get it done so that I can focus on actual school work tomorrow. The joys of having to read 50+ pages per class (I have 4...) each week. Please leave a review to make me happy ^^