Despite the fact that he chose this internship site, Shouto still doesn't like dealing with his father in any capacity. But even he has to admit, in the middle of a crisis, Endeavor is a strong and efficient leader.
They'd only been in Hosu for a day searching for the Hero Killer when disaster had struck out of nowhere. There were multiple Noumu, two for sure but possibly more, from the incident at USJ causing havoc in the streets. It's taking all of Shouto's concentration to keep up with putting out fires and directing people to evacuation shelters.
"Shouto," he doesn't turn towards his old man but tilts his head to indicate that he's listening. "There have been more of those creatures spotted near the downtown area, I'm going to investigate. Stay here and demonstrate your capabilities." Oh no, he's leaving. "That quirkless nobody you lost to in the Sports Festival is here. If you see him, tell him to get to one of the shelters. His mentor suspects that the young fool will try and fight these monsters instead of hiding."
"Midoriya is here?" Shouto asks, finally looking over at his father.
"Like I said, don't get distracted," Endeavor frowns and pokes him roughly in the chest. "I don't care what's going on between the two of you but I expect to see better results from someone of your talent. Mark my words, Shouto, that boy will only weigh you down." There's a series of horrified screams followed by an inhuman screeching that has his father running. "Stay here unless you're evacuated, that's an order!"
"He's not the one weighing me down," Shouto mutters under his breath before turning back to his work. He's mostly controlled the fires in this area and almost everyone has been rescued; he'll probably need to move out of this area regardless of Endeavor's order.
He frowns as he pulls out his phone. What is Midoriya doing here? He's supposed to be nearly an hour away but apparently he's here with his mentor. As much as Shouto admires Midoriya's strength of heart and physical prowess, even All Might struggled against just one of these creatures.
He's in the process of sending a text when Midoriya contacts him first. Shouto's eyes widen as he takes in the message. Without further hesitation, he starts running. He has no idea where he's going but if Midoriya thinks that Iida is hunting the Hero Killer then Shouto is inclined to believe him. Shouto'd had his suspicions this week but he hadn't felt it was his place to press, something he now regrets.
Midoriya's message had said to check alleyways, ones where a murder could occur unnoticed. A chill runs down his spine that has nothing to do with his quirk.
This is too much, not just for Midoriya but for him. He checks all of the alleys close to him and finds them either empty or sheltering frightened civilians. His clenches his phone in his hand, hoping for another message that will give him some sort of direction.
Fortunately or not, his phone buzzes a moment later. It's a mass text this time, there's so many names on the list his phone can't process them all. The message is simply a location pin, about 5 or 6 blocks west from where he is now, and no message. Considering how meticulous Midoriya was in his last text, it's a bad sign.
Shouto sprints as fast as he can towards the alleyway where his friends could possibly be dying. He dials Endeavor's number on memory, he doesn't even give his father a chance to speak when he picks up.
"I think we might have located the Hero Killer, get to the alley by 4210 Ekou street as soon as possible!" Shouto shouts before quickly hanging up and focusing on his run. He hopes he isn't too late. As he closes in on the alley, he can hear the violent clang of combat. Skidding to a stop at the opening, Shouto can only feel dread at what he's seeing.
He spots Iida first, lying on the ground and covered in blood. Shouto fears for a moment that he's arrived too late until he hears Iida shout something at Midoriya. His other friend is embroiled in a vicious fight with someone Shouto can only assume is the Hero Killer. There's another costumed figure slumped against the far wall, judging by the amount of blood on him and the unnatural stillness, Shouto has to assume he's dead. He'd better intervene before anyone else gets hurt.
The Hero Killer takes a dive towards Midoriya and Shouto seizes his chance to strike and throws his fire out. Midoriya is able to skirt out of the way in time but Stain receives a few burns. Shouto steps further into the alley.
"Why am I not surprised to see you caught up in something like this?" Shouto says calmly as he stands over by Midoriya, not so subtlety checking him over for injuries. Midoriya's panting from the exertion and there's a few cuts in his uniform but otherwise he looks unharmed. "I've contacted my father, he should be bringing reinforcements soon. Until then, get behind me and protect Iida." He says, putting his arm in front of his friend and summoning a giant pillar of ice to throw at Stain.
The killer leaps over the ice and charges forward. Midoriya keeps him back with his staff while Shouto drives him away with more of his fire. Forced to retreat, Stain eyes them hungrily from his side of the alley. Someone had better get here soon.
"Todoroki, get out of here! Take Midoriya with you! This has nothing to do with either of you!" Iida shouts, he looks even worse up close. There's an ugly cut across the entire left side of his face and there's blood all over his armor.
"Todoroki huh, I know you," Stain hisses, swinging his katana but Shouto puts up an ice shield to defend. "Endeavor is your father, isn't he? A despicable man and I'm sure his son is no better. What poor company you keep, young hero." He continues, addressing Midoriya who drives the killer back when he almost closes in on Shouto. But Midoriya isn't able to stop the small knife that speeds through the air and cuts Shouto across the cheek.
"Don't let him get ahold of your blood!" Midoriya shouts, smacking Stain across the face before he can reach the knife. Once the killer is out of range, Midoriya grabs the knife and wipes it clean before sticking it in the back of his belt. "He can paralyze you if he ingests it!"
"Good to kn-" Stain is suddenly in his space, his tongue darting out to try and lick the blood directly off Shouto's cheek.
"Get away from him!" Midoriya shouts, digging his staff into the pavement and using it to give him the strength to force Stain away. The Hero Killer blocks the kick but Midoriya is still landing hits and it's enough to push the man back. Shouto narrows his eyes, Midoriya is good but he's not that good. He's got plenty of exposed blood on his body too, so why isn't Stain taking advantage?
"Get down," Shouto shouts, lighting the upper portion of the alley on fire with his left. Midoriya ducks and rams his bō into Stain's gut. Stain lashes out, cutting across Midoriya's chest but it seems to only bounce off the armor.
"Midoriya!" Shouto shouts, running forward and putting a fiery hand out but Stain has already moved. "I told you to stay back!" He continues because, dammit, this is not the sort of situation Midoriya of all people should be in.
"This isn't the time to treat me like a child!" Midoriya shouts, his face red with rage and exertion. "I'm not useless, I'm going to protect both of you! Now back me up or go get help!" He says, rushing forward again with his bō at the ready. Shouto growls as he chases after. If Stain doesn't kill him, Midoriya's recklessness will.
"Both of you, please," Iida says from the ground with a sob. "Please, I can't watch anymore people die. I'm not worth it, escape while you still can!" Midoriya leaps off the ground to kick Stain in the face but the killer swipes at him and they begin trading blows quicker than Shouto can track.
"If you want this to be over then figure a way around his quirk and help us," Shouto snaps, giving a brief look over his shoulder where the other lay. He stands by, looking for an opportunity to intervene on the fighting. Midoriya is excellent at close combat but this isn't training, if he'd just keep back, Shouto could keep the killer away with his fire and ice. He doesn't care about Stain but he could easily burn or freeze his friend.
"He's right," Midoriya grits as ducks under a knife jabbed in his direction. "We're not going to leave without you!"
"Your bravery is inspiring, young hero. Truly it is an honor to meet someone who embodies the characteristics that I believed had been all but lost," Stain says as he dodges Midoriya's attacks. So he was right, Stain is going easy on Midoriya. Well it's a blessing or else his friend would already be dead. "I do not wish to harm you, in fact, I believe we can do great work together." Stain grabs the bō mid-swing out of Midoriya's hand and throws it to the side.
"Shi-," Midoriya curses, trying to put some distance between them but Stain has grabbed him by the neck of his costume.
"Society isn't kind to the quirkless, you had to fight your way all the way through the Sports Festival just to get noticed and look, they still don't respect you." Midoriya grunts as Stain shoves him up against the wall. Shouto runs forward but Stain brings his katana up against Midoriya's throat.
"Stay where you are bastard child, I'm trying to talk." Stain turns back to Midoriya who is angling his head away from the blade at his neck. "You work harder than any of them, love more fiercely and suffer the most and they still view you as nothing more than a pet." He gets real close to Midoriya's face, "and all fickle owners eventually tire of their pe-"
Despite being held down and threatened with a blade; Midoriya finds the courage to reach behind him and pull out the knife Stain had thrown at Shouto earlier. With a viciousness he wouldn't have expected, Midoriya stabs the Hero Killer completely through the palm holding the katana. At the same time, Midoriya forcibly kicks the villain away, removing the blade from his throat.
Shouto's eyes widen at the unusually violent attack but quickly races forward towards the two, putting an ice wall up between them. He grabs Midoriya by the back of his costume and pulls him back. Midoriya's holding a hand to his throat where blood is leaking sluggishly through his fingers.
"Let me see!" Shouto shouts, pulling away Midoriya's hand, ready to cauterize if need be. The cut across his neck is bleeding but not seriously though there's not a lot of room for error with neck wounds. Shouto feels sick, how close had Midoriya been to shredding an artery?
"Will you stop being so goddamn reckless!" He demands, manhandling Midoriya behind him once more. Shouto had thought he understood how crazy Midoriya was from the Sports Festival but it seems he'd underestimated how far the other boy would go. It's both infuriating and terrifying.
"This is life or death, Todoroki," Midoriya responds hoarsely, but Shouto can hear the tremble in his voice. At least he's aware of how stupid that was.
"You're just full of fire, aren't you?" Stain laughs as he looks at his hand before pulling the knife out with his teeth without so much as a twitch of pain. "I'm afraid of roughing you up too much so I'm going to take you out of the game while I finish off these fakes. I'm sure you'll be more open to talking once your companions are dead." On the other side of the ice wall, Shouto can see Stain reaching down for the katana he'd dropped in Midoriya's attack, the same one that had cut at his throat.
"Shit!" Shouto hisses as he melts through the ice but by the time he's gotten through, Midoriya has collapsed on the ground behind him.
But he doesn't have time to worry about that when Stain is swinging forward with his katana in one hand and another smaller knife in the other. It's all Shouto can do to avoid the blades because, with both Midoriya and Iida unable to move, it's over if he gets cut.
"People like you don't understand what it's like," Stain sneers, up close he can see that Stain is bruised and covered in blood. Looks like Midoriya had been able to do some damage after all. Shouto really shouldn't be surprised but it's easy to underestimate Midoriya sometimes.
"You're hero royalty, you've never wanted a day in your life. You even got into a premiere hero school without even having to lift a finger." The knife cuts into his arm but he slaps it away and freezes it in ice before Stain can lick it.
"You and your kind think it's all about power and influence but that is what's rotting society. Your friend over there understands it," Stain said gesturing to Midoriya with his bloodied hand. "He didn't just fight heroes during the Sports Festival, he fought the system that oppresses us and keeps animals like your father in power."
"Todoroki!" "Watch out!" Shouto hears his classmates shout at the same time behind him. He quickly builds an ice pillar below him, putting him above the Hero Killer and avoiding another knife being put into his side.
"Midoriya, Iida, any chance one of you can move yet?" Shouto asks as he jumps down from his pillar while Stain tries to follow him. Unlike with the killer's battle with Midoriya, Shouto can see the malice and bloodlust in Stain's eyes. Stain isn't holding back and, if given half a chance, he will kill him.
"Todoroki!" Izuku shouts from the ground as he sees Stain sneakily trying to stab Todoroki. Luckily his friend is quick with his quirk and creates a block of ice below him, putting him away from Stain. Izuku goes back to struggling to move his limbs but they feel as if they're made of lead. "Iida, how long have you been trapped? Can you move yet?"
"Not yet, it's been a few minutes at least but I'm not sure how the spell is broken." Iida replies sadly, "I'm sor-"
"Stop telling me you're sorry and find a way to get up; Todoroki won't be able to hold him off alone for much longer!" Izuku shouts as he runs through all the possible ways he could get past the quirk.
Todoroki is doing a good job of keeping Stain at a distance but now that the haze of survival is leaving him, Izuku can clearly see that Stain is going for killing moves with Todoroki... and he hadn't been with him. He's torn between being angry and relieved; not even villains take him seriously.
Unable to do anything else, Izuku watches Todoroki fight. He moves gracefully with a clear sense of power, using both fire and ice in tandem to keep the killer at a distance. But Todoroki is still a student and Stain's killed many licensed heroes. That's not even mentioning the fact that Todoroki has only been using his fire in combat for about a week.
This is bad, Izuku should have been more specific in his message, should have made a pro come with him. He can only hope Todoroki's message to Endeavor will be taken seriously. Adrenaline has caused Izuku to lose track of how much time has passed, it feels like forever since the battle began but it probably hasn't been that long in actuality. Not that it would take much time for Stain to kill them all.
Izuku wants to cry with frustration, he hates how useless he is. He'd thought for a moment that he was doing good against Stain, that he might be able to hold off on his own until help arrived. But now he sees that even a killer of heroes thinks he's little more than an amusing novelty.
Todoroki has such incredible power, Izuku observes as he watches the other boy expertly dive around Stain and ram an ice pillar into his back. There was... no way that Izuku beat him fairly in the Sports Festival. He'd denied it before but it's clear to see that Todoroki had let him win. The realization that all his hard work means nothing weighs him down more than Stain's quirk.
"Iida," Izuku says, "the quirk is probably time based. When you get your mobility back, I need you to go get help. Todoroki will be able to hold him off for a little while but he can't keep this up for long."
"What about you?" Iida asks softly.
"What about me?" Izuku hisses back. He grits his teeth and works against the invisible bonds holding him down. He may be useless and may only be here on people's good graces but that doesn't mean he's giving up yet. One hero died because Izuku wasn't fast enough, he won't let a friend fall even if it cost him his life.
"Shi- Iida! You need to move!" Izuku snaps to awareness at Todoroki's yell as Stain rushes past him, his katana aimed directly at Iida. Todoroki is rushing behind him, using his fire to try and drive Stain away from Iida's prone form. Izuku gasps, it's a trap. Stain is using Iida as collateral so he can draw Todoroki in close.
"Todoroki, be careful!" Izuku says, willing himself to move. He'd give everything he had for just a few seconds of mobility. And just like that, Izuku feels the effects of the quirk leave him. He's up on his feet in an instant and, since he's much closer to Iida, is able to reach him faster than Stain. He brings up his foot and forces the killer back. Izuku keeps up the assault and with Todoroki on the other side, they put Stain on the defensive.
"How'd you get free?" Todoroki asks in between bursts of fire and ice.
"I don't know!" Izuku shouts back, furiously keeping up with his punches, a few of which even land. "Iida can you move yet?"
"No! How can you?" Iida demands back, more animated than he sounded before.
"His quirk must not be time based, it has to be some other factor. Maybe how much blood he ingests or blood type..." Izuku muses out loud as he kicks away one of the Hero Killer's knives only for another to appear in it's place. He jumps out of the way as it comes slashing at him. Damn, he wishes he still had his bō.
"You're just full of surprises aren't you, hero?" Stain says with a grin. "Right in one with the blood type, you must be one of the lucky ones with type O to escape so quickly." The killer rushes forward with dizzying speed and it's all Izuku can do to avoid being cut. "You're becoming quite the nuisance though, I might have to give you some more serious injuries to keep you down. You're young though, you'll survive."
"Iida!" Izuku hears Todoroki shout in the background as he tries to drive Stain off with his fire. But he can't do much with Izuku so close to him. He knows he should back up and give Todoroki room to work but this is the only way he can help and he'll be damned if he just stands by and watches his friend fight alone. "We're gonna need some help! I need you to stand up and decide what kind of man you're going to be!"
Izuku is exhausted trying to keep up this kind of assault for so long. He'd already been worn out before he'd gotten involved in this battle, not to mention being cut and kicked and smacked around. It'd be better if he had his bō but Stain threw it aside it some time ago and the killer isn't giving him a second to breathe much less retrieve it.
He sees an opportunity and lunges his palm into the man's face. A slow grin spreads and Izuku sees his mistake, an opening in his defenses unprotected by his armor. A knife appears and is about to sink into his flesh when a white blur is in the way. "Iida!" Izuku shouts gleefully as his friend enters the fray. Iida uses Recipro Burst to rush forward and slam Stain in his side so he's pushed away from Izuku. The Hero Killer slams into the adjacent wall with a visible crack.
"Midoriya," Todoroki says, tossing Izuku's staff into the air which he catches easily.
"You guys," Iida says emotionally, wiping at all the blood smeared across his face. "I apologize again for causing such a mess. You both have performed admirably; I'm going to try and prove myself worthy of your kindness by being the best hero I can be."
"You think you can fool me with your little act?" Stain spits out. "A man's heart doesn't change so easily. You're just another fake in a sea of bloated, arrogant heroes." The man rushes forward but Todoroki forces him to retreat up the wall with his fire. Izuku can almost grin, with Iida in the game, the tides are beginning to turn. He forces his exhaustion from his mind as he focuses on the fight.
"Todoroki, keep the heat on him. Iida, stop him from escaping down the alley." Izuku says, watching the killer make a run for it but Iida is there to prevent him from going any further with another impressive kick to his torso.
Stain flies back towards him and Izuku readies his staff and whips it across the man's face just as he's turning towards him. Stain grabs ahold of Izuku's right wrist, forcing it back painfully which causes him to drop his bō. Izuku hisses in pain but brings his knee up into the killer's gut before twisting so his foot is there as he pushes the killer away.
Todoroki is there with his fire, driving him back towards Iida but Stain is staggering and it doesn't look like he'll be able to fight for much longer. They just might be able to do this, they might be able to win. Iida is speeding forward when Stain turns and, faster than he had been a moment ago, rushes Izuku brandishing a knife. Izuku's eyes widen but he prepares himself for the attack.
"Midoriya!" Except Todoroki is in the way and takes the wound intended for Izuku.
"Todoroki!" Izuku yells as his friend doubles over in pain. Izuku reaches for the knife but Stain's already wrenched it out and is bringing it up to lick it. Rage colors Izuku's vision. He speeds forward towards the killer, Iida is already on him having kicked the knife out of Stain's hand with enough force to break it but Izuku can't stop himself. This man has done nothing but hurt people he's cared about and he's had enough.
"Don't you dare touch him! You're not going to hurt them or anyone else ever again!" Izuku shouts, feeling more angry than he ever can recall being in his life. He gets real close, not even caring about being stabbed at this point and puts all of his strength into his punches, not even feeling the pain from his bad wrist.
He feels bones break and blood spill beneath his fists but he can't bring himself to stop. He's got Stain pushed up against a wall as he continue to pound into him. "Do you hear me? You think heroes are the problem but it's really scum like you who don't put any value to human life!"
"Midoriya, stop," there's a presence by his side but he doesn't care. All that matters in making the monster before him pay for every drop of blood that he's spilt for his so called justice. "Midoriya, stop, he's unconscious, you'll kill him." The hand on his shoulder is pulling him back and he's forced to let go.
With Izuku no longer holding him up, Stain slips down to the ground, his face resembling hamburger meat more than an actual human. "He's down, it's over. We did it." Iida says softly, still holding onto his shoulder in case Izuku decides to start up again. Todoroki is behind him, pale but still standing.
"I," Izuku croaks out hoarsely as he shakes and struggles to get his breathing back. "I'm-"
Todoroki hisses as he ices over and seals the wound to his abdomen. Iida is there to keep him steady then puts his good arm around Todoroki's waist and walks him towards the mouth of the alley. Iida looks back at Izuku who feels in a fog as the reality of the last few minute or so crashes down on him. "Stay here with Stain, make sure he doesn't wake up. Call the heroes and an ambulance!"
Izuku pulls out his phone with his left hand, still staring down at the Hero Killer's unconscious body as he dials emergency services. He's still on hold when there's a surprisingly gentle tap on his arm. Izuku looks down to find Gran Torino looking up at him. He's a little scuffed up but otherwise he seems fine. Izuku didn't even hear the hero come into the alley.
"You okay kid? Your friends gave me the run-down. Endeavor took his boy to the nearest hospital and the other kid is waiting on the curb with the other pros." Izuku hangs up his phone call with emergency services and tucks it back into his pocket emotionlessly. "Come on, give me something here, you're starting to worry me."
"I," Izuku manages to get out before the dam breaks and he's sobbing. He falls to his knees, shaking with grief and adrenaline and unable to hold himself together for a second longer. There's too much anger and fear and pain built up that he doesn't even know what he's crying for.
Is it the fact that he almost died? That he came very close to watching his friends be murdered? What about the damage he was able to inflict upon Stain in his anger or even the realization that when it came down to it, he'd just gotten in Todoroki and Iida's way?
"Hey there, Midoriya, you're fine now, you're safe," Torino mutters gently as he rubs Izuku's back in a soothing manner. "You did good, your friends said you saved their lives. You're a hero, boy. I'm sorry ya had to go through that but I'm proud of you and Toshinori will be too when he hears. Now come on, I need to get you checked over for injuries, you reckless child." Eventually, Izuku calms down. Crying usually makes him feel better when he's stressed or upset but all he feels now is hollow.
"What do we do about him?" Izuku asks as he pushes himself up with Torino's help.
"Leave him, after the beating you boys gave him, he's not going to be moving for a while." Torino gives him a friendly jab in the ribs. "That's the kind of spirit I was talking about. You're going to be the most sought after student in Japan when all this is done." He knows Torino means well but Izuku just feels sick as he tears his eyes away Stain and looks over at the dead hero slumped near the entryway, he's pretty it's Native. Another mistake on his part.
"Poor bastard," Torino mutters solemnly as he unclips his cape and lays it gracefully over the man's body. "You'll be the last, I promise. These kids saw to that." Gran Torino leads him forward, out of the alley. "Alright, now sit down and let someone look after you." He says as he sets Izuku down on the curb next to Iida who's already being treated by someone. There's 3 or 4 minor heroes bustling around and it looks like some of the chaos from earlier has been contained.
Izuku wonders what became of the monsters.
"Midoriya," Izuku looks dully at Iida. "You and Todoroki, you risked your lives for me, for my hubris. I," Iida sniffs and wipes at his eyes with the arm not in a sling. "I can't thank you enough for your bravery and I promise I will work harder in the future to live up to the example both of you set for me today."
Izuku doesn't listen to Iida's words, instead he looks at the large piece of gauze covering his face, covering a mark that will probably scar. He thinks of the pain on Todoroki's face as he took the knife meant for Izuku and the dull, unfocused look in Native's eye before Torino covered him up. This day has just been one big slap in the face of how incompetent he is. He couldn't even prevent the people in front of him from getting hurt. He-
"Everyone get down!" Someone in the small crowd yells and Izuku hears the flap of leathery wings and sees a dark shadow approaching from the inky sky.
Before he can think of moving, there are claws in his shoulder and side and he's being lifted up off the ground. In the time it takes for him to blink, he sees the stunned faces of those below him growing smaller and smaller as the creature gains height. Izuku twists as best he can to look at the Noumu but it just stares blankly ahead.
If only he still had his staff but it's probably still lying in the alley next to Stain. Not that he really wants to get away right now. Izuku whimpers as he sees how far away the ground is. In only a few seconds, the Noumu has pulled him high into the sky and a fall from this height would definitely kill him. He'll have to wait until the creature decided to land or he's over a tall enough building that he could survive the fall.
The monster screeches and suddenly bears left, making Izuku's head spin from the vertigo. He squints against the wind and it looks like they're heading for a tall building in the middle of the city. As he gets closer, he can make out two figures standing on the roof. The Noumu is heading right for them, are they his masters?
Izuku begins to dig into his belt for something that might help him. Before he can think of escaping, the claws release hm and he's dropped roughly onto the roof. The landing stuns him but he gets shakily to his knees and looks up as a shadow looms over him.
"Well, well, well," the figure kneels down and the hairs on the back of Izuku's neck stand on end. He can't see the man's face because it's covered by a severed hand but that's proof enough of his identity. That man has been all over television for the last month, this is the man who led the assault against 1-A at USJ.
"If it isn't the quirkless hero from the Sports Festival. What a lovely surprise," the villain, Shigaraki Tomura if he remembers, says with a grin in his voice. "Since you took the time to drop by, why don't we have a little chat?"
Hey everyone, sorry for no chapter last week. This story went through a very last minute rewrite so I needed some extra time but it's all done and you get an extra chapter out of it. There will be no further delays which is nice cause this is a mean cliffhanger. This was a tough battle and I think you can clearly see the difference between canon and TLWA Izuku in both personality and fighting style which of course led him here... how will he fair? Find out next week!