Behold! Another chapter for Legion has arrived! I thank you all for your patience!
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Austin: Don't know much about Primal, but I really like the ideas for WWE and Batman, maybe I will make those omakes, thank you for your support!
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61394: Just putting my own twist on canon, thank you for your support!
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Kilo8: Man, how did you figure out his name already?
Last Primaris: Perhaps one day! It's a lot of clones and people though.
Monkey D. Conan: Not exactly spreading the power, but it'll be better explained in the future.
Frobo: Thank you, like I said before it's a lot of clones, but eventually everybody will get a moment to shine.
Blaze1992: The victor shall be decided today!
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Primus2021: Godzilla.
Helljumper206: But you liked it, didn't you?
God of crossovers: Maybe I'll do a more in depth one shot.
AnimeFan13759: You know, that'd be an interesting way to go about things, but I don't think it'd fit in the scope of this story, maybe as an omake, however?
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Legion: Conviction
"Belief is not a matter of choice, but of conviction."
"Mand'alor is currently engaging the hero killer, I want reinforcements on his and Tenya's position now!" All Might roared into the microphone, as the teachers tried to hold him back.
"Damn it, Yagi! Your time's already up for the day, deflate already!" Aizawa yelled as he activated his quirk. Toshinori burst with a puff of smoke but his eyes still glowed with concern and fury.
#I've got a small squad already in pursuit! The rest of us are currently assisting with evacuation and the Nomu!#
"All Might, calm down. You can't help him like this. You're seeing him right now, he's doing fine." Nezu said as they managed to connect to his helmet's view system and were currently watching his fight from his perspective.
"Alright…I want a report though," Toshinori said as he turned back to the mic. "Who's the squad?"
A few moments of silence before the response came in.
"This is Delta Squad. We're in pursuit."
Elsewhere in Hosu
"Hey you! You're one of those clones, right?" Another rescue hero with a water based quirk asked as they tried to hold back the fire.
"Right! We're here to help!"
"Thank goodness, we've got firefighters coming but they're understaffed and a lot of the roads leading to here have been damaged!"
"What do you need us to do?"
"We're still evacuating people, and we've got people stuck inside the building, but I need more support to get the fires extinguished!"
"Alright!" The clone replied as he activated his comm.
"I need men to find fire extinguishers, and send a squad to help the firefighters get here. Have two squads on standby to help with evacuating the building!"
The clone nodded his helmet and the hero nodded back, grateful for the backup.
They began working in unison, and as a news helicopter began to make its way over the rooftops, the news captured the clones en masse, working tirelessly as they did their best to help the people.
The same Nomu that Gran Torino attacked mindlessly crashed through a building, its target lost it attacked with abandon, aiming for the closest living thing near it. Bystanders panicked and tried to run, and a couple fell down trying to escape.
The Nomu screeched at them, raising its hand to kill them before it was knocked away by Gran Torino.
Torino slightly complained about how annoying the situation was, but still refused to let the creature run rampant.
It quickly swiped at him but only managed to break concrete.
Losing sight of its target, the Nomu went back towards the couple that it'd previously attacked. Torino quickly sped towards it, but was forced to stop in his tracks as the nomu was bathed in fire.
"Here I was looking for the hero killer, yet now I have to deal with these beasts. What lousy timing." Endeavor said as he walked closer, the Nomu writhing in the fire.
"I don't know who you are, honored elder…but leave the rest to me." He said as the civilians stared at him in awe.
"What are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Endeavor smirked. "It's because I'm a hero."
He stared at the creature in front of him, his brow slightly raised as he observed its twitching, crouched form.
"Hm, I used a lower temperature as a warning, yet I've never seen anybody stay conscious after that."
Torino's eyes narrowed as he called out a warning; the Nomu then erupted, a huge burst of fire exploding from its body. He jumped away but Endeavor merely swiped the blast away.
"Absorption and release, huh? But it looks like you still keep the damage…weak."
As Torino fell back, he noticed the Nomu's side begin to bulge outwards, his eyes widening as he realized the truth.
"Hold on Todoroki! This thing's got multiple quirks!"
It bulged, musculature expanding grotesquely before leaping into the air. Endeavor raised his hand, ready to sear it, and at the same time its tongue began to shudder and extend.
Torino blasted forward, piercing through its branching tongue before doing a quick roll and blasting back, his body cannonballing the Nomu into the ground.
"I cracked the ground," Torino criticized. "It's been too long, my control isn't all that great."
"Che, you're not too bad, honored elder."
Their attention was brought towards the burning sky as another explosion rocked the city.
"There has to be a lot of heroes over there. It's already been a few minutes, if there are that many there…good grief!" Endeavor criticized as Torino advised for them to turn the Nomu over to the police.
Endeavor merely grimaced as he recalled his son running off earlier, saying that his friend needed help.
"Leave this villain to my sidekicks, honored elder, head to this address instead while I head towards the chaos.
Steel ground against steel as Izuku desperately held his own against Stain's frantic attacks.
'Dodge! Don't take the attacks, move with them!'
The phantom sensation continued to be there, arms guiding his own for blocks that he'd never consider, feet that led him in a hazardous dance across the streets. For five, harrowing minutes, their blades crossed during their duel.
'Roll back!'
Izuku did so, Stain's sword piercing uselessly into the concrete.
'Now! While you have the advantage!'
With a simple thrust Izuku managed to cut Stain's bicep, the latter snarling in pain as he wrenched out his blade and returned the favor with renewed vigor.
"You shall not stand in my way, Mand'alor!"
"I refuse to let you kill anyone else!"
'Hold your ground and block!'
Izuku managed to bring his sword up just in time for Stain to bring his crashing down on him, the force almost bringing him to his knees.
"Tell me, Mand'alor! Why do you protect these fakes? I can see it within you, the spark of a True Hero! But the rest of these fakes are corrupted, tainting society! What drives you!?" Stain growled as he brought his might against Izuku.
"I swore an oath. To protect the people and save any of those that need saving, I don't care about anybody's motives for being a hero. With every one that's out there, there's another person that can be saved! Ingenium was a good man, a great hero, and as somebody who's lost a brother, I understand Tenya's pain. Which is why…I will beat you!"
Stain grinned, the sight very menacing due to the embers floating around in the sky.
"You will try." Stain then let the force go, making Izuku stumble, with a turn, he brought his blade into an upward cut, Izuku only barely bringing his head back.
It wasn't enough.
His helmet soared in the sky and crashed with a loud clatter, rolling for a few feet before it stopped, the visor cracked and the bottom of the helmet chipped.
Izuku panted harshly, his sword back up into a guard position.
Stain smirked and licked his blade.
Izuku grunted as he suddenly fell over.
"So, I was right to accept you as a true hero, after all, to be accepted by All Might, even as a child, definitely shows your potential."
Izuku grimaced as he fruitlessly tried to move.
'His quirk! Seems to be some kind of paralytic blood ingestion! He barely cut my chin but still managed to get a drop.'
"I will spare you, boy. You are truly on the path of the worthy, but my work must be finished. Consider this a mercy, I will spare you friend as well."
"N-no." Izuku ground out, One For All flaring to life but unable to make him move.
"I admire your resolve, but my work must be completed." Stain said as he walked over Izuku.
"ADMIRE THIS!"
Stain was forced to quickly dodge as a barrage of blaster bolts came at him.
"How about you step back a little."
"Why'd you have to say that!? We had the drop on him!"
"My bad! Always wanted to say a line."
Stain growled in annoyance, more interference.
The leader of the squad of four stepped forward, a small rifle in hand.
"UA. This is Delta Squad. We've arrived at Mand'alor's location. We've engaged the hero killer and are waiting for reinforcements."
Over in the main area where the clones and heroes were fighting, they continued to open fire against the Nomu, but were unable to do much against its regeneration.
"Let's attack it all at once!" A hero with horns yelled out, the other heroes yelling in agreement.
"No wait!" A clone yelled out in warning as the Nomu punched the ground, sending dust flying everywhere and obscuring everyone's vision.
Unable to see, one of the heroes was completely unprepared for the Nomu to blindside her.
Her eyes widened in disbelief, her body tensing for the blow that would surely come.
A flaming fist buried itself into the side of the Nomu, sending it flying away.
"Endeavor!"
The Nomu skidded against the ground, roaring as its arm regenerated.
"Endeavor, it's got high speed regeneration, but lacks the speed and strength of the USJ Nomu!" A clone shouted. Endeavor nodded and ran forward, clashing against the Nomu and grabbing its head.
"How about this then?!"
Fire burned brilliantly against the burning sky, going from a red hue to a blazing blue that utterly cooked the Nomu's head into a charred husk.
Its corpse collapsing to the ground, Endeavor smirked as the sweat evaporated from his face.
"Carbonized cells can't regenerate."
Endeavor slightly ducked as he felt something fly over him.
'Another Nomu! And he's got someone in his claws.'
"All you heroes that can't deal with the villain, head over to Ekou street in the 4th district!"
"Are there villains there!?"
"I don't know, but I'm counting on you. Get some clones to go with you as well!" Endeavor yelled as he ran forward and launched a fireball at the flying one.
The creature dodged, and Endeavor growled.
Jumping and increasing the heat in his feet, he used the building as stepping stones, melted footsteps left behind in his wake. Leaping, he created a fire spear and launched it, blasting the Nomu's head and forcing it to let go of its hostage.
Quickly catching the clone, he blasted his feet to slow his descent and skidded across the street.
Seeing the creature fly away he narrowed his eyes in determination.
"I won't let you get away!"
Hearing the clatter of footsteps behind him, he turned to see a squad of clones form up behind him.
Setting the clone down, he let them know the address and headed off.
The clones that were left behind wondered at the enigma that was Endeavor, it was no secret amongst the newest company what Todoroki had told Izuku. For him to care about a clone's life, even save it…seemed odd.
Having four clones against one man from a logistical standpoint would make it seem like an easy fight.
But this was anything but easy.
Stain was a monster, even after fighting for so long, he still had plenty of stamina and strength. As much as Delta Squad tried their best, they didn't have much training yet in the real world, having only just been summoned.
Still, they gave it all they could.
"Fixer, Sev, go for the legs!"
"Got it, Boss!"
"Copy."
Fixer was the first to attack, using his pistols to force Stain on the backfoot while Sev came close, managing to slide on his knees under Stain's blade and nicked his calf with his knife.
Falling to his knee, Stain grabbed one of his knives and tossed in the direction of Scorch who dodged and tossed something at Stain's feet.
Eyes widening in surprise, Stain was sent flying by the explosive and crashed against some trash cans.
Without a moment's rest, he was forced to roll away as Boss began to fire at him and distracted by the shots was unprepared for the full on tackle by Sev.
"Come here!"
The two crashed against the brick wall, the wind being knocked out of Stain. Bringing up his arms, he defended against the flurry of blows from the clone that was on top of him.
Trailing back, Stain was becoming more infuriated as his work was interrupted by the clones. Sure he could appreciate their dedication, but he had a principle to live by.
And unfortunately, while the clones were good, they weren't fully trained and didn't have the backing of One For All like Izuku did.
With a duck, Sev overextended and was helpless against the blows that rocked his body even with his armor, a brutal kick from Stain's spiked boot breaking his helmet and smashing his head against the wall.
With a slump, Sev fell down and Stain quickly targeted the other clones. Becoming a whirlwind of sharp metal, he got between Fixer and Scorch. More grenades were tossed but they were kicked away. A chop to the throat made Fixer gag and grasp at it, helpless against the ensuing drop kick against his chest that sent him flying and knocked the air out of him, knocking him out.
With a backwards roll from the kick, he faced off against both Scorch and Boss, the trio delivering a series of blows against each other.
Stain's speed was quite simply inhuman, Scorch tried to throw a punch that was swiftly redirected. Using the momentum, Stain then wrenched his arm out of its socket, Scorch screaming in pain as Stain delivered a brutal kick to Boss' helmet, snapping it back.
Swiping his foot, Scorch went down brutally and was stomped on, shattering the armor on his chest.
Boss managed to get back in the fight and delivered two brutal punches to Stain's face and then grabbed him by the shoulders, delivering multiple knees to his stomach.
Stain grabbed his knife and tried to stab the clone only for him to bat it away and actually grab a knife from Stain's gear. With a flip he tried to stab the villain, but he was too fast and dodged, spinning around Boss' back and kicking him in the back, the spikes of his boot piercing into the armor.
Going for one last shot, Boss spun with a pistol, ready to shoot the hero killer. It was not to be, however, as the gun exploded from Stain lodging a knife in the barrel, severely hurting Boss and even burning Stain.
Falling to his knees and cradling his mangled hand, Boss defiantly stared Stain down, who looked at him in respect.
"You clones certainly have some mettle, fitting for one on the path of the True Hero."
A flash of green was caught in the clone's visor and Stain's eyes widened as he tried to turn around. He only made it in time to receive an absolutely brutal kick to the sternum that most definitely cracked ribs.
Like a rock being skipped across a pond, Stain bounced on the asphalt of the road as Izuku got back to his feet.
'Damn, he must have type O blood.'
"Stay away from my brothers you fanatical psychopath." Izuku spat out as he stood back up.
"Mand'alor."
"You did good, boys. Rest now. It's time I finish this…" Izuku said as he raised Stain's sword again.
Stain grabbed another blade from…somewhere, honestly at this point it was ridiculous the amount of knives, daggers, swords, and more that he had on him.
He rose and slightly stumbled, that last blow definitely hurt.
Quite truthfully the both of them were exhausted, their earlier fight seemingly taking forever yet only lasting a few minutes.
Izuku was worried, he didn't know what the status of Tenya or Native was, with those Nomu running around, they could have been caught up in the crossfire.
Reinforcements were coming, but if they didn't get here in time and Stain defeated him, he would have a free shot against them.
He needed to finish this now.
On the other side of the street, Stain grinned. He could tell that the Chosen One of All Might had what was necessary, and if the reports he managed to scrounge up from the Underground were correct, he was even willing to do what was necessary.
As much as he desired All Might to be the one to kill him, he knew that the man's principles would never allow him.
But perhaps his successor would be a worthy executioner?
Either way, the battle would end today. He could see it, the two of them were far too exhausted to continue like this, it fell down to the last strike.
His Crusade depended on this last attack.
A very convenient wind blew the leaf off of a tree planted on the sidewalk. The two of them were on the open road now, half the streetlights were still on, casting their shadows against the walls of empty buildings.
Idly they could still hear the sounds of chaos in the distance, dying down with the fires as they were put out, and even the sound of a helicopter in the distance.
One For All flared to life under Mand'alor's skin, lightning arcing across his armor as his scars started to burst open once more.
Stain gripped his sword, smiling in glee at having found this True Hero.
"Mand'alor…"
The leaf fell to the ground.
"SHOW ME YOUR CONVICTION!"
The two flashed forward, emerald light trailing behind Izuku as they appeared behind each other.
They remained standing for many moments, but whereas one of their thoughts was blank, the other's was currently in the middle of an argument.
'Just do it! It's cool!'
"It's some weeb osik[dung] that's what it is!"
'But when are you gonna get another chance?'
"Oh fine!"
Mand'alor remained in his stance, his right foot forward, bent at the knee and his left at the back, fully straightened, his arm still extended from where he cut.
'This is some anime stuff I swear.' Izuku thought as he slowly brought the blade to his side and pretended to hilt it, finally grasping it with his left hand instead of his right.
As the guard touched where his thumb was curled, Izuku deadpanned as he heard blood spurt from behind him.
'You've got to be kidding me, that's some anime timing too.'
Then his armor cracked and fell apart across his left side, making his eyes widen in shock.
"You have what it takes…Mand'alor. May you be the Light of Hope that a True Hero should be." Stain grit out before collapsing.
Izuku panted deeply as he straightened up, turning back to see the Hero Killer collapsed.
'That was the most weebish thing that I've ever done.'
"Two hundred years ago, your entire life would be anime material."
"Thank you for your help." Izuku transmitted to the Mindscape. "By the way, who are you?
"I'm Sh..ka.., lo..luck, Nine."
"Damn…connection must have died. I really need to get back in there." Izuku groaned out before seeing a green light flashing on his wrist.
'Hmm?'
"Oh right, I should probably let people know I'm fine." Activating his wrist comm he relayed the message.
"Mand'alor to all forces, Stain has been defeated. I say again, Stain has been incapacitated."
#We know, young Mand'alor…good work but you should probably work on your situational awareness.# All Might's annoyed voice came from the speaker.
"What?"
#Look up, my boy.#
Izuku peered up and grimaced at the news helicopter that was most definitely focused on him.
#Now, I'd like to say that I'm very proud of you, my boy. But believe me when I say that we're going to have a talk about jumping into situations by yourself.#
"Ah, but I wasn't alone though. I had my brothers with me!"
Then a new voice cut in.
#Nice try, Problem Child. But that won't cut it. Expect extra training when you get back.#
"Ah crap." Izuku muttered.
"Mand'alor?" He heard to the side and turned to see Todoroki with Native, the latter having Tenya on his back.
"Guys! You're here. You're alright!" Izuku said as he ran towards them. Native set down Tenya against the wall, who groaned and held his stomach from where Stain stabbed him, the wound had been noticeably burned, cauterized even to stop the bleeding.
"Tenya?"
"When I faced Stain, I dodged at a bad moment. He aimed for my side but I ended up getting hit in the stomach. Todoroki was able to cauterize the wound with his fire." He said with a nod towards the other boy.
Izuku looked at him in surprise and gratitude.
"Thank you, Todoroki."
"It's like you said, this fire is my power. I've merely chosen to save lives with it. Rest up Mand'alor, I'll take care of your brothers." Todoroki said as he ran off to where the members of Delta Squad were.
Izuku looked at his retreating back with pride.
"Is that him?" Tenya asked as he stared at the body that was laying on the ground.
"Yeah."
Native had gone ahead and began to secure him, removing weapons from his body.
"Damn, you did a number on him, kid. I don't got anything for the blood that's coming out of him."
Izuku nodded and activated his wrist comm again.
"I need a medical team at my location immediately."
"We're right here!"
The group looked up to see a squad of clones coming up the street.
"Good. Somebody patch up Tenya, and patch up Stain too."
"Vod?"
"He needs to face justice, not death."
"Yes, sir!"
The mediclones immediately got to work, the remaining clones standing guard incase Stain regained consciousness.
"Which reminds me." Izuku said as he turned back to Tenya.
"You should have called for backup, Tenya."
Tenya nodded and grimaced, the movement hurting him a bit.
"I know…it's just that, he was about to kill him and…" Tenya trailed off, slightly lost in thought.
"I know, Tenya. You moved. I'm proud of you though, you did what was right." Izuku replied as he sat down next to his friend.
Tenya grimly chuckled before groaning in pain.
"Easy now."
"Heh, you know. I almost didn't. I saw him and all I could see was Tensei in his hospital bed, and all I could think of was how with enough force and at the right angle I could take his head clean off." Tenya recounted as his fingers began to clutch at the metal edges of his costume.
"But then I remembered your words, and I saw Native there as well, about to be killed. It shames me to say that I didn't even notice him."
"But in the end, you did the right thing. I know that your brother will be proud. Ingenium."
Tenya wryly smiled but shook his head.
"I have hope, Izuku. That with the treatments that managed to restore my engines, that my brother will be able to become a hero again one day, Ingenium belongs to him."
"Then what will your name be?"
"Well, I was hoping that you could help me with that, after all, our friends seem to be making a trend of including Mando'a into their names, it seems only fitting that I join in on our little tradition."
Izuku smiled.
"I'd be honored to, ner vod." [my friend]
Their relief grew as more heroes arrived, stunned at the Hero Killer having been caught, but quickly taking action and calling for more support.
Izuku quickly stood up.
BAM!
And was quickly knocked to the ground with a new headache as Gran Torino used him as a launching pad.
"When I gave you permission to fight I didn't mean for you to go and challenge the Hero Killer, brat!"
'Ow…why didn't you warn me?' Izuku asked internally.
"No danger."
'Oh so now I hear you again. Also, no danger my ass.'
Izuku sat up, rubbing his head.
"Good to see that you're good, kid. Got to say, definitely don't do things by halves, do you?" Gran Torino asked as he gave a sidelong glance toward the Hero Killer.
"Nope."
"You know that the news caught you, right?"
"Yep."
"Hope you're ready for what's coming."
Izuku merely groaned.
Tenya couldn't help but keep staring at the Hero Killer, to see him defeated, the same man that struck down his brother.
It was relieving yet slightly disappointing. Tenya admitted to himself that he wished that he could have helped more to defeat Stain, but seeing Native walking around, completely fine except for his cut, being hugged by some of his fellow heroes.
Well, he may be disappointed, but he was also satisfied.
'Tensei, are you proud of me?'
All of them paused once they heard a deep push of wind, like wings from something far larger than it should be.
Torino was the first to notice it.
"Get down!"
The flying Nomu dive bombed towards the heroes, its bleeding eye socket dripping blood over them. In an instant it grabbed Izuku with its clawed feet, the talons digging into him and the armor.
"Ack!"
"MIDORIYA!"
"KID!"
"IZUKU!"
The winds from the creature spatter blood over her cheek, making her wonder if it had been previously beaten.
'NOW WHY DIDN'T YOU WARN ME!?'
"O-overlo-..."
'Damn it, I'm too exhausted! I can't even summon a spark of One For All!'
Torino prepped himself to try and blast up, knowing that if it got too high he wouldn't be able to do anything.
But another intervened.
And a tongue licked the blood on her cheek.
The Nomu groaned as it suddenly found itself paralyzed, falling to the ground. Izuku gasped as he saw Stain, running towards them even while bound.
"This society overgrown with fake heroes…" Stain began as his binds were loosened, and he jumped, raising a knife above his head. "And the criminals who wave around their power idly…"
He pierced its brain while grabbing Izuku, the Nomu's body crashing into the sidewalk and skidding down it from the momentum.
Stain's breath came out in rasps as the dust cleared.
"...should all be purged."
Izuku looked at the man in disbelief and Native recalled Stain's words from before about how he would deal with the villains later.
Saliva fell from Stain's open mouth as he continued his spiel.
"This is all…" He began again as he twisted the knife and yanked it out, killing the Nomu. "...to create a more just society."
Far away, Shigaraki ranted at seeing the Nomu die, even more infuriated at how Stain was the one who killed him.
He knew that Sensei said that there were lessons to be learned in everything.
But what was the lesson in this?
Why was it that nothing was going his way?
Why was Midoriya Izuku there?
When did the game become unbeatable?
"Did he just save the kid?"
"No you idiot! He's got a hostage!"
"He killed with no hesitation!"
"Get ready for a fight!"
The four heroes that were there tensed alongside the clones that had come to their side.
"Why are you all just standing there!?" A voice called out, grabbing everyone's attention. "The villain should have escaped this way!"
"What about on your end?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle." Endeavor said as he stared down the street.
"Don't tell me…"
Down the street, Izuku struggled under the Hero Killer's weight, but his body was practically dead weight after all the exertion.
Stain's eyes narrowed.
"Endeavor." He snarled.
"Hero Killer." Endeavor grinned as he ignited his palms.
"Wait, Todoroki!" Torino yelled, making the other hero pause.
Finally getting off him, Izuku was able to turn to face Stain but blanched at seeing the cloth fall from his face, revealing his missing nose, scar tissue decorating it.
"You fake…"
An unfathomable pressure began to exert itself on everybody on the street as the moon's light appeared to turn red, Stain's eyes practically glowing in the darkness.
"I must make things right…" Stain said as he stumbled forward, moved on by his own conviction.
"Someone must be dyed in blood…" The pressure began to increase, making them all unable to move.
"I must take back what it means to be a hero!"
With a final stomp, he challenged them all.
"Come! Try and get me, you fakes!"
Even Endeavor was shocked still by the pressure.
"Only a True Hero will be allowed to kill me! Only they are worthy! ONLY ALL MIGHT!" He roared as a phantom apparition appeared over him, glowing eyes that burned with his conviction paralyzing them with its gaze.
As the shadowy presence extended through all of them, one of the heroes even fell backwards as they all desperately wished for the pressure to end.
"...and Mand'alor."
The pressure stopped, a knife clattering to the floor.
The image was hauntingly similar.
"He's…unconscious."
Stain's eyes were blank, his mouth open with saliva trailing down it.
Held up by his own conviction.
Later they'd find out that a broken rib had pierced his lung, but it was interesting to note; although he hadn't licked anyone's blood, for that place, for that one moment, the hero killer was the only one who stood to fight his opponent.
Far off in the distance, Shigaraki was only partially satisfied, seeing Stain captured had been good but until he saw the news tomorrow, he wouldn't know exactly just how much he affected society today.
"Midoriya Izuku…you're becoming that much more interesting, Player Two."
The Next Morning – Hosu General Hospital
"Have you been able to sleep, Midoriya? Iida?" Todoroki asked. He was the first one to visit them this morning. Izuku's mother would be coming by later with All Might since they had to come all the way from Mustufasu, and Iida's family would be by around the same time as well.
"No, not really." Izuku replied while Tenya shook his head.
"I imagined not, I didn't even fight and I couldn't sleep." Todoroki mentioned as he took a seat.
"Sensing his murderous aura, all that killing intent even when not aimed at us…I'll be honest, I am very glad that I decided to follow your advice, Izuku." Tenya said as he idly rested his hand against the bandages on his stomach. Fortunately for the both of them, Recovery Girl would be by soon to heal their wounds as well as the clones. Although an argument had been made with the hospital about whether or not to admit them.
Fortunately some very kind nurses provided assistance as the arguments rose up and helped treat them led by a Nurse Yorokobi who tore the director of the hospital a new one.
He was eternally grateful.
The clones that had been injured, fortunately only a few (and no casualties!) were settled in another room at Hosu General's Hero Ward.
Due to transportation issues, however, he'd send them back to the Mindscape through another doorway once he was back up to 100%.
"I'm glad that you're safe too, Tenya."
"You did an amazing thing, Midoriya. Taking down the Hero Killer like that. Apparently you're trending on social media right now."
"Oh please don't remind me about that, both All Might and Aizawa-sensei are annoyed at me. I just know that this is gonna be a hassle."
As if the universe was listening to him, at that exact moment, Manual and Gran Torino walked in.
"You brats awake yet?"
"Sigh…yes Gran."
"Manual…"
"Kid, the amount of complaints and paperwork you've shoved on me almost made me want to say that I didn't authorize you to help. Consider yourself very lucky. You still have a visitor, however."
A large man with the head of a dog walked in imposingly.
"Hosu's Chief of Police, Kenji Tsurugamae."
The trio went to stand, but Tsurugamae asked for them to remain seated.
Also, apparently he said 'woof' as a verbal tic.
Interesting.
"You must be the U.A. student that took down the Hero Killer, correct?" He said while looking at Izuku. "You've made quite a ruckus by doing it so publicly."
'Not like that was my intention. Well…I mean, it did help so that he couldn't have so much leverage over me.'
"Regarding said Hero Killer, he suffered many injuries; cuts, stabs, bruises and broken bones from high impact strikes…he is currently receiving treatment under guard, woof."
'But…'
"Now I'm sure you as U.A. students know that when quirks became normalized, various laws were put in place to ensure that they were not used as weapons by the police. Then the "Hero" profession rose up, filling in the gaps, woof."
Izuku gulped, already having a feeling as to where this would go.
"For an individual's use of force and power that can easily kill others," The chief's eyes narrowed even more. "And in some cases, has killed."
The three boys tensed as he continued.
"Actions that would normally be denounced, to be accepted officially is thanks to the early heroes who followed the rules and ethics previously established, woof."
Izuku gripped the sheets of the bed, his throat becoming dry.
"Even against the Hero Killer, for unlicensed individuals to use their quirks to cause injury without specific instruction from their guardians or supervisors is a clear violation of the rules."
Izuku blinked.
"But I did receive permission to use my quirk and help." He replied with some confusion.
"Yes, you did, and that is another matter to be addressed in just a moment. But Iida Tenya did not." Tsurugamae retorted as he then turned to the other boy who stiffened in his bed.
"Quite simply, you and Manual should receive strict punishment."
Todoroki rose up in indignation on Iida's behalf.
"If Iida didn't do anything, Native would be dead. And if Midoriya hadn't come, both of them would have been killed."
"Todoroki…"Iida admonished.
"No one else realized the Hero Killer appeared, no one else was there. Are you saying that they should have stood to the side, obey the rules and watched them get killed? And what about me? I used my quirk, too! Don't I count?" Todoroki retorted scathingly.
"H-hold on, Todoroki."
'Haven't seen him this pissed off since the Festival.'
"Are you saying that as long as it turns out alright, it's okay to bend the rules?"
"Isn't it a hero's job to save people?"
"And that is what you did, you used your quirk to cauterize Iida's wound, no more, no less. Although you did choose to abandon your supervisor. Be thankful that you didn't engage him as well. Either way, that's why you're not a full hero yet. Goodness, what are U.A. and Endeavor teaching you, woof?"
"You damn mutt…!" Todoroki growled as he stomped forward.
"Stop! He's absolutely right!" Tenya said as Gran Torino then extended his hand to stop him.
"Hold on, boy. Hear him out to the end."
"That was the official opinion of the police." Tsurugamae continued. "And the punishment and such would only follow, if the involvement of Iida were made public, woof."
"What?"
"If this were made public, you would also be applauded by the public, but you would not be able to escape punishment. However, and this is where it gets a bit underhanded, if your involvement were not made public, the situation would end there, woof. Thankfully, there were no witnesses of your involvement, this violation can end right here, woof."
Tenya paused, opening his mouth as if to speak but then closing it again. Finally he managed to gather his words and ask his question.
"You've been mentioning me specifically, what about Izuku?"
Tsurugamae hummed as he turned his attention back to Izuku, who grimaced at what was coming next.
"And now we come to the crux of the matter, quite simply, young man, you're very lucky that you did get permission, and that you so happened to stumble upon Stain."
'Well, I was hunting Tenya, if I just so happened to have found Stain too, well then.' Izuku thought to himself, not wanting to dig and even deeper hole for him.
"Quite simply, even if you hadn't, there is no way we could have covered this up, and the punishment would surely have to have been enforced, woof."
"Because of the newscopter, right?"
"Indeed."
"Public opinion of you has skyrocketed, not only due to your actions, but also due to the actions of your clones. The Vod'e, correct?" (Woof.)
"Yes, sir."
"Fortunately, since you have permission, that means that your friend's involvement can be swept under the rug, but all the credit will have to go to you and you alone. That does mean that nobody can know about your own good judgment and your achievement, young Iida."
The three stared at him in slight confusion.
"Which do you prefer?" He asked them. "Personally, I don't want to be the one to find fault in such a promising young hero because of one big mistake, woof." He finished as he gave them a thumbs up, his tongue slightly sticking out.
Manual then sighed in exasperation. "Either way, I'll have to take responsibility for being so lacking in my supervisory duties.
Tenya then came up to him and bowed his head, unable to bow fully due to his injury.
"I am truly sorry."
Manual gave a quick puff of air and lightly chopped his head.
"Alright. You'll cause trouble for others. If you understand, then don't do it again!"
"I won't!"
"I know it's too late for me, but sorry for causing all this trouble." Izuku said as he too bowed.
Todoroki bowed last, still annoyed but also knowing that he jumped the gun a bit. "I apologize for my rashness."
"Unfortunately this world is hardly fair to young ones like you, unable to fully appreciate your accomplishments, but at least," Tsurugamae bowed. "As one protector of peace to three, I can say thank you."
Todoroki grimaced and turned to the side, now even more embarrassed by his outburst.
"Lead with that next time, please."
Izuku smiled in relief that Tenya wouldn't get in trouble, although now he was worried since apparently the credit was going to him…what were they saying about him?"
"Now, young Midoriya, have you had a chance to actually see the news?"
Izuku groaned.
"Hey, did you hear? They caught the Hero Killer last night!"
"Really! That's awesome!"
"Wow! Who beat him?"
"It's that kid from the Sports Festival! Midoriya Izuku!"
"The kid with the clones?"
"Yeah, they helped out with the fires and other villains too!"
"Woah, so cool!"
"Does he have a hero name, yet?"
"UA's gonna hold a conference apparently, they'll reveal it there."
"The three villains arrested and restrained during the Hosu City riots are all men with unknown addresses and identities. Due to their similar appearance and the appearance of two unknown persons NHA TV filmed by chance, there are those saying that they are connected to the same League of Villains responsible for the attack of the USJ at UA. Although this time, there were no deaths." A male reporter with a horn mutation stated, his female co-host continuing.
"The Hero Killer, Stain, has killed more people since the appearance of All Might than any other individual criminal. With his arrest, everyone in Japan can rest easier."
Around Japan, different people paid attention to the Hero Killer's arrest, and many began to grow interested.
A man littered in scars.
"The seriously injured Hero Killer, Stain, is now recovering from his injuries under police guard. Police are still awaiting recovery from the victims to understand his motivations.
A giant hidden in the woods.
"This villain will certainly leave his mark on Japan's history, perhaps even the world's. Because now people are asking, why did he commit the crimes? What was he after?"
A girl skipping down the street.
"We're live from Ekou St. where just last night after 8pm, the notorious Hero Killer: Stain, was arrested by U.A.'s very own Midoriya Izuku, recently well known due to his string of wins at the last Sports Festival and controversial 'Symbolic Victory' during the Finals."
And more.
The screen was turned off by Kurogiri who turned to Shigaraki who was holding the newspaper.
"It's all anybody's talking about. Are the Nomu's just second place?" He snarled as he tossed away the paper and smacked the bar.
"I was so sure that he'd be forgotten, yet he's all they're talking about, him and that damn brat."
'I definitely targeted the wrong 'twin' at the USJ.' He thought with regret.
"Something's not right, I'm missing a piece of the puzzle, a secret achievement that I can't just find by looking through the manual…but how to find it?" He pondered, forcing himself to think.
Behind another screen, All For One smiled as another pawn was knocked off the board.
Best Jeanist Hero Agency
"Regarding last night's events involving the Hero Killer, along with the villains that appeared reminiscent of the one from the USJ. I know that this is a very worrying thing, I am concerned as well. People tend to focus only on large events, but it is during these times that heroes must be especially vigilant and remain calm." Best Jeanist addressed his sidekicks and intern.
"Chaos can be a temptation, drawing out the cruelty that is normally kept at bay inside of them. That means that today it will be business as usual. Let us brace our bodies and minds with our tight jeans." He continued as Bakugo, now in jeans as well and with a swept haircut, trembled from fury. To his side was the clone that came with him, who had also faced the same fate, although fortunately the armor plating covered most of it, if appearing a bit bulky.
He also received the same hairstyle, but fortunately his helmet got rid of it every time that he put it on and took it off.
Thank the stars for helmet-hair.
"Sure, Best Jeanist!"
'I…I want to go home right now…' Bakugo thought, utterly humiliated.
"I must however, give my congratulations to your classmate, Bakugo. Mand'alor is certainly making his mark.
Scratch that. Now he was pissed.
'DEKU!'
Fourth Kind Agency
"I'm glad that Midoriya's doing alright, when I saw him on the news last night…it was so manly!" Kirishima exclaimed with a tear at the corner of his eye, his fist in front of his chest.
"Right…" Tetsutetsu said, not wanting to rain down on Kirishima's parade but still wary of Midoriya for what happened before and during the Sports Festival.
"What's up, bro?" Kirishima asked.
"Well, what's he like?"
"Oh! Midoriya's the best man, let me tell you all about h-"
SLAM!
"Didn't I tell you that you must always be punctual?!" Fourth Kind roared as he hit them both on the head.
"S-sorry, sir!" They replied in unison.
"Alright! We're going on patrol!"
"Yes, sir!"
As they headed out, Kirishima whispered to Tetsutetsu that he'd tell him more about Midoriya later.
Uwabami Agency
Yaoyorozu could only hope that her friends were doing well, because quite honestly this internship was proving to be useless, the only thing that they did was work on a commercial for hair spray.
At least she'd been able to spar with her clone companion.
3636 was proving to be a wonderful friend.
Ooh! They were finally going on patrol!
Gunhead Agency
"I'm glad that you're fine, I was really worried when I saw you on the news."
"Yeah, sorry I couldn't contact you guys earlier."
"So~ How does it feel to be the guy who took down the Hero Killer?" Ochako excitedly asked.
"It feels like a lot of paperwork…" Izuku muttered.
"Oh?"
"Yep, cause I'm unlicensed, and even though I fought him with permission I now have to deal with a stack of paperwork the size of my forearm."
"Yikes…"
"Uravity, it's time for basic training!" Gunhead called out as he approached her.
"Oh right, sorry! I'll call you later, alright Izuku?"
"Yeah, later Ochako."
Snapping her phone shut she turned to her mentor who had his hand to his mask as if he was covering his mouth.
"Ooh, a boyfriend? On first name basis too~"
"N-no! It's not like that!"
Next to her, Fives and Echo chuckled in amusement, already planning on how to shake things up for when they got back.
Izuku was currently heading back to his room, he'd been…advised not to head to the lobby, apparently the media was swarming outside waiting to catch a glimpse of him.
Question him too, now that he thought about it.
"Ah this is such a headache." He muttered as he entered the room.
"IZUKU!"
"ACk! Mom! You're choking me!" Izuku gasped out as his mother practically crushed him.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! You're not hurt are you? Did I aggravate any injuries?"
Izuku chuckled as he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back a bit while she continued to fret. "I'm fine mom, I only got a slight cut on my chin and some bruising."
"Oh, you know how I worry, that and I saw you on the news last night…I admit, I was worried sick but I'm so glad that you're alright! My baby boy, taking down a…Midoriya Izuku, what were you doing near a hero killer!" She yelled in motherly fury.
Izuku quickly raised his hands in surrender.
"I was saving my friend, and another hero! Truth be told everything went by really fast, it kind of just…happened?" Izuku said, hoping it would appease his mother.
Suffice to say, it did not and the deadpan glare that she gave him said as much.
She then sighed and gave him a sad smile, a few tears trailing down her cheeks.
"Jango would be so proud of you. You know that right?"
Izuku gulped, his throat becoming a little tight at the mention of his brother.
"Thanks, mom." He said as he bowed his head, touching his forehead to hers.
"It's good to see you well, Izuku." He heard from his side.
Turning he was surprised to see Toshinori, in his skinny form, coming up to him.
"Buir!" Izuku excitedly said as he hugged the man as well, Yagi's own hand resting on Izuku's head.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well when we found out what happened, your mother practically demanded that I take her here to see you, and I wanted to see you as well. I'm glad that you're doing alright."
"Thanks, buir. We've got a lot to talk about though."
"Indeed we do, but we can save that for when you come back to school."
"Midoriya, I see that you are enjoying time with your family." Iida said as he walked back into the room.
"Ah, Tenya, uh, yeah…this is my mom…and this is, well…this is my dad, new dad I guess, kinda of a recent thing, heh…" Izuku mumbled off at the end as both he and Toshinori flushed.
"A pleasure to meet you, sir! And it's great to see you again, Ms. Midoriya!"
"A pleasure to meet you as well, young Iida."
"It's so good to see you again, Iida!"
As they continued to talk with each other, Todoroki had already left, Izuku took a moment to step near the window and look out.
'Wow…that's a lot of people…at least they're not blocking the entrances.'
"Yes, that is one unfortunate aspect about being a hero, the constant media presence does wind down on the nerves. Fortunately, I know a thing or two about avoiding the media." Toshinori said as they began to talk some more.
Toshinori would eventually be called away by Gran Torino, they also had much to discuss.
Walking with his old mentor, the two remained in silence before reaching one of the Hero Ward's security rooms, where classified or sensitive information was discussed with those injured, usually Underground Heroes that were undercover.
It served its purpose very well.
"That boy's quite a handful, thank goodness I gave him permission or else I'd be looking at a paycut, as it is they're still suspending my teaching license temporarily for investigation.
"Sorry about that, I'll make sure to teach him better." Toshinori bowed in apology before Torino waved him off.
"Bah, I only got that so that I could teach you after Nana died. Speaking of her, since when did you know that he could speak with her?" Torino asked.
"I found out after the Sports Festival, apparently she helped temper Izuku's rage and process his grief, and if my suspicions are correct, she might be the reason why he was still standing at the end of the Festival."
"And you didn't bother to tell me?"
"Well, you enjoy your pranks, I thought it'd be fun if I had something over you for once."
Torino gave a big snort and guffawed, while Toshinori wrily smirked.
A comfortable silence remained between them.
"You know, that Hero Killer, he actually paralyzed me with pure conviction alone. It's the same quality that you as the "Symbol of Peace" have…and it's the same quality that's growing in Midoriya. Him and his clones inspired a lot of hope yesterday…and I can't help but remember him helping out that girl from earlier this week." Gran Torino fondly finished.
"To put it simply its charisma, and right now, Stain's ideology and opinions will be all over the news. Right now, the times that we live in is one of suppression, but soon enough people like him, inspired by him, will appear."
"That is true." All Might replied as he looked at his hand. "But as they do arise, so will the heroes stop them, one by one. United."
"Like Midoriya, at the Sports Festival with his friends."
"Yes…I've been thinking recently…I'm not blind to it, the stagnancy of society, of heroes, very few try to improve, merely content to be under my banner…and my time is running out. Izuku however, inspires those around him to be better, to support him, yet stand by his side…I…I don't think that society needs a Symbol of Peace anymore…"
Torino's eyes widened in surprise.
"What it needs…is a foundation. One strong enough that the future can be supported on top of it."
The room became silent once more as Sorahiko gave a wry smile.
"You've grown, Toshinori. Being a father suits you, but I hope you're ready for what's to come." He said as the mood became more somber.
"The attacks, Stain, they're connected. The League of Villains is growing, both in power and in influence. They also have the potential to inspire those that follow Stain's ideals and those who simply wish to see the world burn. If all that evil gathers under one will, the devastation that could be caused will be catastrophic. If the enemy general already knew this would happen from the beginning,doing so to get rid of obstacles and prime the conditions for his own goals…that means only one thing." Torino said as Toshinori gulped deeply.
"I had my suspicions, after Tsukauchi told me the truth about the Nomu…but I didn't want to believe it, that even after receiving such a horrible injury, that he could still be alive."
"All For One must be moving again…and that child cares about you deeply, just as you care for him. It's time that he knows everything." Torino warned as Toshinori nodded.
"You're right…"
Another somber silence before Torino shook his head.
"Let's go, you can tell him later, spend time with your family now."
"Right."
They began to walk down the hallway once more and Torino opened his mouth to speak again.
"I also suggest that you let him know that you're dating his mother."
"BLEGH! How did you find out about that?!" Toshinori asked in surprise and more than a little fear as he looked around, hoping that Izuku wasn't nearby.
"Easy, you just told me."
"I…you, wait, huh?"
"Hehehe, I still got it."
That Night
Izuku was restless, Tenya had been discharged after Recovery Girl finally made it to the hospital to heal him, although he'd left with a rather large wallop on his head from his mother who scolded him for attacking the Hero Killer at the same time as she fretted over him.
That wallop wasn't healed by Recovery Girl.
But now…well, Izuku was bored. He was technically discharged, but couldn't leave because of the media. Toshinori was already out of time, and had to take his mom home, but promised that he would appear in the area as All Might to help lead them away.
So here he was, a teenage boy in a hospital without needing to be in a hospital, no armor (his stuff had been sent to U.A. for repairs), and since he already sent his clones back to the Mindscape (under RG's supervision) he had nobody to talk to in the outside world.
"Sneak out? I mean, Toshi did tell you how."
'Never would I think that All Might's teacher would be such a bad influence.' Izuku thought to himself, grateful that the connection to her was slowly becoming stronger.
'But screw it, I'm in.'
His mother had brought him some extra clothes, and quickly swiping a surgical mask, he went through the secret entrances that Hero Wards had for Underground heroes that didn't want to deal with the media.
The exit led to a balcony(roofs were usually covered by news choppers) that extended towards a side building with an alleyway that was perfectly set up for someone to climb down.
'Convenient.'
Soon enough he made it out of the alley and for curiosity's sake, peered outside the corner to see the media still lined up.
Some even had tents.
"Sheesh, these guys are persistent."
Heading the other he decided to get something that wasn't hospital food and quickly found a stand that served yakisoba. He took a few minutes to sit down and eat, making sure not to make himself noticeable and once he finished headed on his way again.
'It's nice being able to walk around again.'
Yet for some reason, he felt anxious, as if something was coming. But he didn't know what. It didn't feel dangerous, otherwise he would be feeling a headache again.
'But still…something's wron-'
"Oof." He heard a tiny voice cry out as something impacted against his leg.
Izuku peered down, surprised to see a small girl fallen to the ground.
Curious green met fearful red.
"Hello, little one."
"P-please…help me."
And that's when the headache came in.
Cliffhanger…Don't worry, we'll see something good with that for next chapter, sorry for the long wait, but I've been pretty busy these last few weeks, fortunately I have a four day Labor Day Weekend so that means more time to write!
Just a quick omake.
The Last Prime
One For All is not the only quirk to be passed down from successor to successor, but it was the one that was hidden. The Primes were all warriors, standing tall and upholding truth and justice, and in many cases, standing by One For All throughout the generations.
But there was a certain truth to being a Prime.
It was a death sentence.
Izuku Midoriya had no purpose, having had his dream rejected by his mother, his friend, and even his idol. There was no point in life for him.
"Take a swan dive off the roof and maybe you'll be born with one in the next life. Or better yet, become a Prime and die usefully."
Ironic.
But Izuku couldn't help but feel a certain amount of satisfaction. He was, quite simply, worthless. But now, as he stared at his sword, now that he had this power, at least he could dedicate his worthless life to serving the people until his death.
Because now, he had a purpose. And he would see it through to the end.
Because as long as One For All stayed alive, that meant that his duty was being completed.
His predecessor looked on with sorrow. He knew that the world had destroyed this poor boy, but hopefully with the new friendships he made, Izuku would be able to realize that his life was not something meant to be thrown away.
Only time and love would heal his broken soul.
Until then, he would guide the boy, and teach him what it meant to be a Prime.
"Arise, Viridian Prime."