Chapter 28: Hero Killer:Stain
The afternoon patrol with Manual was better than he thought it would be.
While dealing with a house fire, he pulled civilians away with his scarf with Iida's help. Both of them got the civilians away while Manual helped the firemen control the water to a certain spot where the fire burned the brightest.
It felt more involved than the morning hours that they spent learning and dealing with legal paperwork that pro heroes and their teams deal with almost daily. From damages from friendly fire and actual villain tactics. And other things like public relation teams reaching out to have him be sponsored by their product or have him do a commercial.
His favorite time was spent listening in on calls that the workers got daily whether it be professional or the times they got a call from a civilian complaining about something out of their control.
"Nice work. Let's keep it up. We have more areas to check out on our way," Manual encouraged after talking with the firefighters.
After that, they continued to walk with the pro hero on the patrol route.
"So, you memorized his patrol routes, correct?" Iida lowered his voice to ask as they both walked.
"I have. I assume you have a good inkling as well," he whispered to his friend. "But remember, we can't do anything on the clock."
Iida nodded at his words. "I thought you were trying to stop me."
"At this point, I'm ready for anything. If I were Shoto, this currently wouldn't be the conversation. He would just try to stop you. However I am ready for any move you make," Izuku explained, keeping his voice so low it could barely be heard over the crowd of people on the street they were patrolling. "If you choose to not proceed, I will do my best to take down Stain in another way by giving information to heroes and police. If you choose to face him down, I will follow after you and help you fight against him. Either way, Stain will be taken down one way or another."
"I feel like you changed your mind a lot."
"The human mind is always changing and growing. It doesn't really stop developing until we're at the age of 25," Izuku said like he was presenting a simple fun fact.
Iida shook his head fondly before rushing forward when Manual ordered them. Manual shouted that it was because of a robbery from a corner store happening really close by.
By the time, they had finished up. Izuku was already talking to the owner of the store to comfort them while Manual thrusted the thugs into the police officer's arms.
The sky was painted with orange in no time at all with the small crimes they were taking care of. Manual was already saying something about returning early until a group of screams penetrated the air.
His attention was immediately drawn towards it as inhuman screeches filled the space around them. The screeches sounded vaguely familiar.
"I know that weird scream," Izuku mumbled while Iida tensed at his words. He glanced towards his friend who was hurriedly looking around the area to see where the source was.
And the answer came when one monstrous face turned the corner, making them look up at a group of nomus menacingly dredging down the street.
"Dammit," Manual murmured under his breath.
"What are those things?"
"Nomus. Why the hell are Nomus here?" Izuku asked, gesturing with his hand over to the tall creatures wandering around, people screeching when they step too close to them.
"You two with me," Manual ordered loudly. Iida and Izuku looked at each other before following after the pro hero running towards the danger. "We need to take out the Nomus on this street before doing anything else."
Manual used his power of water to rope around the citizens to guide them to the alleyway to get them off the street and towards somewhere safe. There should be a danger center somewhere around the street blocks for attacks like this.
Izuku and Iida launched themselves at the nomu along with some of the other sidekicks that joined on the patrol. Iida got two kicks in, making the nomu stumble back right before Manual came straight in to wrap his water around the nomu's head.
He wrapped his scarf around their legs, making them trip and fall completely. A sidekick stepped in to tie their landless together as Manual kept his water at the head.
The sigh of the exposed brain rippling inside the clear water distributed around their head.
"It should be long until more heroes are dispatched here," Manual explained over the far away screams. He glanced down the street to see a fire starting as more shadows of the same creatures appeared. "I got word that backup is on the way straight from Dabi."
Izuku muttered under his breath, "Dabi? That means Shoto's around here somewhere too."
He glanced at Iida's face to see that his friend had come to the same conclusion. Another pair of screams sounded off in the distance as the shadows grew larger on the side of the building at the end of the street. Iida turned toward an alleyway with a determined look on his face.
Izuku kept an eye on him as he turned his attention back to Manual who was busy instructing his sidekicks to take care of civilians and the fires that were spreading.
He glanced back to Iida who gave him a single nod before running down the alleyway. When Manual made a confused, strangled noise, Izuku turned back to him with a calming smile.
"Don't worry, sir! I'll go get him and make sure he's safe," Izuku called out, running after his friend as Manual tried to call him back to action.
Izuku wasn't surprised by how fast Iida took off. And Manual was shocked by how fast he followed after Iida, calling both of their hero names out as he rushed towards the path his friend took.
'Stain normally patrols at night from the noodle shop at the corner of the street all the way to the tallest department store. He should start at the very middle of the network of alleyways and work outwards from there.' His thoughts rambled together as he ran, trying to follow after his friend even though he was already out of sight.
"Hang on, I'm coming," Izuku whispered as he continued to sprint.
The night was coming sooner than Iida thought as he raced through the alleyways, avoiding the horrifying screeches of the unnatural monsters around. From the sounds, he can tell the backup heroes have arrived just from the amount of power moves he heard being called out.
Stain would be using this attack to his advantage. He couldn't let this kind of opportunity of mass chaos to do what he wanted. No one would hear him attacking a pro hero when everyone was screaming.
From the sound of it, the pro heroes in the area were taking care of the sudden influx of nomus. And with this distraction, he could go after the man responsible for his brother being in the hospital.
Iida kept running until he heard something escape under the louder sounds from the streets. A pained whimper somewhere nearby followed by a choked laugh.
He headed straight towards the sound only to find Native, a pro hero, sitting against the wall with a bleeding wound.
And there, standing in the alleyway, was Stain. Crazy black hair spiked back like the spines of a dangerous lizard with faded wrap bandages across his eyes, covering the place his nose was supposed to be. From the flatness of his face, it looks like he didn't even have a nose.
His shadow was enough to be menacing even though his eyes haven't even landed on him yet.
"Why are you even doing this?" Native raised his voice to the hero killer.
"Like you don't know. Every hero I have encountered is..." Stain said, the swords on his back clinked against each other. "Fake. Everything about them is fake. You say you are in it to save the people and fight evil. But yet, all I see are heroes doing advertisements. Selling their image like a cheap mascot the government is pushing towards society."
"Is this because of that one commercial I did for a gym?" Native winced as he tried to apply pressure to his own wound, looking away from the glare that the hero killer sent him. "God. I only did it because it was for one of my old classmates."
"And what about selling your image to every single young, impressionable mind? What about the endless empty promises that you and the other heroes have set up in this bleak world?" Stain explained. "Telling everyone that they can be a hero. Only to push them away when they don't follow your own, man-made definition of it."
Iida listened to every word from his hiding spot against the wall. With each word, his fist clenched harder. His brother saved people. His brother had done his best each and every day because he wanted to help others.
He was the hero he wanted to be like.
And Stain was just diminishing his work with every word like Ingenium, his brother, was nothing.
Iida took a deep breath before stepping out into the opening of the alleyway, right into the full view of the hero killer. The one who had needed his brother's career. "You're wrong."
"What?" Stain whirled around to see him standing there. His mask raised in one side like he was quaking an eyebrow. "Oh, who might you be?"
Iida's lip twitched up. "My new name is Ingenium. You set out to kill my brother. Prepare to fight."
"I'm guessing you want revenge for your big brother, huh?" Stain twirled the sword in his hand while the other reached behind him to grab another .
"That and something else," Iida responded, letting his eyes travel to where Native was. He needed to help out the other hero as well unless he wanted them to end up another picture in the newspaper.
Stain's sword glinted in the light of the darkening sky when he headed straight towards him. Iida narrowed his eyes as his engines came to life.
With a burst of wind, he shot forward, dodging underneath the sword swing. His feet slid against the dark cement below him. He came to a stop in the middle of an alleyway when Stain ran at him, jumping onto the alley wall to launch himself at him.
Iida dodged his attempt, avoiding the slash right near his guarded face. Although the hit didn't land, his helmet protecting his face flew off his head.
Each swipe was getting closer and closer to actually cutting through his armor. He was quick but Stain was determined to hurt him.
Stain kept rushing at him with both of his swords aimed at any weaker point of his armor. The parts of his dark blue suit that show through his tougher, lighter armor.
"How do you keep dodging?" Stain complained.
Iida shrugged even though it probably couldn't be seen that much through his hero suit. "It might be because I'm too fast, but it also could be the years I've spent sparring with my friends."
Iida dodged yet another swipe aiming for his legs. Taking his chance, he dived towards Native and grabbed onto him. Before Stain could reach them, he used his quirk to run towards the end of the alleyway on the opposite side. Native winced harshly when he set him down.
Iida nodded to the pro hero, lightly throwing the medical supplies he had stored inside of his chest armor. "Please stay out of the danger, sir!"
"Kid, you need backup," Native said with his attention right on him. Iida ran back to the inside of the alleyway with the pro hero yelling out. "You can't take him by yourself!"
"Watch me," Iida muttered under his breath as he ran forward into the wall. He jumped from the wall and gained enough momentum to land a solid kick right at Stain's upper arm, right where he had stabbed his brother.
"Argh," Stain held his hand to his shoulder. He looked from the arm back to the young boy. "Lucky hit, little hero."
"Trust me," Iida wiped the bottom half of his face. "That won't be the last one."
"Kid, you shouldn't—" Native's alarmed voice came from behind him. But it didn't sound like he was talking to him. "Wait, aren't you—"
"Oh, Native!" Izuku! Oh, thank goodness. He heard his friend's footsteps come to stop right at the entrance of the alleyway. "So glad to see you here. But I need to help out my friend."
Izuku's green eyes seemed to shine in the light like a warning. But Iida saw the grin on his friend's face. Something reminiscent of All Might's calming smile and Nedzu's crazed grin. "So, you must be Stain."
Izuku was thankful he got direct permission from Nedzu before he left for the internship.
Because when he and Iida go back to Manual, they would be in so much trouble. At least the permission beforehand would help that he was ignoring orders from the pro hero currently in charge of him.
Nevertheless, he charged forward, keeping his pace steady and breath at ease. He needed to catch up to Iida for any scenario that might take place.
The first thing he could see was a wounded pro hero along with the sounds of a sword whipping through the air. And the shirt clanging sounds it made when it clashed against something close.
The only thought he had when he first saw the hero was that some of their plans had already become trashed. There was a witness! They couldn't do anything illegal now.
He sighed as the pro hero came into view. Native.
He stopped walking and pulled out his phone to send his location directly to Shoto. Since Dabi should be around here, Shoto would arrive in no time to help.
The pro hero was busy trying to tend to his wound as quickly as he could with supplies on hand that were scattered across the ground and in his lap. His head shot you once he heard him come closer.
"Kid, you shouldn't—" Native's alarmed voice suddenly changed once he saw his eyes widened. Oh, it seemed like the hero remembered him. Well, who wouldn't remember the kid who told him to practice his archery more. "Wait, aren't you—"
"Oh, Native! So glad to see you here." Izuku kept walking right past the wounded hero even though he attempted to make him stop by reaching out with his other arm. Izuku avoided his grasp as he walked right up to the alleyway. "But I need to help out my friend."
His gaze found Iida's without his armored helmet blocking it. And Stain...
Wow. Okay. He was expecting the red, but not the lack of style. I mean, if he was a serial killer, he would have wanted to make an impact.
The only thing scary about him are the swords and possibly the weird bandage mask.
Izuku grinned at the sight and slowly started to walk towards them. "So, you must be Stain."
"What's with all the little heroes?"
"Next time you want to kill heroes that people rely on, don't rely on a predictable pattern. It only takes one smart brain to unravel them."
"I'm only getting rid of the fake heroes," Stain said.
Okay, Plan 'Let's Talk it Out' begins. Izuku's smile got bigger, "Okay, let's dive a bit deeper into your ideals for a moment. What do you consider to be the difference between a fake and a real hero?"
"A real hero would be everything that All Might does and stands for. A fake hero is the one who is in it for fame and money. The ones who participate in the advertisements and unneeded celebrity praise."
"That's a valid answer. But pardon me as I go through more examples," Izuku cleared his throat. "What happens if a male pro hero is doing his best every single day. For example, this hero does extra patrols, checking in on victims after every attack and donating his money to a lot of charities that range from disabilities to homeless. But he is sexist, homophobic and misogynistic. Would he be considered a true hero?"
"...What?"
Stain looked so taken aback while Izuku continued without a pause. "Next example! A hero who started being a hero for the money," Izuku thought back to the day Uraraka was gushing about how she wanted to help her parents. "They are doing the job well with a team of heroes by them to make sure everyone makes it out okay. Overall, they are good heroes, but they started for the money. What about them?"
"Then they are a fake—"
"But! They only started doing it for the money because they wanted to support their family and the community they were raised in. Raising money to fund the area to get better education and rebuild structures. Are they still fake since they were in it for the money?"
"That situation in itself is bad," Stain looked confused yet still angry as he tried to make sense of his example. "They didn't have to be a hero to get a well-paying job!"
"Not in this economy!" Izuku walked towards Stain just a bit more to direct all of his attention on him. "A pro hero in this society pays the most especially since the death risk is so high and the property damage from fights could be taken out of their paycheck.
"So what if they could have found a decent paying job in this fake scenario. They wouldn't be able to make the money they needed to support themselves and their community within a decent amount of time," Izuku gestured with his hands, he willed himself too continue focusing on distracting the hero killer and not looking at the pro hero at the end of the alleyway.
...Or Iida heading directly to him to help him bandage the rest of his wound. "Their parents would go bankrupt and their community would still be in shambles before they could start making enough to make changes and support themselves during it."
Stain gritted his teeth at his words only for his eyes to widen in outrage. "Oh! Enough with this! I know you are just trying to distract me! And that won't work! All Might is the only worthy hero!"
"And what?"
"And... what?"
"Is every other hero just trash to you? Part of the fakes? The hundreds and thousands of heroes all over the world are terrible at their job?" Izuku said, raising his voice a bit louder as a fire erupted nearby. His attention briefly wandered to worry about the fight he wasn't part of. "Are you planning on killing any hero that isn't All Might? Because if that is your actual plan, then you will cause All Might's death really quickly."
Stain scoffed at him, sharpening his blade with the other sword. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"All Might is the symbol of peace, the number one hero. I get that. Everyone does. But he is a human. Hell, he is in his fifties right now." Izuku explained, he could feel his chest burning with anger. All Might was his uncle and he needed to keep checking on him to make sure he wasn't overworking himself every day for the thousands of people counting on him. "Do you really think killing all pro heroes that you deem fake would help society or help All Might's position in it? The only thing you will do is cause more empty positions that All Might would have to fill in. Which means he will overpower himself and die pretty quickly.
"Despite how strong you think he is, he isn't some god that can't get hurt," Izuku narrowed his eyes.
He stared at Stain with hatred growing inside of him, "Do you really think this is the road you want to travel, Stain? The path you want to take?"
Stain remained silent as he readied his swords. Izuku reached for the scarf around his neck as it started to unwind.
A burst of ice swirled across the dark cement suddenly making the narrow way into a small ice rink. The ice creeped up Stain's legs, keeping him still on the ground with no chance to move away.
"Don't worry! Dabi is bringing the shovels and—" Shoto appeared at the end of the alleyway in a flourish of fire and ice flaring up on both sides of his body. "Oh. Did I miss my big entrance?"