Chapter 34: What The Hell Is Even That?

Izuku needed to get out and think.

He had spent the day pacing the apartment in thought, but it wasn't enough. And when Eraser came home, it got even worse. He needed to be alone and to be somewhere else. Eraser understood, and that's why he didn't fight the boy when he left through the front door in his vigilante garb.

"Be safe! And try not to make any criminals cry tonight!"

"I'll try!"

Nothing felt better than the city air flowing through his hair and stinging his lungs. Something about it just took his mind off of everything in his life and let him take a breath. It was nice and exactly what he needed.

He had been checking alleyways for any suspicious activity when his heart stopped for a moment.

No way…

What was the hero killer doing in Musutafu? He was just in Hosu wasn't he? If he followed his usual pattern, then he should still be there so why-

"Ah, Serpentine." He slowly turned to look at the pale boy and smirked. "I've been meaning to see you again."

Crap- Gosh dang it why is it always me-

"Ah ha…" Izuku was panicking. WHat tHE HEcK WAS hE SUPPosED TO dO IN THIs SITUATION!? "I don't suppose you'd be up to leaving if I asked you nicely?"

Stain let out a low chuckle as he began to walk closer to Izuku. "You know, they told me that you were funny little one."

"Who told you?"

"That's not important. What is important is the talk we're going to have."

Ohhhhh, Izuku was so glad Eraser told him to use the bathroom before he left because if he hadn't, he absolutely would've peed himself right then and there. "Raincheck?" His voice squeaked as he tried to take a step back.

Stain clasped his hand onto Izuku's shoulder freezing him in place and gave him one of those creep smiles that he kept on getting from the guy. "Let's go somewhere more private."

The hero killer led him further and further from the city until he was apparently satisfied with where they were. They stopped on top of an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere and the guy plopped down with his legs crossed as if they were taking a measly stroll in the park. "Come, sit young one."

"I wish you wouldn't call me that." Izuku grumbled as he obliged.

"What would you rather me call you?"

"I would rather not be here at all."

Stain let out another low laugh as he threw his head back. "Oh, you really are a hoot Serpentine. I will greatly enjoy having you around."

"You-what?" Izuku squeaked as he fiddled with his hands so that he could direct his nervous energy somewhere.

"This is what I wished to speak to you about. I've seen your convictions and they are indeed strong. A lot like mine. I see a great deal of potential in you and would like to help guide you. Together we will be able to cleanse this wretched society of all its false heroes and phonies."

This wasn't happening. There was no freaking way that this is what was happening right now. Did the hero killer just offer to take you under his wing? You've gotta be freaking kidding-

"So, what do you think young one?"

HOW WAS HE SUPPOSED TO ANSWER?? How could he say no without getting filleted by the guy? I mean he'd come back, but still!

"Uh…I really appreciate the offer…but I'm going to have to pass."

"Hmm," Stain placed his chin in his hand and looked at Izuku with narrowed eyes. "I knew that your convictions were righteous and strong, perhaps a bit too righteous. No matter, that does not change the way that I see you Serpentine, so no need to sweat through your costume."

"Huh, whatttt?" Izuku glanced down at his partially soaked hoodie and could suddenly feel every drop of sweat trickle down his neck and back.

"Perhaps you are not ready for such responsibility of culling those who are not worthy. In any case, I'd still like to train you."

Izuku choked on the spit in his mouth as those words left Stain's mouth. "You what?"

"If you're not willing to take me up on my offer, then you must be gunning to be a hero, yes?"

"Uhh…"

"Then I will train you. I will make sure that you become the best hero who will lead by example and show what a hero should be."

Ohh there was no way that this was happening-

"Alright then, up! There is no time to waste. I assume that the pro hero Eraserhead will be wondering where you scurried off too, no?"

Izuku's wide eyes must've given him all the answer that he needed as he let out an amused breath and got into a fighting stance.

"Let's see how far along you are young one."

He wasn't sure if it was out of a sense of curiosity or simply just fear of going against the guy, but Izuku got to his feet wearily and prepared for whatever was going to get thrown at him.

Surprisingly enough, Stain was a pretty decent teacher. Don't get him wrong, Izuku got thrown on his butt more times than he could count, but each time the guy would go over what he did wrong and what he could improve on. He even went as far as to teach him a few of his moves that he did to aid in his speed and maneuverability. And Izuku got to learn some about stealth as well.

As wrong and horrible as it was to be learning from a literal murderer, he was learning a lot. Things that he could cultivate and use to save people rather than killing them like his…mentor? Kidnapper? Whatever Stain was-

He wasn't exactly sure how long they stayed out training and sparring, but by the time he got back to Eraser's house, he had already turned in for the night and left a note for Izuku telling him goodnight and that he'd kill him if he didn't come back. That got a small smirk to lift from his lips as he made his way to the bathroom to shower all of the sweat and dirt off of his bruised and already sore body.

The hero killer had praised Izuku on his skills so far, especially considering how new he was to the whole vigilante thing. And once they finished their little session, he told him that he would meet him again tomorrow night while he was patrolling.

How he was going to find him, he wasn't sure. And how he knew he would be patrolling tomorrow night…well, let's just say that even if he wasn't originally going to, the guy scared him enough that he was going to now.

One issue though, was the internal battle that was waging inside of Izuku. On one side he knew that it was wrong to even be associating himself with Stain. The guy was a cold-blooded killer with screwed up views and morals. But on the other, he was already learning a lot and would be able to use what he learned for good.

There was also the issue of Eraser…

Izuku hadn't figured out exactly how he was going to tell him that he was being trained against his will by none other than the hero killer. The guy that no one could even think to catch or take down, had sought him out and insisted on taking him under his wing for some reason.

That was going to be a fun conversation…

He hadn't even thought about Hitoshi. Oh, he would have his own things to say about the situation, because he wasn't a fan of vigilantes to begin with, but Stain was on a whole different level.

Luckily for him though, the two of them would be staying at Eraser's agency for the week and so Izuku had some time to figure out what he was going to say to the two of them.

One thing that had surprised Izuku was that, even though he lived with Eraser and the hero was looking over him, he actually let Izuku do what he wanted. He was happy about that, it wasn't like the guy was his father or anything, but lately…

No. He didn't know, recently the two of them had been getting closer and enjoying each other's company. They've been getting comfortable with each other, which was something that neither of them was accustomed to. And as such, neither of them knew how to handle their growing relationship, so they just opted to ignore it.

It was clear that Eraser trusted him. He wouldn't let him stay at his home alone if he didn't. And Izuku trusted Eraser. That much was made clear when he openly expressed his thoughts and emotions in front of and to the guy. Something that he absolutely hated doing and did not do in front of people. He learned to keep all of that locked away a long time ago.

But the hero had broken those walls, the ones that he spent so long building up, down. And he did it so slowly and gently that he hadn't even noticed.

The next few days carried on. Izuku would do his thing until nighttime came, and then he would go out to patrol only to be kidnapped by the hero killer yet again to train or whatever it was they were doing.

As much as Izuku hated what was going on, he was actually improving by leaps and bounds. His form and technique had been sculpted and perfected by the man and had grown as well. He had been adding new moves and abilities to his arsenal left and right as Stain thought it would be a good idea to teach him how to properly handle a multitude of weapons, mainly blades.

And as much as he hated to say it, the hero killer wasn't that horrible to be around. Don't get him wrong, he still hated the guy and all that he did, but he saw at least some ground in his beliefs, and it was clear that Stain liked him for whatever reason. It also didn't help that the guy was hilariously oblivious to basic social interactions and was way too stiff for his own good.

So, rather than sulk about the predicament he was in, he decided that he would use the time he spent with Stain not only to get better, but also to try to get the hero killer to see that what he was doing was wrong and that there was a way better way to do what he was trying to accomplish.

During their breaks, Izuku would reply to the texts that his friends would send him. Most were from Hitoshi complaining about how intense Eraser was and how he was getting worked to the bone even more than when he was training with Izuku.

Although, he did get some texts from Kaminari and Shoto as well.

Apparently, Shoto had decided to go to his father's agency for his internship. A decision that Izuku thought was the worst possible one he could've made, but when he heard why he decided to, he guessed that it made since. He still didn't like it though.

One night Stain had decided that Izuku needed a change of scenery and so the two of them took a fieldtrip to Hosu for the night.

Izuku knew that it was just because Stain was probably itching to get his next victim and continue on his three per city pattern, but Izuku had confidence that he could deter the hero killer and possibly save a life if he was lucky.

Strangely enough, Shoto had texted him and let him know that he would actually be in Hosu with his father tonight as well.

Izuku just hoped that they wouldn't cross paths, because he wasn't sure if he could stop Stain from taking down the number two hero. He didn't know if he wanted to…

Better to just avoid that situation all together.

The two of them had been sparing, Izuku with a pair of twin blades going against an 'empty handed' Stain (but he never believed that the man was ever actually without secret weapons stashed who knows where), when they heard a crash.

Stain had been complaining about how this group called the League of Villains kept trying to recruit him to boost their own image the past couple of nights. Apparently, their leader was relentless and some of their members were a little too out there for Stain's liking.

Not that he teamed up with anyone anyway, Izuku being the exception.

The loud noise sounded followed by an unholy screeching that caused Izuku and the hero killer both to cover their ears to try to block out the gut-wrenching sound of whatever it was that had just arrived.

It was far enough away that neither of them could tell what exactly was going on, but Stain cursed under his breath and muttered something about that damn league, which made Izuku's stomach drop a bit.

"Serpentine." Izuku turned to Stain, who was looking over the city from where they stood on top of a building. "Go and see what is going on in the city. If it's what I think it is, then the people of this place are in danger."

"What about you?" Something about this whole situation didn't sit right with Izuku. He could tell that there was something that Stain wasn't telling him, and he knew for a fact that he didn't care about the innocent people that much. So then, what was his ploy?

Stain scoffed and looked at the young boy out of the corner of his eye. "What's the matter hero? Too scared to go and take on some villains by yourself? You help people, that's the whole reason why I've taken to training you. Now go. Help them."

Izuku didn't like this. Not at all. He knew that something was wrong, he just couldn't tell what exactly that was, and it was driving him insane. It didn't help that he didn't trust Stain on his own for a second.

But what was he supposed to do? As much as he hated it, the hero killer was right. People were probably in danger, and Izuku wanted to save all those that he could. And unfortunately, that meant doing what the man said and leaving him to do whatever he was planning on doing.

"Alright. But please don't get into any trouble. I really don't want to have to clean up whatever mess you're planning on making."

"Hurry up and go young hero. You have no business worrying about myself and my actions."

He hated it. He knew that something was going to happen, but he had to help. He couldn't just ignore all those people who couldn't defend themselves from whatever was terrorizing them.

Ugh! This was so frustrating!

"Fine." Izuku gave one last pointed look at the hero killer before he took off and towards the many screams coming from deeper in the city.

It was like a switch. One moment he was running through a dark and empty part of the city and then he ran into what literally looked like hell.

Chaos was the only way he knew how to describe what he saw. There was devastation everywhere. Crashed cars and damage to the roads and buildings all around with little fires sprinkled in made Izuku's stomach turn.

The screams all around him didn't help the feeling of dread he had as he looked at what had become of the quite city.

People were running away-or at least trying to. Many were unable to move from where they were, either due to terror or injury. And that's when Izuku saw the culprit.

It looked like a nightmare. It was huge first of all, it's exposed arms and chest large and rolling with bulging muscles and veins. Its skin was a sickly shade of purple that had splotches of other colors all over it and its face was distorted with a sort of beak emerging from it below its large protruding eyes and completely exposed brain on top of its head.

Izuku had a hard time looking at it without feeling the urge to throw-up at the grotesque image.

The creature was standing on all fours over two people who Izuku really hoped were just passed out but didn't have much hope considering the blood covering various parts of the monster. It extended it head upwards and let out that same screech that made Izuku want to tear his ears off of his head just to make it stop somehow.

The thing stopped and looked at Izuku curiously. It tilted its head to the side as it took a step forward and began to stand on two feet.

Alright…so this may or may not be the moment that I die.

No big deal. Even if it is, I'll come back.

…Probably.

Izuku began to run at the creature as it began to run at him. He had a skeleton of a plan in his head, but he wouldn't be able to solidify anything until he figured out what exactly this thing could do. He had no way of knowing it's strength or speed due to its appearance, so he would have to go out on a whim and find out for himself.

At least until the pros showed up. They shouldn't be too far away by now, he could hold this thing off until then, right?

Izuku and the creature ran up to each other and before they collided, Izuku slid under the thing's large legs and popped up behind it to try to land a kick to its head. But when he did the thing didn't even flinch.

He landed in a crouch and watched as the unfazed creature slowly turned its head to him and then its body and took a step towards him.

He jumped forward and tried to give it a few punches, but again, it was as if he wasn't even touching the thing.

Okay…time for plan B-

Izuku unsheathed the twin blades that Stain had given him from his tool belt and spun them around in his hands to get a good grip on them.

He came at the monster, swinging the blades and cutting up the thing without hitting anywhere lethal. Even though it was obviously something extremely messed up, it was also clearly human-esk and that meant that it was most likely once human.

Izuku jumped back as the creature fell to the ground, but when he looked up, the thing was getting to its feet with each of the wounds all around its body sewing themselves back together right in front of Izuku's eyes.

"What the fu-"

"Kid!"

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing here?!"

"It's dangerous!"

Voices yelled behind him and Izuku snuck a peak to see three pro heroes running towards him with equally determined and worried faces on each of them.

"Wait a minute-isn't that Serpentine?!"

"The new vigilante in Musutafu?"

"What are you doing here kid?!"

Apparently, the creature had no respect for greetings because it lunged forward in an attempt to punch Izuku in the chest. The only thing saving his life was the reflexes he gained from working with Stain that sent him flipping to the side and away from the freaky-killing-machine-monster-thing.

"Careful! This thing is strong and fast and can heal from any wound I inflict on it. I'm not sure how that's possible, but whatever it is, it's not to be taken lightly."

The three heroes made it to Izuku's side as the watched the creature turn to look at all of them and tilt its head.

"You said none of your attacks worked?" One of the heroes questioned under his breath.

"Nope. It just healed from whatever I did."

"Guess we'll just have to keep on hitting it until it can't heal no more," One of the heroes, a female hero that Izuku recognized, stepped forward as she cracked her knuckled and smirked at the creature.

The hero was one of the top ten, the pro hero Mirko. She had a rabbit quirk and was a complete bad*. He wasn't sure what she was doing in Hosu, but he wasn't going to question the very clear blessing her presence was.

"Serpentine right?" She turned back to look at Izuku.

Izuku squeaked at her attention suddenly being on him, "Um, yes?"

"I heard that you're good. Real good. Let's see if you can keep up."

She turned back and got into position to take off toward the creature that was still just looking at them.

Izuku smirked and spun his blades once more as he prepared to fight again. "You're on."