The Chains That Guide a Hero
Chapter 6
This time Izuku will be focused on tracking down one of the most dangerous villains of the current era. And I'll be going into more of the details with what the Legions can do when not restricted to the Ark. Now, on with the show.
(No POV)
Izuku shakes his head as he heads for the faculty parking lot. 'I don't have time for….. whatever Midnight was thinking of. And I can't follow up with what Momo might want to do. I have a killer to catch.' Izuku thinks as he is walking to his Neuron issued motorcycle. Said machine not only had a GPS and autodrive function, but it was also equipped with front mounted energy blasters.
He put on his helmet and started the machine up. Then revved up before speeding out of the faculty parking. As he approaches the main street, he drifts into the turn to speed off to the Hosu morgue. As he is going past the main entrance, a few of his students see him speeding by. "Whoa! Was that Midoriya-sensei!? Where's he off to? Now that is a badass and manly machine he's got there! I don't know… something with a little more muscle would be better to call badass." A few students say as they gossip a bit.
For Momo, she was imagining riding on the bike behind Izuku. As well as thinking of getting a bike of her own to get around as a hero. Bakugo though is just shaking his head at how the scared kid he knew before was now looking like the coolest hero at the school.
When Izuku arrives at the morgue, he flashes both his agent badge and hero license to the officials. "Well it's a bit surprising to see a hero visiting our workspace. Are you here to pay respects to the hero who just died?" the female coroner says while escorting Izuku to the most recent victim of the Hero Killer.
"Not exactly. I think I can finally put an end to this string of murders." Izuku says with a determined look on his face. The coroner gives a humorless chuckle before saying, "that's what this last victim said. And look where it got him." He pulls out body of the latest victim and Izuku can see the damage done to the sidekick. Multiple lacerations and stab wounds all over the body, and a look of fear on this fallen hero's face.
Izuku let out a sad sigh before thanking the coroner. He said a quick prayer for the dead in his head before starting up his IRIS. He checks over the body and looks for some minor piece that the police or coroner might have missed. That is when he finds the piece that most would miss or not notice. "Hello. Can I get a pair of latex gloves?" Izuku says while looking over the victim's head.
The coroner raises his eyebrow but complies with the agent's request. With the gloves on Izuku gently checks the hair of the victim and finds what he is looking for. "There it is. This hair doesn't match the victim." "How do you know that?" "My IRIS can get DNA scans and can differentiate between two people. This follicle here… is from the Hero Killer." The coroner's eyes are wide because he missed that. Given the hair was the same color black as the victim's.
"Okay… Now I just need to track him down." Izuku says before putting the hair into sealed bag. He pulls out his Legatus and activates his Beast Legion. While the coroner can't see the creature, she does notice when it knocks over a table with her instruments. "Hey!" "Sorry. I'll help you clean up in a minute. For now I have to make sure my partner here gets the Hero Killer's trail."
The woman gives the young agent a look before asking if that would actually work. "There have been plenty of tracking heroes who've tried to find him. But they lose him not long after starting to track him." Izuku just smiles before telling her that his partner doesn't work like most dogs. "He….. or she, doesn't track the scent. But the DNA itself. So unless he can change his genetic makeup, I'll find him. Not to mention, I have an idea on where he'll be next."
With that done and the Legion now having the trail of the villain in question, Izuku helps the coroner pick up the tools his partner knocked over. He makes a quick trip over to the Hosu Police station to drop off his bike, and then lets his Legion out full time. With the sun going down, Izuku knows he has to hurry before the next victim is killed.
When night had fallen, Stain had begun his prowl about the city of Hosu. That was when he found his next target. He had heard about how the number 2 hero Endeavor had retired and now left command and lead of his agency in the hands of one of his more capable sidekicks. And that was who Stain was targeting now.
Burnin was in Hosu to work with Ingenium to try and catch the Hero Killer. "Kinda crazy to think about. Me as the head and having to represent the agency. And now I'm working on a case that the boss himself was wanting to take care of." Burnin says with a head shake. She was following up on what Ingenium had started to investigate. Checking some less walked through areas of the city. It was then that she heard a shout of pain from a street corner.
She rushes over and finds a man with a surgical mask on his face that seems to be bleeding slightly. "What happened?" "Some nutcase ran by and cut me! He ran that way!" The civilian says pointing towards an old street. Burnin gives the man some general treatment and tells him to call the police. She then says, "time to Flame On!" as she runs to catch whoever it was that had injured the civilian.
She drops a few strands of her hair for when the police to follow and catch the perpetrator. Suddenly, a knife comes out of nowhere and cuts her cheek. And then she gets cut from behind by a different weapon. Burnin collapses and looks around to see Stain standing above her.
He then licks the blood on his chipped katana, and all the strength Burnin had is gone. When she looks up again, she notices that his arm was bandaged up. With the same bandages she used earlier. "You!" "Yes… I thank you for showing concern for an injured civilian as you saw it. You have some of what it takes to be a true hero. But there are still far too many who call themselves heroes in our society now. So I must remove as many as possible." Stain says while raising his katana up to finish her off.
Burnin tries to shake a bit more of her hair out to try and burn the villain, but thanks to his own quirk she can't move enough to do that. As the blade is coming down, Burnin is glaring at the villain in defiance. And she is then saved by a force she can't see.
From the main street way, Izuku had been using his Legion which directed him to the alleyway. And with his IRIS he could see the outline of his target about to kill yet another hero. So he unchained his Beast Legion and ordered it to attack Stain. He then ran over and helped to lift Burnin up. "Hey! HEY! You still with me!?" Izuku shouts as he is putting Burnin's arm over his shoulder.
"Uh… yeah. Yeah, I'm still here. How did you find me?" the heroine asks as Izuku drags her to the main street. Izuku lets out a humorless chuckle before saying he didn't. "I was looking for him. Not you." As he is saying this, his Legion returns to his arm. This surprises the agent, as he was certain that the Beast would be able to deal with the Hero Killer. Especially unchained.
"I'm impressed….. officer or agent, is it? You used that creature to throw me off and keep me away from my target. While you got her away from the line of fire. It was strong, but I still found it's sensitive spot." Stain says while holding up his broken katana. The tsuka and half of the blade in his right hand, and the chipped tip or kisaki half in his bleeding left hand.
Izuku lets out an annoyed 'crap' while drawing his X-Baton. Stain meanwhile drops the broken half while quickly wrapping his bleeding hand. He then engages Izuku in a duel between their shortened weapons. With Stain eventually grabbing a knife from his belt to try and get a chance at making Izuku bleed. The agent considers switching to gladius mode for his baton, but he knows that wouldn't do him much good. 'Gladius mode is too slow for taking down a guy as fast as him. I have to wait for my moment.'
The two go back and forth for a few minutes, until Burnin can stand again. "Hey jackass! Have a taste of my flames!" the blazing hair hero says before taking a few fistfuls of her hair and tossing them at Stain. He dodges again and looks for a chance to run away. And it comes thanks to an unusual distraction from Izuku.
"What the!" Izuku shouts as his IRIS start beeping at him. This distracts both him and Burnin. So Stain takes this as his moment to get away. He runs back into the alley to slip into the darkness. Only to run into a portal to the Astral Plane.
Izuku runs after him and sees the rip in space. "Son of a bitch! Stay here! I'm going after him!" Izuku orders Burnin before using his Legion to launch himself into the other dimension. He is not however ready for the fact that Burnin decided to ignore his order and grabbed onto Izuku as he was passing through.
"I thought I said-!" "I know what you said! But like Hell I'm letting you take this guy down alone! Besides, I owe him a few hits as well." Burnin says with a fiery glare directed at Izuku. Izuku just lets out an exasperated groan before calling out his Beast again. This time though, Burnin can see it.
"Holy crap. So….. these are the Legions." Izuku rolls his eyes a bit before hopping on the creature's back. He then holds out his hand to Burnin. Signaling to get on. The hero is a bit surprised, but she nods before getting on behind Izuku. Izuku pets his Legion before saying, "you've still got him, right? Track him down." With that, the Legion howls before sprinting off with the two on its back.
After about 10 minutes of searching Burnin starts to feel strange as they are possibly getting close. Izuku notices this and hand her some medicine from the Ark. "Its not a permanent fix, but it should keep you from going full aberration or chimera for now." Burnin nods after the pair dismount from the Legion. She starts feeling better and Izuku can tell that the possible mutating effects of the Astral Plane are receding.
The Beast is still sniffing around, but it isn't running any further. Just sniffing the same area. It then starts growling at something behind both of the heroes. Burnin this time reacts first and pushes Izuku away. As a Chimera charges in and slashes where the two used to be. Burnin is shocked and a bit unsettled by the creature before her, and just barely dodges the strikes the creature unleashes on her.
Izuku shakes off his shock and then sees that the Chimera appeared to be a variation of the sword and shield creatures. This one having one long sword and a short… "Stain." Izuku says with wide eyes. Burnin hears this as well and then can see something behind the creature's head. The tattered remains of Stain's mask.
Izuku switches to his Sword Legion and shifts his X-Baton to gladius mode. While Burnin uses her hair to attack and try and harm the new monster form of the Hero Killer. Izuku then strikes the back of the creature while his Legion slashes at it as well. It then roars and knocks all three of them away. "We won't get anywhere by fighting it one at a time. We have to work together!" Burnin says while putting on some gloves to improve her punching power.
Izuku nods in agreement while calling his Legion back. He lets the creature rest for a moment while handing Burnin a stun grenade he had in one of his pouches. Right as the Stain Chimera is about to attack, Burnin pulls out a large amount of her fiery hair and throws it on the ground. The rising flames distract the monster for a moment while the two split off to attack from opposing sides.
With Izuku opening a volley of shots from his X-Baton gun mode. And when the Chimera is distracted by that, Burning tosses not just her hair but also the stun grenade at the beast. When Izuku notes that his Legion had cooled off, he deployed it again and combo struck the creature. With Burnin jumping in as well to land her own punches to the Stain Chimera's face and stomach.
After they had been fighting for a while, Izuku noticed something. The glowing eyes of the Chimera fade a bit and it stumbles and seems to be breathing heavily. It is then that both hear the creature say, "kill me. Please! Kill ME!" Both heroes' eyes widen as they realize that Stain is still somewhat in there.
"As much as you'd deserve to die for all the ones you've killed… I won't. That's not what a hero does!" Burnin says with finality. Izuku agrees and tells the man, "We're saving you! I may have been planning to stop you, but that doesn't mean I can't save you as well!" The three heroic entities then rush at the Chimera villain to defeat him.
After a few dozen heavy combos from Izuku and his Legions, and some solid double attacks from himself and Burnin (who had to be given a second dose of the medicine), they manage to bring the Chimerafied Stain down. Izuku then uses a special binding to wrap up the creature and then drag it back to the portal.
When they arrive, there are a number of Ingenium sidekicks and the rest of the Flaming Sidekicks there outside of the portal. "What the Hell is that thing!?" one asks as they pull out the restrained Stain. Burnin then asks for one of Ingenium's stronger sidekicks to come over to help. She tells the man to grab around the area that should be the Chimera's mouth and to pull it apart.
He is still confused but another firm order from Izuku is enough for to comply. The sidekick's efforts pull open the mutated mouth, and Izuku can toss in some extra amounts of the red shift easing medicine in. This causes some cracks to form on the armor and body, and Izuku gets to work with his Legion to try and blueshift Stain.
It takes almost 15 minutes, but his efforts bear fruit. As the mutation fades away revealing the broken and weakened form of Stain to the public. Including to the reporters who had shown up during the treatment. Stain looks to Izuku before saying, "you…. You both were willing to try and save a killer like me…. Most would have just killed me no matter what."
Burnin speaks first. Noting that it was what they were supposed to do and be as heroes. "We aren't just thugs or people who push others down because we have the legal right to use our quirks. Our job is to save who we can, with whatever might we can." Izuku nods before saying that he had always wanted to be a hero like All Might. "One who saves others with a smile. And while killing someone might be able to do that too….. I'd prefer to save them without killing."
Stain smiles before leaning back. He notes that they are both true heroes and then says, "I might be too late for that….. But thank you. For letting me at least see the true sky of my home….. with my own eyes." The villain then closes his eyes, with a single tear coming out. And he passes away like that.
Izuku and Burnin are both shocked. With Izuku trying to revive the Hero Killer. But it is too late. Chizome Akaguro, aka the Hero Killer: Stain had died. Izuku starts panicking about the fact the man had died while on his watch. But Burnin steps in and keeps Izuku from freaking out more.
"Hey! Hey, c'mon. There's nothing else we can do now. At least we brought him home." Burnin says as she's pulling Izuku away. The younger man has some tears in his eyes, and Burnin does as well. She pulls him off to the side and tries to get him to focus on the moment. Especially away from the cameras.
But she can tell he's swimming in the panic and guilt that he couldn't save someone. Something he hadn't failed at in his time as an agent of Neuron. Not once had any person he had gone to save died while on his watch. But now one did in front of him again. Just like the agent who saved him long ago.
"Son of a bitch! C'mon kid! Snap out of it!" Burnin says while trying to shake Izuku out of his mental spiral. She tries slapping him, but that seems to do little more than slow his ramblings. And with an annoyed sigh (and checking to see no one is taking pictures) she grabs his face and kisses him.
The initial physical attempts had shaken him somewhat out of his spiral, but this sends him into another spiral entirely. Though one he does shake out of. "Why did you?" "Well hitting you wasn't working. So I went with something that would snap most hormonal boys out of a funk." Burnin says with a raised eyebrow.
Izuku blushes a bit before thanking the hero. Burnin just gives him a small smile before telling him he was welcome. The two then come back out and see that the paramedics are confirming that Stain was dead. This doesn't start Izuku into a spiral again, but he does feel a heaviness in his heart at failing to save the man.
The reports the next day give praise to Izuku and Burnin for their work to capture the villain who had been on a tear through the hero community. Over 40 heroes killed by the man, and the two of them had taken him down. Not only that, but they had defeated the villain after he had been transformed into a monster by the realm that was encroaching onto their world.
This made many sing the praises of Burnin (titled as the new head of the Endeavor agency) and Izuku (called the Spirited Away Agent). With this, and a few more of the two's individual actions coming to light, both were put up on the billboard charts as heroes. Burnin being ranked number 22 and Izuku ranked at number 25. This, as well as some tabloid photos of the two from Izuku's freak out, would lead to some interesting questions when Izuku returned to teach classes at UA University.