"There!" Nejire pointed to the camera view centered on Majestic and Emily. "You said your brother was interning with Majestic, right?"

"Y-yeah," Himiko swallowed. She watched as her friend was blasting away at the winged creature, using her quirk to blow holes into its wings, buying the heroes a few seconds before its super-regeneration kicked in and restored them. Whenever the creature got close to her, Majestic would swoop in and knock the creature away.

They are keeping it away from civilians. Himiko realized. But that didn't answer the most important question.

"Izu.. where's Izu?" Himiko asked, panic creeping into her voice. "He- he should be with them!"

With a concerned look, Nejire handed the phone over to Ryukyu, who input the coordinates on the map. As Himiko watched, they saw a cursor appear kilometers away from the fighting.

"What is he doing out there?!" Himiko asked. "What happened to him!"

"I don't know. Whatever he is doing, your brother is on his own," Ryukyu frowned. "All of the heroes in Hosu will be focused on this Nomu attack."

"No!" Himiko yelled.

She felt tears beginning to fall when suddenly she felt her face pressed into Nejire's chest, as the older girl's hands gently began stroking her hair. "Himi-chan shouldn't be sad. Your brother is strong! You saw how well he did at the sports festival!"

"But Izu- he- if anything happens to him-"

"No buts! Midoriya is trying to be a hero, just like Himi-chan is!"

Himiko tried to protest further, but Nejire was having none of it, cutting her off to prevent her from spiraling out of control. It took several minutes, but eventually it worked, and Himiko's breathing returned to a normal rate. Finally, Nejire let her go and Ryukyu stood up before turning to face her interns.

"Change of plans - time to do some impromptu training."

"Midoriya, you shouldn't be here!" Tenya yelled as he saw his friend landing in front of him, "It's too dangerous!"

"If it's that dangerous, then you shouldn't be here either!" Izuku fires back.

Tenya winced at the insinuation. Izuku was right, it wasn't fair to call him out like that, not after he made the same decision. "Be careful! The Hero Killer's quirk is blood-based! If he gets your blood, he can paralyze you!"

"Got it!" Izuku stole a glance at his friend before they heard a crashing sound as Stain finally managed to get the heavy disk off of him and threw it to the ground. The hero killer then dropped to the ground, already in a fighting stance.

"Another prospective hero, tell me, are you here for vengeance too?"

Izuku turned to give Stain his full attention. If he did any less, he was going to lose, "No, I'm here to stop you!" He slid his feet, transitioning into a fighting stance, "You're not going to take any more lives, hero killer!"

"I see," Stain seemed almost excited by Izuku's answer, "another prospective true hero. Perhaps there is hope for the next generation after all."

Izuku saw Stain moving to draw a weapon and let instincts take over, launching himself at the hero killer before he had time to prepare. From his many hours of training with Himiko, he knew she was at her most vulnerable in the fraction of a second when she was drawing her weapon. Against an opponent as formidable as Stain, that window may be his only real chance.

Stain proved to be almost as fast as Izuku, however, and had pulled a wicked-looking pair of knives in the time it took Izuku to close the gap. He brought them up in front of him, using the flats of the blade to block Izuku's incoming punch.

"Impressive, you have no hesitation in your movements," Stain said as Izuku recoiled from the block and landed several feet away, "you're different than he was." The hero killer pointed a dagger at Tenya for emphasis.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Izuku said as he deftly leaped towards the wall to dodge the knife Stain threw, only to kick off, narrowly dodging the second knife as he landed a kick on Stain's shoulder, sending him reeling backward.

"Most heroes are soft," Stain spat on the ground, acting completely unphased as he drew a pair of knives and launched himself at Izuku. "They have grown up knowing nothing but the peace that All Might has brought to Japan," Izuku barely had time to avoid slash cutting his face, "and have become complacent at best, if not becoming complicit in the rot of society."

Izuku managed to sidestep the next knife thrust and hook his arm around Stain's before he threw the hero killer into a dumpster. "N-not all heroes are bad!"

"No, but there are enough," Stain scrambled behind the dumpster, before he kicked it at Izuku, sending it rolling down the alleyway towards him. "What happens when All Might is gone? Will these few heroes be enough to save Japan?"

The question struck home and was enough to knock Izuku off-balance. Was All Might's situation so fragile that someone like Stain saw it? He didn't get a chance to think about the topic as the dumpster slammed into him. With a startled cry of pain, he fell to the ground.

Grunting in disappointment at himself, Izuku began rolling away and was rewarded by seeing a knife fill the space he was occupying moments before. Using his momentum, he pushed himself into a crouching position, facing the hero killer again.

"Even if there are problems in Japan, that doesn't give you license to kill heroes! There- there are better ways!"

Stain stopped, and laughed at the absurdity of the statement. "So you're an idealist, then? Tell me, how do you plan to solve the issue?"

Izuku clenched his fist, looking at the hero killer. "I'm going to become the number one hero! And then I'm going to use the position to help society! Just like All Might brought the Era of Peace!"

Stain narrowed his eyes, "I see, and you think you have what it takes? To not die in a back alley and have your name forgotten? To endure the hardships ahead of you to become the number one hero?"

"Midoriya has all of the makings of a great hero!" Tenya called out, defending his friend, "He- Even during our entrance exam! When nobody in our test group believed in him! He showed everyone the true meaning of being a hero! He put us all to shame."

Izuku felt a smile forming on his lips. "I know it's a hard road ahead of me, I know the road ahead of me is hard, and that there will be a lot of pain and suffering, but that won't stop me!"

Izuku tapped the buttons to activate both of his gauntlets, feeling their protective cocoons wrap around his upper arms. "I'm going to become a great hero!"

He began powering up for a 20% attack, "and so will my friends!"

He took a step forward, "And when one of us falters, the rest of us will be there to catch them!"

Izuku took a running leap towards the hero killer. "And just like I hope to make All Might proud, my friends - they all have people they are trying to make proud too!" Izuku unleashed the smash attack, shattering the knives Stain was trying to block with and the force enough to send him slamming into a wall, shaking several bricks loose. "We are going to live up to our personal heroes, and show them the next generation is ready to keep Japan safe."

When Stain didn't stand up immediately, Izuku quickly examined his arms. That was the first time he used his gauntlet in a combat situation, and it worked. Sure twenty percent is well below the theoretical absorption of the gauntlet, but it was a start.

When Stain stood up, he had a dangerous glint in his eyes. "I see. You are an ambitious one, seeking to become the next All Might."

Izuku swallowed under the intense pressure Stain was giving off. Before he got the impression that Stain was merely trying to incapacitate him.

Now?

Now Stain was fully prepared to kill Izuku.

Izuku was forced to roll to the side to dodge the handful of knives that Stain threw at him. This guy was giving Himiko a run for her money, and he knows exactly how many knives she has hidden in her hero costume. He helped her design it, after all. Taking the opportunity, the Hero Killer rushed back to where his katana was, and picked it up, holding it in his hands in a new fighting stance.

"If you really are so bold as to claim to be the next All Might, then prove it. Kill me."

"I am not going to kill you, are you crazy?" Izuku shouted incredulously. "Just because I want to stop you! That means to arrest you! Not- not kill you!"

"Arrest, Kill, it makes no difference," Stain began rushing towards Izuku, who was barely able to deflect the blade through powering up his arm to 40% strength and using a combination of One For All and his gauntlet as a shield, "All Might is the only one who will end my holy crusade. Anyone less is destined to fall to my blade. If you desire to be his successor, you are bound to be tested. And I am your first test."

Izuku leaped upwards in a powered backflip, kicking off the walls to rocket across the alleyway and land behind Stain before attempting a leg sweep. At the last moment, Stain countered by wildly slashing behind him, forcing Izuku to leap away before he was cut.

Izuku landed several feet away, panting as the hero killer turned around to stare at him. Even with full cowling, Stain was still incredibly fast, and the reach provided by the katana tilted the balance even further in Stain's favor.

Izuku was lucky that he's been able to keep the battle at a stalemate so far, but that wasn't good enough.

Think.

He couldn't use the blanking technique as effortlessly as Himiko, which meant that he needed to break line of sight with Stain, somehow, if he wanted to use it. His eyes slid over to where Tenya and Native were laying there. Stain was still ignoring them, which made him think that his quirk wasn't going to conveniently wear off and provide him with backup. That said, if Stain decided to attack them, Izuku would be at a disadvantage as he would be forced to protect them.

He grits his teeth as he tried to come up with a solution.

"Why. Won't. You. Go. Down!" Emily was shouting as she unleashed a barrage of light arrows at the winged Nomu. She managed to tear its wings to shreds, but the creature's regeneration was enough to restore its wings long before it would crash into the ground.

It wasn't enough to stop the creature, but she was keeping it away from civilians. She just hoped that they would receive backup soon.

"You are doing good, Song," Majestic said, pulling up next to her, "don't let your frustration get the best of you."

"I know!" Emily yelled as she fired another blast, scoring a bullseye as she hit the base of the wing, almost tearing it off completely. The creature was like fighting a worse version of Ryo, at least their muscular classmate could feel pain and she could make him pass out from pain if she had to.

Majestic swooped in to try and force the creature to the ground before its wing could regenerate, giving Emily a few precious seconds to recover. She tapped a control on her gauntlet and formed a small sphere of light in her hand, recharging her support gear. If this battle was going to last a long time, she was thankful for her gear's ability to extend the usage of her quirk. It wouldn't look good if she suffered from quirk exhaustion, after all.

Once she heard the beep that confirmed the buildup of heat was complete, Song called out "My turn!" as she strafed around the creature, unleashing a new wave of bolts to shred its wings in an attempt to ground it.

The hero and intern continued their dance in the sky, circling the creature and keeping it away from the civilians until Majestic suddenly pressed his hand to his ear. "Song, dodge. Now!"

With practiced precision the two pulled away from the creature, just in time to see a large javelin of flame hit the creature, impaling it. The creature cried out in pain as it began falling to the ground. Finally, reinforcements! Grinning, Emily looked down to see Endeavor standing there, another javelin already in his hands. With practiced aim, he threw the second javelin, which struck the original. The two flame constructs merged to form a raging inferno in the creature's chest.

Emily watched the creature crash into the ground, only for Majestic to conjure four more rings that he sent crashing into the creature, pinning its legs and wings to the ground.

"Hopefully that will contain it for now."

Looking at Majestic, he motioned for her to land, and he began his descent. Emily followed him down until the two hovered centimeters off the ground to talk to the new arrivals.

"Endeavor, glad to see you finally joined us," Majestic said.

"Hmph. I came to Hosu in search of the Hero Killer, but it seems that we have a bigger situation on our hands," Endeavor replied coolly.

"Indeed. Your timing is most fortuitous, seeing as these creatures take a lot to bring down," Majestic gestured to the winged Nomu, who was already trying to stand, despite the fire still burning in its chest.

"Yes, I remember Shoto's explanation from the USJ incident," Endeavor frowned, "and there are more out there."

"Indeed, the reports have said there are at least two more that we know of, but there may be more in reserve," Majestic frowned, "my other intern ran off worried about that fact."

"That explains why Midoriya isn't here," Shoto said, "which means…" Shoto reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Unlocking it he held the screen up to show everyone the GPS coordinates, "I believe Midoriya had found what he was looking for."

Emily gasped and reached into her uniform, pulling out her phone. Sure enough, about 4 minutes ago, she received a GPS ping from Izuku, "Crap! We were so focused on the Nomu that I missed it," She turned apologetically to Majestic, "S-sorry, I should have been paying more attention."

"I'll be sure to lecture you later," Majestic chided her, "but now is not the time. We have more of these creatures to deal with."

"But Izuku may be in trouble! We have to help him!"

"I agree," Shoto said, "I'm going to go assist Midoriya."

The two heroes looked at their interns, "Shoto-"

"You appear to have the situation under control," Shoto explained to his father, "while the Nomu are the top priority, would it be incorrect to say you and Majestic, as well as the heroes on scene, aren't enough?"

Endeavor simply grunted and waited for his son to continue.

"It appears to me that myself and Song would both be redundant in assisting with the Nomu situation. However, if Midoriya found someone using the cover of the Nomu attack, it would be irresponsible to let it happen."

"Hmph, so that's how it is," Endeavor crossed his arms, the hint of pride in his son growing. He had forced him into a logical trap. Apparently, UA was already helping his son become more flexible in his way of thinking, something Endeavor admittedly failed to impart with his focus on physical training.

"Very well then. You have full authorization to use your quirk. Make sure to stop whatever villain is using the chaos of this attack as cover."

"I'm going too!" Emily told her mentor, "Izuku's my friend, and Endeavor's firepower easily outclasses my own!" she pointed to the still-struggling Nomu, "and as a hero, he has both more training and fewer restrictions on quirk usage."

"Very well," Majestic said, a smile on his lips, "it appears you are beginning to understand my lessons after all."

"Any chance that disk can hold a second person?" Shoto asked Emily.

Majestic simply laughed and raised his hands dramatically, forming two more magic disks. "All you need to do is ask, young Todoroki. Two more magic rings, for the number two hero and his intern."

Endeavor had a satisfied look on his face as he stepped onto the disk, while Shoto mounted his disk. "These will make maneuvering easier. Call in the police to contain this Nomu, we have more creatures to hunt."

Emily looked down at her phone and brought up the map, before turning to Shoto, "Come on, let's go save Izuku!"

She swore Shoto had the ghost of a smile on his face as he nodded an affirmative, and the two took off, following Izuku's ping.

After Himiko had changed back into her bodysuit, Ryukyu carried her and Nejire to an empty lot, letting the two girls off before she returned to her human form.

She held out her hand to Himiko, "Take what you need."

"What?" Himiko asked, still not understanding what the training was going to entail.

"I want you to take all the blood you need to fight me."

"Ryukyu-sensei, is this ok?" Nejire asked.

Ryukyu gave a reassuring look to the older student, "Yes. What kind of hero would I be if I can't fight with a little blood loss? Midoriya clearly needs an outlet, and I intend to give her one."

Himiko suddenly felt an intense clarity at the situation. She gently reached out and took the hero's hand, before raising it to her lips. "Are you sure about this?"

"You're confused and upset. I've seen your skill when you're calm and collected, but as a hero, you're not given the liberty to fight under ideal conditions all the time. I want you to show me what happens when you're not calm."

Himiko bit down with enough force to pierce the hero's skin. As blood began to seep out, she greedily drank several mouthfuls of blood, feeling a certain thrill about ingesting blood so directly. Once she felt she had enough blood, she released the dragon hero's hand, before fishing out a bandage and handing it to her.

Once Ryukyu was ready, Himiko activated her quirk, feeling like she was being wrapped in fire. Without realizing what she was doing, she reached into herself and found Ryukyu's quirk, immediately activating it and continuing her transformation into Ryukyu's dragon form. Throwing her head back she let out a roar, screaming her frustrations to the world.

"Good, now fight me," The dragon hero instructed her, already in her dragon form, "don't hold back."

Himiko let out a feral growl and charged.

Ochako sat in the small lounge area, watching the tv as she was hoping for signs of Izuku. While she was eating dinner she received a location ping from Hosu. Turning on the news, her stomach suddenly felt like she was under the effects of her quirk.

Hosu had turned into a battlefield, and both Izuku and Tenya were there.

She was watching the news, desperately hoping for some glimpse of Izuku. She felt some relief when she saw the images of Emily and Majestic engaging an aerial Nomu because that meant that he wasn't alone, but that didn't help when she couldn't see him.

She was broken out of her vigil when she heard a case slam down on the table next to her.

"There has been a general call to help with Hosu," Gunhead said.

Even behind the mask, the tone of his voice was different from anything Ochako had heard these last two days. She could tell he was upset and angry.

"We're going to help," Ochako said, looking from the case back to her mentor. Gunhead was already in his hero costume, and his body language showed he was ready for action.

"Yes. Get suited up. You want to be a rescue hero, right? It's time to show you what that means."

Ochako grabbed her case, determination filling her face.

If Izuku and Tenya were out there, she was going to do her best as well.

AN: Sorry for missing a week! I had a pretty nasty viral infection that had me out for a week, and I unfortunately didn't have any buffer chapters for this story to carry me over. Hopefully I'll be able to build a little bit of a buffer here in the next few weeks to prevent that from happening again.