Okay, I realize that I'm posting a day early. Explanations will follow the chapter. In the meantime, enjoy the update!
All things considered, Hosu seemed… too quiet.
Well not quiet, but… peaceful. Tenya honestly wasn't certain what he had been expecting, but the amount of peace was somehow almost… oppressive. The world kept spinning. The sun kept rising and setting. The people kept going about their regular routines: school, work, and so on. It was like… like nothing had happened. Like a serial killer hadn't struck the city less than two weeks earlier.
Like Tensei hadn't meant anything.
He tried to shove such thoughts out of his head. Tensei was still alive. He was actually much better off than any of the Hero Killer's previous victims had been. And anyway, it wasn't like nothing had changed with the Hero Killer's attack. At least, that was what Manual seemed to be saying.
"On a normal day, I'd just be waiting for client calls to come in-not really exciting-but things have been fairly hectic here lately," the Normal Hero was explaining cheerfully, glancing over his shoulder at his intern
"So you're using street patrols to suppress crime," Tenya concluded.
"Yeah, exactly," Manual grinned. "Man, I kinda can't believe that Ingenium's little brother is interning at my agency. I'm sure you had offers from pros with much bigger followings than mine."
Tenya didn't really feel like it would be wise of him to answer that. That was true, although he hadn't actually gotten a lot of offers to begin with. Still, that was fine with him. This was the only place he wanted to intern. After all, he had a mission here.
He would track down the monster that had hurt his brother. He would find him and bring him to justice for his deplorable crimes. As a matter of fact, if he had his way, he would dispose of the villain with his own hands. He knew that he might not find him, but in all of the places the Hero Killer: Stain had appeared up to that point, he'd always attacked at least four pro heroes. That meant he was likely to show up in Hosu again. Now, Tenya could only hope that he would encounter the murderer while he was here.
Although three days later, even he would admit that it was starting to feel a little hopeless.
"Hey," Manual began hesitantly as they started their patrol of Kiyoto, "This is kinda hard to ask, but… you're after the Hero Killer, aren't you."
Tenya froze, staring at his mentor in flat shock. "How did you…"
"Well," the Normal Hero chuckled nervously, "I couldn't think of any other reason why you'd come to my agency. U-Uh! I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm really glad you did, but… you shouldn't be pursuing personal grudges."
Tenya blinked, taken aback by the sudden gravity in his voice.
"We heroes don't have authority to arrest or punish people," his mentor continued. "The only reason we're allowed to use our quirks at all is because of the regulations put on them. That's why, no matter how noble the reason may be, a hero must not use their quirk for themselves. If a pro used their power for their own selfish desires, it would be a very serious crime."
Manual kept Tenya pinned by his dark eyes for another thirty seconds or so before he broke. "Uh-! I'm not saying that the Hero Killer isn't incredibly guilty or anything! You just seem like the earnest type, you know?! I'd hate for you to focus on one goal and ignore everything else," he chuckled anxiously.
"Thank you," Tenya bowed deeply, biting the inside of his lip and hoping that his mentor wouldn't be able to tell. "I appreciate it."
"Oh, it's fine as long as you get what I'm saying! So, are we good?"
Iida grit his teeth, unable to bring himself to reply. What was he supposed to do with the hatred boiling through his veins if he couldn't act?! That seething anger continued to froth and churn like a geyser throughout the day, waiting impatiently for its time to be released.
That being said, Tenya did not expect that time to come the way it did.
"What the heck is going on?" somebody murmured as Tenya followed Manual down another main road. Night had already crept up on them, as often seemed to happen in the early Spring. Confused, the hero intern glanced up, then followed the speaker's gaze to look behind them, where a red glow could be seen burning against the sky. "Is there some sort of fire?"
"A fire?" Manual frowned, turning as well. "But then, shouldn't I have been called in by now?" He paused, his head automatically tilting slightly to the side as he raised a hand towards the comms link in his helmet. Abruptly, he stiffened. "What did you say?! Villains appeared!?"
Tenya's eyes widened inside his helmet. Villains? Could it be-
No. No, this is different. That murderer wouldn't be so flashy. A giant fire and villains going on a rampage, that seems… that seems more like the-
"Tenya, stay with me!" Manual ordered, pulling the boy from his distracted thoughts. "We're running!"
"R-Right!" Tenya hurried after his mentor, forcing down the temptation to activate his quirk and get to the disturbance as fast as possible. It wouldn't do for him to outpace his-
A glint of light.
It was only a momentary distraction, but it was enough to drive all thoughts of the fire and its implications out of his head. Tenya's eyes widened as the renewed rush of adrenaline poured through his veins. In an instant, Engine had fired off, power transforming into speed and sending him flying down the narrow alley, directly towards the man festooned with knives and a blood red scarf.
"…choose your last words with-"
The man suddenly whirled around, dodging Tenya's ferocious kick and slashing with his chipped katana, sending his helmet and glasses flying and knocking him to the ground as he overbalanced.
"Who are you? A child wearing a suit?" the Hero Killer sneered. "Run. Run away from here. This is not a place for children."
"You're carrying blades all over your body, and you're wearing a blood-red scarf. You must be the Hero Killer: Stain," Tenya didn't even bother holding back a low snarl as he pushed himself up. "It is you, right? I've been looking for you. I am-"
Tenya couldn't help flinching as the katana appeared before him once again, crimson red eyes bearing into him as he growled softly, "Your eyes are searing with vengeance. Be careful what you say next. If need be, even someone your age could be my target."
That seething anger and hatred flared once more in Tenya's chest at the implicit dismissal, the assertion that Stain could kill him with a mere thought. (He quickly stamped down on the reminder that the Hero Killer was skillful enough to succeed in killing seventeen pro heroes and crippling twenty-two others, not to mention he'd nearly done the same to Tenya's own brother.) Gritting his teeth, the hero-in-training pushed himself to his feet, no longer able to hold back the words that had been clawing at his throat for weeks now.
"You listen to me, criminal: I am the brother of an incredible hero who you attacked. He's the best older brother that anyone could hope for. A caring person who saved many lives-someone people looked up to! I have come to stop you, because he can't fight anymore. I will defeat you, and I will succeed the legacy of Ingenium. That I promise!"
A light of contempt filled the Hero Killer's eyes as he turned to face the young man fully. "Ingenium," he sneered. "So you're brothers, are you? I decided to let him live out of respect for the hero that fought to protect him, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a weakling, just like you are."
The rage was blinding, all-consuming. Almost without Tenya's conscious thought, his quirk activated and he rushed forward, ready to crush the Hero Killer with a single blow, a raw scream that sounded something like 'for Tensei!' ripping from his throat as he swung his leg in a vicious kick. He almost didn't register the fact that the Hero Killer suddenly wasn't there anymore. He'd leaped into the air, dodging the strike easily before kicking forward, sinking the spiked tips of his boots into Tenya's shoulder before striking his back hard enough to knock him to the ground and thoroughly knock the wind out of him.
"You aren't heroes," Stain grunted as he pressed his foot against Tenya's head and raised his katana. "You have no right to be called that. Both of you are nothing but fakes."
Tenya cried out in pain as the Hero Killer's blade came down, thrusting deeply into his left shoulder. "Sh-Shut up, villain!" the boy gasped as he struggled to get his air back; struggled to move. "You… You damaged his arm so badly… he'll never be able to use his quirk like he used to. He… He can't be the hero he was before. You had… no right to take all of that away from him! You had no right… to decide he was a false hero! I won't forgive you! I'll… I'll kill you!"
The Hero Killer removed his sword.
Tenya didn't have time to think about why. He just grabbed Stain's ankle on his head with his uninjured arm and yanked, forcing the murderer to step back and give him room to surge to his-
His entire body went rigid.
Tenya choked, frozen in a half-kneeling position, suddenly entirely unable to breathe between the force of the earlier hit and whatever this was. He heard the Hero Killer scoff above him, but couldn't raise his head to see his expression. Instead, all he could see was the tip of his bloody sword as he swung it to indicate a spot that Tenya could barely see in his peripheral vision. There, a man lay slumped against the brick wall of the alley, dressed in a dark brown bodysuit with red markings painted on his face.
How…? How long has he been there? He doesn't seem to be moving… and his eyes are closed… Is he unconscious? How much blood has he lost?
"You truly are a false hero. You were so busy with your grudge that you didn't even notice him. You plan to use your quirk only for yourself, completely blinded by a selfish desire for revenge. You're about as far away from being a hero as I can imagine, and that's why you'll die tonight."
"S-Say whatever you want to about me!" Tenya choked past the frustrated tears filling his throat and the increasing sense of panic in his chest-I'm going to die I couldn't stop him I'm sorry Tensei-"You're still just a criminal who hurt my brother!"
"Goodbye, child," Stain hissed, the tip of his blade resting alongside the young man's throat. "May your death bring about a better world."
No! Not like this-!
"Haaah!"
"Oof!"
Tenya's breath hitched in shock as he felt a strange surge of energy swirl around him, powerful enough to cause even his immobilized body to shift, dragging his head up. Even stranger was the bright pink light swirling in front of him, only to fade away and reveal a familiar figure in a pink hero costume, her short brown hair seeming to float around her and her body already shifting into a defensive fighting stance.
"U… Uraraka?!" Tenya gasped. "H-How?"
His friend spared a brief glance over her shoulder, giving him a glimpse of bright brown eyes before she returned her attention to the enemy further down the alley.
"Don't worry, Iida-kun!" she declared, a quiet sense of determination rolling off of her. "I won't let him hurt you!"
"What are you doing here?!"
"Saving you; what else?!" she snapped back, a thread of anxiety registering in her waspishness. "Now hurry up and get up! We have to get out of here and find the pros!"
"I… I can't move. Ever since he cut me, I've been paralyzed; it must be his quirk," Tenya gasped, squinting past her to where the Hero Killer was regaining his composure, frowning at Uraraka with almost thoughtful, narrowed eyes. He couldn't let her stay here; he couldn't let her risk getting hurt. "Uraraka, please, don't get involved! This doesn't have anything to do with you!"
"Doesn't have-?" Uraraka shot him an incredulous look, almost disgusted. "Of course it has everything to do with me! You're my friend Iida-kun! I'm not gonna leave you behind!"
"You showed up to save your friend's life," Stain mused thoughtfully. "You even made a big entrance. But I have a duty to kill him and this so-called pro. When your friend chose to fight me, it guaranteed that the weaker of us would be culled. So, what will you do?"
Tenya saw Uraraka flinch slightly, likely intimidated by the bloodlust radiating from the villain watching them, but he knew how stubborn she could be, remembered the stories of how she had leapt straight towards one of the leaders of the League of Villains to protect All Might, watched her slip her phone behind her back and send a text to who-knew-who, and knew that she wasn't going to back down just because of that. "Listen to me!" he cried desperately, "Stand down and run away!"
"I can't do that, Iida-kun," Uraraka whispered, tucking her phone into a pocket on her belt and curling her hands into fists. "I'm pretty mad at you for doing something this stupid on your own, but I guess that's kinda my fault for not being there for you sooner. Still, now that I'm here, I'm not going to run and leave you both to die. It's like All Might told me: meddling when you don't have to is the mark of a hero!"
A chill seemed to run down Tenya's spine at his classmate's words, and even more so as that pink light flared to life around her again, swirling around her body and seemingly tugging against his. So he hadn't been imagining that feeling earlier. But what the heck was this? He'd known that her quirk had been growing stronger since the Sports Festival, but wasn't it emitted through her hands? So what was this light? Where had it come from?
What is happening to my friend?
Uraraka charged towards the Hero Killer, as though completely unafraid of the threat he posed. For a moment, Tenya was shocked; she was moving far faster than he'd ever seen before, as though gravity didn't have any hold on her, and was he imagining the way the objects she passed seemed to shudder and shift towards her, as though drawn by some vast, invisible force?
"No!" Tenya cried, suddenly yanked back to the present as Stain pulled his sword back and dragged another dagger from its sheath, ready to strike. "If you get cut-!"
"3% Gravity Field!"
Tenya watched, wide-eyed, as Uraraka suddenly swept underneath Stain's blades, making a grab for him and forcing him to leap back, only to stumble in surprise as the pink light surrounding Tenya's friend seemed to snatch at him and drag him back in. Still, the Hero Killer recovered from the shock quickly, slashing with the katana the moment that he was pulled into range and forcing Uraraka to duck again, leaving her at too awkward of a position to grab him. Still, a moment later they were facing one another again, and she was ready to attack, her eyes glowing golden with determination and a new knowledge of his fighting style and technique.
Only, suddenly, Uraraka froze, her eyes blowing wide as her knees buckled and she collapsed into a kneeling position, shock and horror twisting her face. "Wh-What?" she gasped, fighting to breathe, and horror flooded Tenya's own veins as he realized what had happened. "But… j-just a graze was enough to… fr-freeze me…?"
"Heh. You're not so bad, kid," the Hero Killer said as he lowered his dagger from his face, and Tenya wanted to shudder as he sensed the smile in the tone of his voice, "but you're not powerful enough to defeat me. I'll admit, I was taken off guard by that gravity field trick of yours, but you haven't had enough training to use it properly. Still, even with all the countless heroes around here that are all talk, I think you're worthy of staying alive. At any rate, you're definitely different from these two."
"W-Wait!" Uraraka gasped, the muscles in her arms and legs straining as she tried to move, the fear in her eyes increasing as Stain turned and began to march inexorably towards Tenya, his red eyes gleaming in cold satisfaction. "Wait, stop! Don't touch Iida-kun!"
"Time to finish things," the Hero Killer smiled, almost smug as he raised his sword once more. Tenya clenched his eyes shut, unable to face his friend as her shrill scream rang through the alleyway.
"Get away from him!"
Heat suddenly blazed against Tenya's back and he sensed the Hero Killer leap away once again, clicking his tongue in irritation. "Someone else to get in my way," he growled. "Today's been full of distractions."
"Uraraka," a familiar, low voice rang through the darkness, even though Tenya couldn't see the speaker. "You need to give more details in times like this. I was almost too late to stop this guy."
"Oh thank God, Todoroki!" Uraraka gasped, tears in her voice. "And… you're using your fire?!"
"Yeah. Not something I enjoy, but sometimes necessary."
"You're here too, Todoroki?" Tenya gulped. "But how'd you…?"
"How'd I get here? Been wondering the same thing. Next time Uraraka, try to send more information than just your location. But you're not the type to send cryptic messages without a reason, so I figured you must be in trouble and asking for help."
Tenya gasped as the air suddenly turned cold and ice swept across the ground beside him, forced the Hero Killer to leap back even further and then lifted Uraraka and the pro hero that had been injured earlier, who seemed to be finally regaining consciousness, forming into a ramp to bring their paralyzed bodies sliding over to Tenya while flames flew over their heads to cover their escape. "Everything will be okay!" Todoroki assured them, his voice much closer than it had been, then suddenly their classmate was standing in front of them, his base set and his stance defensive, just like Uraraka's had been. "The pro heroes should be here any minute!"
"Another child? Can't the 'heroes' fight their own battles in this city?"
"You're just what they said you were. But you won't be taking any more lives, Hero Killer."
"Todoroki-kun!" Uraraka cried suddenly, grunting like she was trying to move again but couldn't, "You can't let that guy cut you! I think that's how he controls people!"
"He cuts people to keep them from moving? That explains the blades. So all I gotta do is keep my distance. Ngh!"
Tenya choked in horror as a knife suddenly flashed by Todoroki's face, barely dodged in time, but still forming a new cut across his classmate's cheek, exposing his blood to the air.
"You have good friends Ingenium! Or you did!"
Todoroki barely had enough time to throw up an ice barrier to block his next strike, then a wall of flames to drive the Hero Killer back when he grabbed the two-tones boy's shoulder.
"Y-You're not… Frozen?"
It's too much.
"The blood," Todoroki realized suddenly. "It's not the cut, it's the blood!"
It's too much to watch, too much to ask my friends to keep fighting, to keep getting hurt over a personal battle.
"Stop it!" Iida grated out through gritted teeth. "Why are you doing this?! His fight is with me! I will inherit my brother's name! I'm the one that should stop him!"
"So you'll be the new Ingenium?" Todoroki seemed to scoff, ending a flame blast and sending out a massive wall of ice not unlike the one that stopped Tenya cold at the Sports Festival. "Strange. The Ingenium I knew never had that look on his face."
What… What does he mean by that? What look? What's so wrong about wanting to avenge my brother? About destroying him!?
"You've got a dark side, Iida. Guess my family isn't the only one."
"Todoroki-kun!"
Tenya's eyes snapped up at Uraraka's warning cry to where the top portion of his classmate's ice wall seemed to explode, revealing the Hero Killer leaping towards them once again, rapidly closing the distance. "You blocked your own field of vision against an opponent who's faster than you! Rookie mistake!"
"Come and get me, then! Ugh!"
Two daggers slammed into Todoroki's left arm, destroying his concentration and vaporizing his flames in an instant. "You're good, kid!" the murderer acknowledged. "Kinda remind me of that Phoenix guy!"
Todoroki stiffened with his right hand halfway to the knives. "Phoenix-?"
The Hero Killer was diving straight towards the fallen pro hero nearby, katana at the ready to kill him. Todoroki seemed dazed; he couldn't react in time, and he and Uraraka still couldn't move.
No, no, he's going to die!
"NO!"
"What the-?!"
Tenya didn't see it clearly, but he did see the sudden flare of bright pink light as Stain was wrenched off course, then his eyes widened in horror at the scream of pain that clawed at his ears, followed immediately by Todoroki's yell of, "Uraraka!" and the roar of flames that forced the Hero Killer to leap away again, this time behind Tenya so that he couldn't quite see what was going on.
"Uraraka, talk to me!" Todoroki cried, his normally deadpan voice gaining a quality almost like panic. "What's your condition?!"
"It… It's not as b-bad as it could be," she gasped back, although her voice was tight with pain, "but I… I can't st-top the bleeding like th-his."
Out of the corner of his eye, Tenya could see a little bit of what had happened and deduce most of the rest. Uraraka, lying face up on the ground, her legs twisted to the side from where Todoroki's ice had brought her, must have used this strange new Gravity Field of hers to yank the Hero Killer towards her instead of the pro hero. With him unable to change course and her unable to dodge, his katana had sliced straight through her hero costume and cut deeply into her left side. It was impossible to see the full extent of the damage, but by the amount of blood alone, it was significant.
"Ura-raka…" Tenya gasped, his voice breaking in multiple places at the horror of her self-sacrifice. "Why… Why did you…?"
Even at this angle, he could just make out her weak, wobbly smile. "B-Because… Because we're heroes, Iida-k-kun. Saving people… it's what we're sup-posed to do."
Tenya's breath hitched, his eyes widening. He could feel tears on his cheeks. "Uraraka…"
"Dammit," Stain growled softly somewhere behind them. "She shouldn't have been able to use her quirk. And anyway, I didn't want to strike her. She's the only true hero of the three of them."
"Then maybe you shouldn't have tried to murder someone when we were here to take a stand!" Todoroki snarled back. Tenya could still feel the alternating heat and cold of his attacks, his quirk working overtime to try to keep the Hero Killer back. He heard another cry of pain and Todoroki was suddenly thrown past him once again with that murderer crouched on his chest, preparing to lick Todoroki's blood from his arm.
I-I have to move! I have to stop this, I have to protect my friends-!
"Oof!"
Tenya stared, shocked, as the Hero Killer was suddenly thrown off of his classmate by an invisible force. It wasn't very far, barely a couple of meters, but it still happened. Confused and still in a state of panic, Tenya would have flinched if he wasn't still paralyzed as a dark figure rushed between him and Uraraka, leaping into the air and twisting his body so that his foot met Stain's face just as he was beginning to regain his feet, knocking him back even further. This time, the Hero Killer managed to retain his balance though, sliding backwards another few meters, but still clutching his katana in one hand. Tenya's eyes only widened as the black-clad figure seemed to literally launch himself forward, almost as though he were using some kind of springboard, not giving the Hero Killer any chance at regaining his bearings before he drove a punch into the murderer's stomach, sending him doubling over with a choked gasp. A strangled cry escaped Tenya's throat as he saw a glint of metal and knew that the Hero Killer must have tried to cut him, but, amazingly, the stranger seemed completely unphased by the attack, merely bracing his stance and thrusting his hand outward.
Stain's eyes seemed to widen as he was thrown backwards a good ten meters or more, tumbling and rolling across the asphalt and nearly losing his grip on his sword. Honestly, Tenya was surprised that he didn't cry out in pain; a blow powerful enough to do that couldn't have felt very good. Still, it seemed strange, considering that he hadn't struck the Hero Killer physically. The only possibility was if he had…
…a telekinesis quirk.
"Who…? Who are you?" Uraraka's voice gasped, weak and trembling.
"Are you a pro? Did Endeavor send you?" Todoroki's joined her, ragged with adrenaline as he shakily rolled onto his side and pushed himself to his feet.
So then, it would seem that Stain hadn't managed to get Todoroki's blood just then.
"No, I don't think so," the pro hero gasped nearby. "I… I don't recognize him."
"You again?!" the Hero Killer coughed as he pushed himself to his knees. "Why do you insist on getting in my way?!"
"No way," Tenya whispered, eyes widening as the newcomer glanced briefly towards them, moonlight glinting off of his darkly-tinted visor.
'It was a vigilante duo that saved me.'
"You're…"
'One of them was telekinetic.'
"You're him," Tenya breathed. "The vigilante that saved my brother."
"Wait, really?!" Todoroki spluttered at the same time as Uraraka.
'Phoenix and-'
"-Wraith."
"Watch out!"
The Hero Killer was charging at them again, leaping impossibly high into the air to come at them from above. In a flash, Wraith was moving too as he crouched down and was suddenly rising into the air to meet him.
His quirk is strong enough to levitate himself?! Tenya couldn't follow them with his eyes anymore; they were too high up, leaving Tenya to obsess over the fact that one of the men that had saved Tensei was right here in front of him!
'Just don't scold them too much for using their quirks without a license.'
Oh. He'd almost forgotten that what Wraith was doing was illegal. He was a vigilante, after all. He shouldn't be fighting a pro hero's battle.
But… then again, isn't that exactly what I just tried to do? No…
No, Wraith was different. Tenya had a vendetta. Wraith… just wanted to save people. Unbidden, the Hero Killer's words from earlier came back to him. 'I decided to let him live out of respect for the hero that fought to protect him.' He hadn't been referring to a pro hero, had he. He had meant Wraith. Wraith, who had saved Tensei's life. Wraith, who had just leaped into this battle with nothing to gain. Wraith, who was willing to break the law, not for vengeance, but to protect others.
'You forgot all about him.'
That was what the Hero Killer had said when Tenya realized there was someone else in the alley, and it was true. Shame flooded Tenya's veins. This vigilante was more of a hero than he had ever been. He didn't deserve this kindness. He didn't deserve their help. My friends and a total stranger are protecting me. They're bleeding for me. I can't… I can't possibly call myself a hero now. I was too focused on myself to help anyone else, too consumed with revenge to see what really mattered.
'I wanted to be the kind of guy that helped other people.' That's what Tensei had said once.
He was nothing like his brother.
"Todoroki," he whispered, and the two-toned boy's head snapped immediately towards him. "Take Uraraka and run. Please. I can't… I can't keep dragging you into this."
Todoroki's heterochromatic eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger. "When are you going to get it through your head that we're not leaving you behind?!" he snarled, turning back towards the fight to throw a blast of fire the Hero Killer's way. "You wanna be a hero, Iida? You wanna make your brother proud? Then stand up! Stand up, and become the hero he wanted you to be!"
Tenya's eyes widened.
'Become the hero he wanted you to be.'
His fingers curled into fists.
If I don't stand up right now, I'll never be able to stand alongside my friends!
"Wraith, on your right!"
I'll never be worthy of my brother's name!
"T-Todoroki-kun…!"
His legs gathered underneath him.
"He's too close-!"
"Recipro Burst!"
In seconds, Tenya had come between Wraith and the Hero Killer, who had been about to slash the former's arm. A single turbo-charged kick was all it took to shatter the katana, sending the man staggering away, red irises sharply contracted. In an instant, Wraith had leaped forward once again. Tenya heard himself involuntarily cry out as a flash of moonlight glinted off another of the Hero Killer's daggers, shattering a portion of Wraith's visor, but the vigilante didn't stop, his hand closing around Stain's throat.
The murderer suddenly seemed to choke, his eyes blowing wide as he collapsed backwards, Wraith still crouched on top of him. Tenya stared in shock as the man gasped, his jaw flapping like a landed fish, the rest of his body suspiciously still. "What… What did you…?" the man panted, something like panic in his eyes.
"What's happened to him?" Tenya asked the vigilante. "Is this… Is this part of your quirk?"
Wraith didn't answer. Come to think of it, he hadn't said a word this entire time. Instead, he casually drew the last of Stain's knives from its sheath, turning his grip on it so that the blade was facing upwards.
"What are you-?!"
Tenya flinched, cutting himself off at the meaty thud! that could be heard as Wraith brought the full impact of the knife's handle down between Stain's eyes. He paused, then brought the weapon down again for another strike. A moment later, the Hero Killer's jaw finally went slack and his eyes rolled back, leaving him unconscious. Tenya watched for a moment in amazement as Wraith then swiftly and efficiently began disarming the man, pulling knives from places that Tenya never would have thought to look, including one spot hidden up the murderer's sleeve. Then he pulled a set of extra-long, industrial zipties from a pocket in his jumpsuit and handed a few to Tenya, gesturing towards the Hero Killer's legs.
"Uh, right," the boy nodded, crouching down and, with trembling fingers, tightening one strand around the murderer's ankles, another above his knees, and another right below them. Similarly, Wraith bound the Hero Killer's wrists, elbows, and thumbs, then he grabbed the man by the collar, straightened up, and dragged him partway over toward Todoroki, Uraraka, and the pro hero, who was finally beginning to shift.
But something seemed very wrong.
"Uraraka! Uraraka, hey!"
"No," Tenya gasped, rushing past Wraith and falling to his knees at Todoroki's side. Uraraka's face was terribly pale, and a puddle of blood was steadily growing around her. Her breath was shallow and quick, and her entire left side was stained red. "No! Uraraka!"
"Oh God," the pro hero gasped, dragging himself upright and stumbling over to them. "I… I-I'll call a hospital! Do what you can to stop the bleeding in the meantime!"
Todoroki was in the process of trying to tear a strip of fabric from his new hero costume in order to apply pressure to the wound when Tenya felt a hand on his shoulder. When he flinched and glanced up, Wraith was there. He couldn't see the vigilante's face, even with the new crack in his helmet, but his intention was obvious by the pressure on the hero-in-training's arm. "Can… Can you help her?" Tenya asked anxiously as he shifted to make room. Still Wraith didn't speak. He simply knelt down at Uraraka's side and removed his utility belt-black, like the rest of his costume.
"Is… that a first aid kit?" the pro hero realized even as he reached for his communicator.
Wraith made a brief gesture with his hands. Tenya was no expert in Sign Language, but he'd spent enough time with Kouda to recognize the sign that roughly translated to 'sort of'. Deciding to trust him, he watched as the vigilante fumbled with his black gloves, removing them to reveal calloused hands, although they were quickly hidden again by medical gloves pulled out of a compartment on the ultra-compact medical kit. Tenya watched in wide-eyed amazement as Wraith went to work, swiftly and efficiently pinning back the slashed fabric of Uraraka's hero costume to see and examine the wound more effectively. He seemed to relax as he did so, so Tenya could only assume that the injury looked more severe than it actually was. After that, all he could do was wait while Wraith cleaned it and, removing a needle and thread from his kit, began to sew up the wound. Through it all, Uraraka hardly stirred, merely twitching every now and then as the needle passed in and out of her flesh and once groaning softly. When he'd finished, Todoroki lightly touched Wraith's arm and held out a small vial, removed from his belt.
"I don't know what you have available," he said quietly, "but this is a medicine made by professional support companies. It should help."
After a moment, Wraith nodded, accepting the gift. Removing one of his blood-stained gloves and using a clean alcohol wipe to sanitize his hands, he carefully unscrewed the lid and used his clean finger to smear the ointment over the sealed injury. Uraraka twitched in response to his touch, and, finally, her brown eyes flickered open.
"Uraraka!" Tenya cried with relief, sensing similar quiet sighs from Todoroki and the pro hero, who had stepped away to stand guard over Stain.
"I-Iida-kun?" the girl mumbled, her eyelids still fluttering weakly. "H-How… How long w-was I…?"
"Just a few minutes," Todoroki replied, sitting back on his heels. "Just lie still while Wraith finishes bandaging your wound."
"H-Huh?" Uraraka managed, blinking blearily towards the black-clad vigilante, then down at her injured side. "Oh… Th-Thank you."
Wraith nodded in acknowledgement, meanwhile pulling out a strip of gauze, cutting it to the right size and placing it over the injury, then grabbing medical tape and using it to hold the rough bandage in place. It wasn't much, but it would do to protect the stitches until the ambulance arrived.
"Oi, what's going on over here?!"
Or the pro heroes.
"G-Gran…" Uraraka gasped, trying to straighten up and moaning in pain as she did, slumping back again.
"Hey, take it easy," Todoroki reprimanded her quietly, but still helped their classmate straighten up as Wraith gathered his things and stepped out of the way.
"What th-?! I thought I told you to stay on the bullet train, you brat!" an old man dressed in a white and yellow hero costume griped, zipping over with what seemed to be some kind of speed or flight quirk as though he was about to kick the girl in the stomach-only to think better of it when he saw the bandage. "Geez kid, what the hell happened to you?"
"M'sorry…"
"It was my fault, sir," Tenya said quietly, glancing away from the old pro hero's stern gaze. "I got Uraraka involved."
"Not from the bullet train, you didn't."
"Who's this?" Todoroki frowned.
"G-Guys, this… this is Gran Torino," Uraraka smiled weakly. "H-He's the pro I'm… interning with."
"Don't strain yourself, brat. Seriously, what happened?" Gran Torino frowned, his residual anger obviously a mask for his concern as he knelt down in front of her. "You really ain't lookin' so good."
"That girl… was a true hero."
Tenya's head snapped up in surprise at the low groan. It seemed that the Hero Killer was regaining consciousness, even if he was trussed up too much to move. "Her… that fire kid… and Wraith… They're the only heroes here… that I will acknowledge."
Gran Torino's eyes widened. "Well now. If that's who I think it is, then I guess I'd better get the police on the line, shouldn't I? And who the hell is this Wraith character?"
"You just missed him."
Both Tenya and Gran Torino glanced back towards Todoroki in surprise. "He's a vigilante that came to our aid. But he left as soon as you arrived."
"Huh. Well, I guess that would make sense for a vigilante. Was he the one who patched up my brat, then?"
"Yeah. I don't know if we could've beaten the Hero Killer without him, honestly," Todoroki frowned. "Whatever quirk he had, it gave him the ability to both keep the Hero Killer at a distance and defend against his blades up close. Honestly, I kind of had the sense that we were just in his way."
"Well, whoever the hell he was, I owe him my thanks," Gran Torino grunted, reaching out to feel Uraraka's forehead. "You're starting to develop a fever now that you're not bleeding out, kid. Has anyone called an ambulance yet?"
"Yessir. They're on their way," the pro hero that had been watching over Stain nodded.
"Good. Then let's get to where they can find us, eh?"
As he was the least injured, the pro hero-Native, as he introduced himself-gently lifted Uraraka into a bridal carry, careful not to jostle her wound unduly. Tenya insisted on hauling the Hero Killer himself. Now that the battle was over, it was obvious that the wound to his shoulder was relatively superficial, all things considered. Todoroki's weren't nearly as bad as they could be either, but he had bled a lot and he was feeling somewhat lightheaded, so Gran Torino provided a hand of support to him.
"Around the corner! Hurry!"
Tenya looked up with no small amount of surprise as a posse of pro heroes suddenly rounded the bend, grim-faced and determined.
"Endeavor told us there was a request for help here-"
"Join the club."
"-but…"
"Children?"
"Those injuries look pretty bad. Has anyone called an ambulance?"
"Yeah, it's on its way."
"Holy-?!"
"Is that… the Hero Killer?!"
"I-I'll get the police on the line!"
Tenya stood in grim silence as the different pro heroes set about making themselves useful, keeping an eye on the bound and seething Hero Killer, performing first aid on him and Todoroki, and getting statements from the three hero students and Native.
"Whoever treated this did a really good job," one of the heroes murmured, resealing the bandage on Uraraka's side. The girl smiled weakly, but didn't say anything. She was leaning heavily on Todoroki, but she had insisted on standing, claiming that the injury hurt less when she was upright. Still, the bandage was slowly being stained crimson. Even though the Hero Killer would be taken into custody and he could hear the siren of the ambulance in the distance, Tenya could feel the guilt roiling in his stomach as he walked towards his classmates.
"Uraraka, Todoroki," he choked, then bowed deeply to them both. "I'm truly sorry. You were both hurt because of me, and I… I can't ever ask your forgiveness, but I… I was just so angry, I couldn't… I couldn't see anything else."
It should have been predictable really, the way that Uraraka gently touched his arm and the sad little smile that curled her mouth when he straightened up, with tears just like his own filling her eyes. She was a self-admitted sympathetic cryer, after all.
"I'm sorry too, Iida-kun. Because I… I let you go through so much on your own. E-Even though… I'm your friend."
"Hey, pull yourselves together," Todoroki grumbled, looking a little uncomfortable over the whole situation. "You're both on the class student committee."
"Heh. Yeah, I guess we have a reputation to uphold, huh?"
"Get down!"
It happened in an instant. One moment his classmate was almost laughing as she wiped away her tears with a gentle sort of relief in her eyes, and the next-
"Uraraka!" Tenya screamed in a panic as the monster that had her in its claws began to gain altitude once again.
"Oh no!"
"Kid!" the hero she had been interning with yelled, leaping skyward with his quirk.
Todoroki didn't cry out, but ice flew from his right side, forming a pillar to allow Gran Torino another platform to launch from. But the winged Nomu that had appeared was too fast. In seconds, it became obvious that Gran Torino wouldn't be able to catch it, and judging by the way a pink light flickered around his friend before it sputtered, Uraraka appeared too tired to use her new Gravity Field to weigh it down.
It's taking her away I have to save her there's nothing I can do-!
A black shadow flashed through the air.
Tenya's eyes widened and his breath caught in his chest as Wraith-it has to be him; there's no other explanation-leaped from the closest rooftop with an almost inhuman strength and barreled straight towards the beast and its captive. From this distance and angle, it was hard to see what happened next, especially since Tenya was still missing his glasses, but suddenly the Nomu uttered a harsh, choked screech and faltered, its wings seeming to crumple and Uraraka slipping from its grip, the final feeble flickers of pink light fading around her. Tenya rushed forward, prepared to catch his friend, injured shoulder or no.
But Wraith wasn't finished yet.
With absurd maneuverability, the vigilante seemed to twist and launch in midair, kicking off of the air itself in a way that looked vaguely similar to All Might's New Hampshire Smash. One way or another, it changed his trajectory enough for him to catch Uraraka around the waist, pulling her close to his chest and raising a hand in the direction of the building they were hurtling towards. Their speed was abruptly cut, slowing down their forward motion even as their fall picked up speed. A few meters from the ground, Wraith dropped his hand and their descent rapidly slowed, like one of those high-thrill carnival rides that dropped you from a great height. Just watching it made Tenya a little queasy-he'd never been much of one for heights-but at least it was enough that when they reached the ground, neither had sustained any broken bones.
But that didn't mean they had made it out unscathed.
"Kid!"
"Uraraka!"
With one radiator damaged, Tenya reached his friend just behind Gran Torino, who barely seemed to withhold the impulse to kick Wraith out of the way as he gently lowered Uraraka to the ground. Her helmet was splattered with a dark substance that made it difficult to tell what her facial expression might be, but her eyes were obviously squeezed shut and one of her hands was wrapped around her side, clutching her wound as she panted for breath.
"Dammit brat, can't you stay out of trouble for ten minutes!?"
"Is… Is she okay?" Tenya gasped, stumbling to them, only to flinch at the realization that the substance staining her helmet and turning her costume slick and dark was none other than blood.
"Ah hell, what'd that thing do to you, kid?!"
"M… M'o… kay," Uraraka's shaky voice gasped as Wraith carefully drew her hand away from her wounded side to check the injury again.
"You're covered in blood, kid," the pro hero snapped, an edge of panic in his voice.
"It's… I-It's not-"
"What are you all standing around for?! That thing must have come this way, didn't it?!"
Tenya's head snapped up in surprise at the commanding voice, his eyes immediately drawn towards the massively built figure with flames rolling off of his body.
"E-Endeavor…" someone gasped, sounding queasy.
"Shouto, why the hell did you run off like that?!"
"Maybe if you actually took a moment to look around, you could answer that for yourself."
Todoroki's voice sounded abnormally tight, too. Confused, Tenya followed his friend's gaze, hearing Gran Torino's violent curse as he did, and suddenly he understood why one of the younger pro heroes that had come to help them was unloading the contents of his stomach into the gutter. When the smell hit, Tenya found himself joining the man.
The Nomu had been torn in half by Wraith's telekinesis quirk. It now lay in the middle of a rapidly-expanding lake of blood and viscera nearby, where it had been carried by the momentum of its attempted escape. That meant all of the blood coating Uraraka's costume, which Wraith was carefully cleaning away from her wound and its torn stitches to avoid contamination, had actually been the Nomu's.
"Well now. I wasn't expecting this, but I won't deny that I'm impressed. Which one of you was it that took the beast down?" Endeavor asked.
"You honestly think that any of these fakes could have defeated that creature so easily?" a dark voice cackled.
"What the hell are you-! Wait, aren't you-?"
"This society is overgrown with fake heroes like you and petty criminals that idly wave their power around! They should all be purged, and make way for true heroes like him!" Stain snarled, somehow managing to push himself up to his knees despite his bindings.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Endeavor snarled even as he took a half-step back, intimidated by the waves of bloodlust coming off of the villain. Actually, everyone seemed to be impacted by the force of his resolve. If Tenya hadn't already been on his knees with Ochaco, he might have been inclined to back away, too. The only person that seemed decidedly unaffected by the murderer's tirade was Wraith, who quietly rose to his feet and creeped towards the nearest alley.
"Everything I've done is to create a more just society! We will reclaim the word 'hero' and bring about a stronger world!"
"So you have a partner, do you?" Endeavor growled. "I presume it's whoever took down the monster."
Wait…
"So then, is it that person trying to sneak away over there!?" the number two hero raised a blazing hand, his eyes fixated on a point just a couple meters away.
Tenya realized what was about to happen at the same moment Gran Torino did.
"Wait, Todoroki!" the old pro shouted, snapping to his feet.
"Hold on-!"
"Stop-!"
The flames flew towards Wraith in a rush, the heat potent enough to send Tenya cringing back, leaning protectively over Uraraka, who had finally passed out from the pain. The speedster heard inarticulate cries of panic or alarm, most of the variety that Endeavor was going too far or that he was going to hurt someone, and he could distinctly hear Todoroki's shout of, "What the hell are you doing, you bastard?!"
That was when something in the air seemed to shift.
"What in the world?!" Gran Torino gaped in amazement, drawing Tenya's eyes back to the fight.
Endeavor's Hellfire almost seemed to be fighting itself, the flames that had rushed to consume Wraith somehow seeming to fold in on themselves before they swept back towards their creator. Tenya saw the momentary flash of panic in Endeavor's eyes before his own quirk struck him, surrounding him in a maelstrom of fire while the pro heroes around him yelled incomprehensibly in their panic and the Hero Killer laughed in manic delight.
"False heroes such as you will all be purged! Only those as worthy as All Might shall remain!" he howled.
An instant later, the flames vanished, revealing Endeavor on hands and knees, gasping for breath, one hand on his throat, and Wraith standing unharmed at the mouth of the closest alley, one hand extended towards the flame-user.
For a long moment, the world seemed frozen in time.
Then Wraith spun around and raced into the alleyway, rapidly disappearing from view, and the spell broke.
"Hey! Hold it right there!" one of the pros yelled, and he and another of them chased after him before the other heroes could call them back.
Tenya could only stare after them, as well as the vigilante that had just brought the number two hero in the nation to his knees in a matter of seconds.
Wraith… Just how powerful are you?
Outtake:
The sound of her footsteps slapped against the plain cement floor. Everything was white; she had no idea what the difference was between one corner and another. She heard voices shouting and her heart leaped in fear.
She was in trouble-she was in so much trouble-but this was her chance to get away, maybe her only chance for the pain to stop.
Stairs. There were stairs; stairs meant the way out, right? She dashed up them, tripping once or twice in her rush, but she made it to the top before they found her and stumbled through a fake wall into a bright corridor lined with wood instead of white blocks.
The little girl squeaked in fear at the sound of his voice echoing up the stairs. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but he sounded cold and angry and getting closer and closer. She didn't know the way out, so she just chose a direction and started running, her short white dress fluttering behind her as her feet pounded against the floor.
"Dammit Mido; you promised me you'd look after-!"
"Oof!"
The girl squeaked in surprise as she ran smack into a pair of legs and tumbled backwards, her long off-white hair falling in her face as she stared at torn black pants, trembling from head to toe, her breathing ragged with fear.
"Whoa, hey, you okay?"
The girl flinched harshly as the man reached towards her, crimson eyes clenched shut as she waited for him to grab her and drag her back to her room.
But he didn't. He didn't even… touch her…
Confused, the girl blinked owlishly up at a man with shaggy black hair and a big red scar, gazing at her with bright blue eyes (had she ever seen a blue that bright before?) as he knelt in front of her, his hands resting in his lap. They were nothing like his hands, covered in white gloves and perfectly smooth. No, this man's hands were rough and covered in big red scars, just like his face. She found herself staring at them in fascination, her fingers subconsciously trailing along the ridges of her own bandages.
"Don't be afraid," the man murmured. "I won't hurt you."
Even their voices were different. When he spoke softly like that, there was always a darkness in his voice. This man sounded… warm.
"Hey, wanna see something cool?" he asked, a small smile at the edge of his mouth.
Slowly, the girl nodded, curiosity piqued in spite of herself. Smile widening, the man lifted his hand and quickly rubbed the ends of his fingers together. The girl gasped in surprise as bright blue stars flew from his fingertips, flying through the air and floating towards the ceiling. Before she realized what she was doing, the girl had reached towards them, her eyes wide in wonder.
"There you are!"
The child flinched at the sharp voice, instinctively hiding in the safest place she could think of at the moment-which just so happened to be in the lap of the man that could make stars with his hands. She felt him stiffen and so did she, suddenly terrified that she had crossed a line and was about to be punished. But instead, the man wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and lifting her into the air.
He feels so warm…
"Lose something?" the man holding her asked in a low voice. It was different from the voice he'd used with her. Colder. Darker. But somehow, she sensed that it wasn't directed at her.
"…Thank you, for catching my daughter, Dabi."
"Does this mean I've won your game of tag?"
"Watch that lip, boy," that man said warningly, a hint of a hiss in his voice causing the girl to shiver and cling a little tighter to her protector.
"That's a little patronizing; pretty sure we're the same age. But yeah, whatever chief. Well anyway, it seems your kid's all tuckered out from playtime. Want me to carry her to bed for you?"
"…Fine. She'll need a new caretaker anyway, seeing how the last one was so careless as to lose track of her."
The child didn't dare speak as she felt the man holding her beginning to walk forward, following him back down those stairs and through the maze of hallways. Her heart sank when they reached her room, knowing that whatever chance she'd had to run away had been long lost, but leaped a little bit as she listened to the two men's conversation.
"I need you to become the kind of person she'll trust, understood? On days when I need her you'll be off the hook, but otherwise I expect you to be at her beck and call."
"So I'm to be the kid's nanny."
"Is that a problem?"
"…No."
"Good. The girl is important to our goals, I assure you."
"If you say so, bossman. Guess that means I'm getting the kid to bed," the warm man sighed, carrying her to the too-large bed.
"Be here by seven tomorrow. And every day after unless told otherwise."
"Yeah yeah, I get it."
The child heard the door close and cautiously opened her eyes. It was just her and the warm man now, as he sat down at the edge of the bed and shifted his grip on her so that she couldn't quite hide her face anymore.
"Hey kid, none of that now," the warm man murmured, gently reaching up to swipe a thumb under her eyes and wipe away the tears threatening to fall. "Hey, can you look at me for a second?" Slowly, the girl lifted her head, meeting his bright blue eyes with her bright red ones. "You don't be afraid with me, okay? I won't ever hurt you. I promise."
The girl had heard that word before: 'promise'.
I promise I'll get you a new toy.
I promise this is the last time.
I promise it won't hurt.
More often than not, 'promise' didn't mean much. It was just an empty way to try to get her to stop crying for a little while. Still, she wanted… She wanted to think it was real this time. She wasn't sure why. Maybe… it had something to do with this new feeling in her chest? It felt… heavy, but also light, and scary but also… happy? Whatever it was, it made her nod slowly, and when the man smiled at her, she felt like a little bit of his warmth had entered her chest.
"You can call me Dabi. What's your name, kid?"
"E… Eri."
So. A sneak peek into what's been keeping Dabi busy for the last month or two and a bit more action from Wraith. :) What do y'all think?
Anyway, forgive me y'all; I wanted Ochaco to jump back into the fight, but she's blood type B. That means Bloodcurdle remains effective against her for a full eight minutes instead of Izuku's or Shouto's approximate two minutes or Iida's four. Still, I hope I was able to give her enough of a role in the fight anyway, and I hope I wasn't out of line with my headcanon that One for All is able to activate through Bloodcurdle, even if the user still can't move.
So why a 3% Gravity Field instead of 5%? Well, as mentioned in the Q&A, Uraraka doesn't have quite the muscle mass that Izuku would have at this point, so she can't use as much of One for All. As to why I specifically chose 3%, according to canon, at the start of the series, Uraraka is able to lift a maximum weight of about three tons. That limit is eventually lifted to five tons at the point the story is currently at. Since, according to my headcanon, One for All automatically boosts her natural quirk, I'm saying that Zero Gravity's current limit is, in fact, five tons. As it so happens, 5% of three tons is the same as 3% of five tons (300 pounds), so that was the percentage I went with. So basically at this point, Ochaco's Gravity Field can lift and pull in 300 pounds of weight at a decreasing rate for about a meter (3ish feet) in all directions from her person, although that volume/shape can be manipulated, (hence why she was able to 'grab' and drag Stain off course and not affect Todoroki, although she doesn't have a lot of practice with that ability yet; also she probably flared up to 5% in her panic, which would have given the field 500 pounds of force, potentially fractured some bones, and severely exhausted her in the process). So yeah, the gravity field is not strong enough to rip apart a building (yet), but it can definitely lift and haul around a grown man or two. :) Furthermore, that weight limit will continue to increase, so even while still using 3%, she will eventually be able to haul around more weight. There is also still the strength enhancement side of things that Izuku had, although she's not able to use it to the same extent, and she will have increased control over her own gravitational pull. Other abilities and applications will be revealed as we go along (and as I come up with them; feel free to send ideas! :) ).
And finally, an explanation for the early update. Guys I hate to do this to you, but school just started last week and I am not going to be able to keep up with this update schedule and I would rather be consistent than be forced to go on hiatus because I burned through my buffer, so we're going down to a chapter every two weeks. :( Please forgive me, but I'm taking 18 credits AND working this semester and I just don't have as much time to write! That being said, if I'm gonna be posting on a consistent day of the week, I'd rather it be a Monday than a Tuesday, so we're starting that now rather than later.
Anyway, next time we get a sassy doctor who's too old to care what anybody thinks! :) We'll see you guys September 21st! Until then, go beyond! PLUS ULTRA!