"What are we doing today, BBBFF?" Twilight asked as it was now the second day of training for her and Izuku.
"We're gonna get ready for your first real taste of patrols." Shining Armor explained. "Get suited up and join me and Cadence."
After Izuku and Twilight put on their costumes, they followed Shining and Cadence to the train station, where they ran into Gran Torino and Starswirl with Ghidorah and Tony.
"Oh, hey guys! Didn't know that you were interning in the same area!" Ghidorah chuckled.
"Hey, Sorahiko-Sensei. Long time no see." Cadence smiled.
"How's the married life treatin' ya, kid?" Gran Torino asked.
"The babies coming along well. Doctors say she'll be due in the next few months."
"So, Torino told us that we're heading to Hosu. Don't know why we're going all the way there for simple patrols." Tony said.
"Several heroes with Defense-type Quirks are trying to track down the Hero Killer to put a stop to him," Starswirl explained. "After all, Stain's victims were always found lying in their blood with severe cuts and stabs over most of their body."
"The Hero Killer?" Izuku asked in surprise. "Isn't that a little too dangerous?"
"Especially since, from what we can decipher, he uses cutting weapons," Twilight said. "Has anyone ever seen him in person?"
"Only those victims of his that he leaves alive," Starswirl said. "And even they only saw him hiding in the shadows. He's claimed forty-one victims, though only seventeen have been killed by his hand, all of them Pro Heroes. Many of us want justice for the families of those heroes."
"I think Fluttershy told me what Iida told her." Twilight realized. "When he was crippled, Ingenium overheard Stain muttering about how those who only seek fame or money aren't real heroes.
"It may not be entirely altruistic but fame is important if you want people to believe in you and find hope when they see you fighting crime, and of course, you need money to support yourself and your family. So if you can do that and still protect others, why wouldn't you?" Cadence pointed out.
"Yeah, a lot of pros these days are only interested in fame or money, but that doesn't mean they don't take their job seriously." Gran Torino said with a shake of his head. "Stain probably doesn't see it that way, but considering that those who survive his attacks have found him to be... Unhinged... That shouldn't be too surprising."
Izuku frowned as everyone boarded the train to Hosu. He hoped that he wouldn't have to confront the Hero Killer himself, especially since Cadence was with them and pregnant with her child.
Meanwhile, in the League of Villains' hideout, Stain was speaking with Tomura and the others.
"So you want me to be a part of your crumbling little league, but let me tell you something... You won't accomplish anything without conviction."
"What's wrong with chaos and anarchy as a conviction?" Tomura pointed out. "After all, most villains are like dogs chasing cars, we don't know what we're gonna do when we catch them. But maybe...just the sheer thrill of the chase is what matters most, you know?"
"After all, what greater thrill is a villain challenging the ideals of a hero?" Sombra said in agreement.
Stain scoffed. "The word 'Hero' has lost all meaning in this society. The world is overrun by fakes, and criminals like you who chase petty dreams."
Tomura narrowed his eyes and before Stain could react, he found one of his blades snapped in half by the strength of his black crystal claws.
"And what does that make you, then?"
"He has a point. You shouldn't go off comparing us to the petty show-boaters." Chrysalis said. "You're nothing but a naive fool playing at social reform."
This caused Stain to back down as he sheathed his broken blade.
"It seems I was wrong. You do have conviction, warped as it is." He turned to Chrysalis. "Make sure to mold that conviction properly. If he's intent on being a villain, he should be one that people will respect as much as fear."
"Hey, what about me?" Cozy Glow protested.
"You are a child, still," Tirek said, rubbing her head. "You'll find your conviction in due time."
"We're heading into Hosu?" Tenya and Terumi asked in surprise.
"Stain's recent attacks have been causing outrage among the community," Swift Sculpt explained. "Several heroes are converging on Hosu to track him down, myself included. Mostly those whose Quirks render them invulnerable to blades and such."
Tenya understood the logic but he still couldn't help but feel nervous. Terumi placed his giant clawed hand on his classmate's shoulder and gave him a nod.
"I'm right beside ya."
Before making their way to the train station, the three stopped by the memorial made for Tensei. Even though not all of Stain's victims died, most wound up retiring due to critical injuries that rendered their Quirks or bodies unreliable, causing people to mourn the loss of a hero regardless.
"You gonna be okay?" Swift asked.
"Just contemplating the burden I accepted," Tenya said. "My brother entrusted me with his legacy, and I hope to live up to that."
"Well, it's a good thing you're with Swift and me now." Terumi chuckled. "It's no good to pursue only vengeance. Otherwise, what do you have left afterward?"
"The sun's gonna be setting soon, boys," Swift said. "Given Stain's normal stalking habits, we might be able to spot him tonight."
After Kurogiri had warped Stain back to the water tower in Hosu, Tomura had decided to tag along.
"Why did you follow me?"
"I'm just curious as to how you think you can reform society by killing a few heroes. Regardless of how you see them, the people see them as an elite police force protecting them and saving them. Your actions are merely like..." Tomura rubbed his chin for a bit before snapping his clawed fingers. "Oh yeah, that one discussion from Assassin's Creed."
Stain looked at Tomura, silently asking him to elaborate. Seeing this, the young villain decided to explain.
"The heroes you've killed and/or maimed have families, families who don't see them as being fake for just trying to help people, even if it's for a paycheck. You're cutting out the tumors, but you're not treating the source. And some of the heroes you've killed may not even be as fake as you perceive."
Tomura then shrugged as he turned and made his way back to the portal leading to the League's hideout.
"But hey, you can stick to whatever childish delusions you want. As for me, I have my own message to send to this rotten society."
Stain scoffed, then leaped off the water tower while drawing his blade. Chrysalis smirked as she walked out of the Warp Gate and turned to Tomura.
"He's going to have his ambition crushed tonight."
"No doubt about that. Heard on the news that lots of Pros are converging on Hosu." Tomura nodded. "And they have Quirks that make them the perfect foils to the so-called Hero Killer. But why make things boring...tell the Doc to send out some Nomu to liven things up."
While boarding the train to Hosu, Izuku got a text message from Tenya.
"Guess Iida and Hairoiiwa are in Hosu as well," Izuku said as Twilight, Ghidorah, and Tony perked up.
"Guess Swift Sculpt is teaching them. Then again, he's also there to help corner Stain." Shining noted.
Suddenly, a massive explosion was heard. Everyone gasped in shock before looking out the train windows to see a building nearby on fire.
"Something tells me that's not Stain's doing!" Cadence said worriedly.
Suddenly, a Pro Hero crashed through the train, tearing a large hole in it as a lanky pale blue-skinned creature pounced on him. Izuku, Twilight, Ghidorah, and Tony's eyes widened when they recognized what it was.
"No way...a Nomu like the one at the USJ!"
"You know these monsters?" Shining asked as he formed a pair of shields and bashed the Nomu off the hero it was attacking.
"Yeah, didn't you read the news about what happened?" Tony asked as he football tackled the beast out of the train, hardening his body to crush the Nomu underneath him and also cushion his fall.
"I'll stay here and watch over the civilians!" Cadence said as Shining nodded before forming a shield that he rode like a surfboard, kissing his wife on the lips before flying out.
"Wait for us!" Gran Torino shouted as he zipped off after Shining with his Quirk. Izuku nodded to his friends as they all followed after them. Starswirl sighed and waved his fingers in a circle, creating a portal to the Hosu Town Square as he turned to Cadence.
"Be safe."
Cadence nodded. "You too."
Things were already chaos down in Hosu. Tenya and Terumi now acting on hero duty under Swift Sculpt's permission, took out the familiar creature together.
"I thought there was only one Nomu! Now the whole city's full of them?" Tenya exclaimed as he used the exhaust from his engines to blind the Nomu, which looked similar to the one at the USJ except it was a paler black and had no face save for a lower jaw.
"Good thing we decided to take on this one!" Terumi said as he used his uncanny strength to lift the beast and slam it into the ground. "Since it doesn't have eyes, it'd be hell for Swift Sculpt's Quirk!"
Suddenly, a loud scream was heard by the two, followed by the sound of blood splattering.
"Both of you go!" Swift Sculpt ordered the two. "I'll catch up!"
Tenya nodded as he and Terumi rushed to the source of the scream. They arrived just n time to see Stain attacking another hero, Native. Native seemed to be completely paralyzed, and not just because Stain was holding him by his head. A stab wound was clearly visible on Native's shoulder.
"Get away from him!"
The Hero Killer had just enough time to process the voice coming his way before Tenya slammed into him hard enough to loosen his grip. This gave Terumi the opportunity to pull Native to safety.
Stain made some distance between himself and his assailant, narrowing his eyes in slight recognition before it changed to realization.
"For a second I thought I was facing down my last target again. But you're slightly different. Your engines are in your legs. So who are you?"
"I am the Gearshift Hero: Reciprium!" Tenya angrily said. "I am the successor of the Turbo Hero: Ingenium, my older brother and the man you most recently hospitalized!"
"And I'm Vigorshy!" Terumi added, making sure Native wasn't too injured before joining Tenya. "You won't be able to cut me! My skin is too tough for whatever blades you have in hand!"
"I can see the determination in your eyes," Stain said. "By your tone, you wish to seek justice for Ingenium's fate, don't you?"
"Yes, he was a truly exemplary hero who saved countless lives and cared for others, even villains! He even went out of his way to help a villain change his life for the better! And you assaulted him without mercy or warning, crippling him!" Tenya angrily said. "I swear that we will not allow you to subject anyone else to that fate!"
"Your brother was indeed a noble hero, one of the few not blinded by pride and greed. But he still came after me, and my work isn't finished. I had no choice but to remove him, but I could not kill him. Doing so would remove one of the few heroes who truly wish to help others."
"Bullshit!" Terumi snarled. "Many of the heroes you've butchered have also gone out of their way to help others! They could have saved countless more if you hadn't come along!"
"My brother had to give up hero work because your attack destroyed his legs. He's paralyzed and will never be able to help another person again because of your mad crusade!" Tenya growled.
The two young heroes' words rattled Stain, his eyes widening in shock and disbelief.
"That can't be. I left him in such a way that someone should have found him in time..." His shock quickly gave way to rage as he bared his teeth in a furious snarl. "No... No! I won't accept this! My cause is just! I'm trying to purge this world of false heroes!"
He lunged with primal fury at Tenya, who quickly got on guard as Terumi dashed in to protect him. Thankfully, Swift Sculpt arrived just in time to help, blocking the blades with his rebar-like fingers.
"I came here just in time to hear my intern's words and you can't deny them, Hero Killer! We're not called heroes because we're some comic book fantasy brought to life. At the end of the day, we're just another rescue service!"
"That's right!" Tenya spoke up. "We're more than just a fantasy! We are HUMAN! My brother was a wonderful caring person who everyone looked up to. And all the heroes you've hurt, or even killed, have families and loved ones as well."
"SHUT UP!" Stain roared as he thrust his sword into Tenya's shoulder.
"Iida!" Terumi cried in alarm.
Tenya grunted in pain as the blade drew blood but he refused to show fear, gritting his teeth through the pain.
"It hurts to face reality, doesn't it?!" Tenya growled out. "I have no idea what kind of story you had, and perhaps you had good intentions at one point. There are some heroes out there who only do this for fame or money. But it's not as black and white as you think. And whatever it takes... I won't let you claim another hero!"
Stain was breathing heavily in fury as he withdrew his blade, his eyes manic and bloodshot before he visibly relaxed slightly.
"As outrageous as your words are... I cannot bring myself to kill you." He then licked the blood off his blade, much to everyone present's disgust. "But I can't have you stopping me either."
Tenya suddenly went stiff and collapsed to his knees, struggling to regain control of his body.
"Iida! What happened?!" Swift Sculpt asked in alarm.
"I...I can't move...!"
Stain then turned to Swift and Terumi. "You two are going to be the real problems here. Considering your skin is nigh-unbreakable, it will be impossible to make you bleed. And I know your Quirk, it's no doubt locked onto me so I need to keep my eyes on you. It's only practical, after all."
"You forgot I have a Quirk as well!" Terumi pointed out. "My [Personal Radar] means I know wherever you'll try to hide if you make an escape attempt. You've seen my face, so you're screwed either way!"
"Besides...we're not the ones you should be worried about." Swift Sculpt added.
This confused Stain until he heard the sound of electricity crackling. And it was drawing closer. The next thing he knew, he was sent flying with a hard right to his cheek.
"Looks like we got here just in time!" Tony said as he jumped into view along with Twilight, Izuku, and Ghidorah. It had been Izuku who had come in and punched Stain.
"Midoriya! Twilight! Panelle! Ghidorah!" Tenya cried in relief.
"There's no need to worry... we're here now!"
How did Izuku's group make it to Stain? Find out in the next chapter as we also conclude the confrontation. Against a large group of young hero hopefuls with powerful Quirks, the Hero Killer isn't gonna stand a chance!
Also, I'm gonna do Bios now at the end of each chapter for certain characters! Give some insight into them and their skills.
[Lydia 'Twilight Sparkle' Yugure]
Hero Name: The Archmage Hero: Alicornia
Quirk: Alicorn
Quirk Description: Twilight can harness latent magical energy to perform all sorts of charms, jinxes, enchantments, conjurations, hexes, and incantations. She also can grow a pair of beautiful feathered wings that grant her supersonic flight and protection.
[Izuku Midoriya]
Hero Name: The Guardian Hero: Spike
Quirk: One For All (Formerly Quirkless)
Quirk Description: Originally part of the 20% of Earth's population with no superpowers of his own, Izuku earned the attention of All-Might himself and inherited his Quirk, which was passed down through the generations. This greatly increases Izuku's physical capabilities to herculean levels and he is also able to tap into the Quirks used by the previous users of One For All.
[Taiyo 'Celestia' Amaterasu]
Hero Name: The Solar Hero: Celestia
Quirk: Solar Angel
Quirk Description: Celestia can harness magical solar energy for a variety of effects, such as manipulating fire and light as well as creating barriers, healing wounds, curing sicknesses, and more. She also gains a pair of angel-like wings that grant her flight.
[Tirek Shigaraki]
Villain Name: Lord Tirek
Quirk: Mana Absorption
Quirk Description: Tirek is able to absorb the mana of others, allowing him to temporarily weaken them or even kill them if he manages to completely drain them and increase his formidable power substantially. He is also able to permanently copy the Quirks of those whose mana he's absorbed. His Quirk has also given him the physiology of a Centaur.