A wave of ice sent Stain flying into the back of the alley. Despite the force he was hit with, Stain recovered quickly, dashing towards Todoroki. Another ice wall formed to deflect the blow, however this time Stain made no move to back away. "Leave now, this is no place for children."

Todoroki gave no response, instead, he released a burst of fire towards the serial killer. Stain moved to the side, just barely missing a follow up strike with a thrown knife. "Todoroki! Get out of here! This is my fight!"

"You're already injured and you're paralysed, I'd be leaving you to die if I ran." Todoroki was forced to propel himself away as the hero killer made a rush toward him.

"A noble goal. I wouldn't hesitate to call you a true hero if it weren't for the fakes you're trying to protect." Todoroki knew he couldn't do much to Stain by himself, but if he could delay him until someone got his SOS...

"What makes you think they're fakes?"

"That friend of yours rushed here to try and kill me, he didn't even cons-" Stain was cut off as a small object flew into his shoulder, causing him to stagger back. The man was forced to back away more as a bolt of lightning hit were he was previously standing. Izuku, clutching his pistol, and Nighteye, wielding two of his high-density seals, dropped into the alley.

"Todoroki! Are you alright?"

"Unharmed, Midoriya. However Ilda has shallow cuts across his body and the other hero has passed out from the blood loss."

"More fakes. Get out of my way." Stain rushed again, but was interrupted by Nighteye meeting him. Despite the hero killer's extreme prowess in close quarters, the moment Nighteye laid a hand on him, the fight was over. Mirai shoved Stain into an oncoming burst of fire, followed swiftly by a bullet to the killer's shoulder. Several high-density seals hit the man's stomach, sending him back to the other end of the alley.

"Dammit. You fakes, you don't have the right to defeat me. Only All Might will ever be allowed to take me down. I'll show you..." His hand drifted up to his mask, tugging slightly on the cloth. "I'll show you fools my true conviction!" Heavy wind began to blow through the alley, sparks of blue flame beginning to appear around Stain.

"Midoriya, is that what I think it is?" Nighteye questioned.

"I-it is but... it shouldn't be possible. He couldn't have met his shadow a-and there's no Metaverse to awaken in either. "Unless..."

"Finally, your reality and the sea of hearts from which I came have truly become one in this moment."

Of course, if Maruki could awaken his Persona that day... The fire around Stain grew, until the hero killer ripped his mask from his face. "Grant me the power to destroy these fakes! Come... SHERIDAN!"

The figure that appeared above Stain was dressed in 19th century expensive clothing. A long brown coat rested over a slightly darker suit beneath. Turquoise doctor's gloves were worn on his hands, though most of their colour was concealed by the dry blood coating them. A black top hat covered the figure's black hair, drawing attention to the face below. The man possessed no facial features, instead his face was smooth and bone white, like a skull with no holes.

Two large knives appeared in the persona's hands, the only warning given before it charged forward. "Neko Shogun, Psio!" The blast of psychic energy only briefly halted the persona's rush, but it was long enough for Todoroki to incase it in ice.

"Midoriya!" Nighteye's warning caused Izuku to spin around, Stain had snuck around them in the chaos and now his katana was flying towards Izuku's throat.

"Dammit! He isn't ready for the strain!"

"It doesn't matter, he'll die otherwise!" Two voices came from... somewhere, before the sword stopped in midair. No, something was holding it. A black tendril had appeared from Izuku's hand, extending up to catch Stain's weapon. A moment of silence passed, before the tendril exploded into several more, all of which rushed towards Stain.

At the same time, the ice prison around Sheridan shattered, allowing the Persona to rush forward again. This time however, its interruption came from behind. Ilda's leg slammed into his back, forcing the Persona into the ground. Shoto shot forward with his ice, hoping Nighteye could solve whatever was happening with Midoriya.

From the opposite end of the alley, the hero killer's mad shouts about conviction continued, despite the numerous whips that restrained him. From Mirai's perspective however, Stain wasn't the real threat at the moment. The other strands of black energy lashed out throughout the alley. Fragments of brick flew in every direction as large gashes were painted into the walls, swiftly followed by any and all debris in the tendrils' path.

"Alright, listen up kid. That power is blackwhip, its strong, too strong for you right now. Its powered by your emotions, you gotten control that panic." Izuku wasn't sure where the voice came from, but something in the back of his mind told him he could trust it. He took a depth breath, he had to reign in his emotions... alright what made him feel calm...

His time at Shujin was calm in some sense, though even more chaotic in others. One particular thing, or rather person there came to mind: "You've told me a lot of objective facts about this boy, but... may I ask, what do you really think about this Bakugou?"

Ilda was forced to retreat again as the hero killer's new power threw a barrage of knives toward the boy. The same pattern had been repeating for the last few minutes, but while Ilda and Todoroki grew tired, Sheridan showed no sign of exhaustion.

"Principality, Makouga!" A blinding light filled Ilda's vision, when it faded, his opponent was imbedded into the opposite wall. Unlike the rest of their attacks, this one had been far more effective against the enemy. Glancing down the alley, he saw Stain tied to a dumpster, just leaving this creature bearing a striking resemblance to Midoriya's own power.

Before Sheridan could recover, a torrent of flame shot towards it, though this one did not originate from Todoroki. When the fire eventually faded, the villain was gone, revealing Endeavour with his fist placed where the monster's head had been.

Author's notes:

I'd toyed with the idea of giving other characters personas, however if I figured anyone in the show would fit the quite vague criteria, then it was Stain. From my point of view every type of awakening (from three onward) has something to do with accepting something about yourself and Stain's conviction is kinda similar to that.

I'll reveal who his persona comes from next chapter, but if you want to guess, I'll say this. He's a historical figure that comes from the same country as me.