Stain pointed to a young boy playing in the distance. "That child. Your task is to save them. A simple choice, no?"
Izuku's heart raced, his eyes widening. "Save them from what?"
Stain's gaze was unwavering. "From me."
Before Izuku could react, Stain's hand drew a gleaming sword from beneath his cloak. The blade sailed through the air, straight toward the unsuspecting child.
Time seemed to slow as Izuku's mind froze. The child's laughter echoed in his ears, a stark contrast to the impending danger. His hand twitched, his instincts urging him to move, to shout, to run, to act!
But fear held him in place, an invisible weight that chained him to the spot. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat a reminder of his hesitation. The blade drew closer, inching toward its target.
'What should I do? What should I do?' In that moment, as the world seemed to hang in limbo, Izuku's mind reached out for the most useful piece of light.
WHOOSH!
Izuku was squeezed through a tube as the world turned into a kaleidoscope of colours. And then, in a blur of motion, it was over. The blade sank deep into Izuku's left shoulder and he gave a cry of pain. Izuku stood, his breath ragged, his heart a tumultuous storm. Stain regarded him with an intensity that seemed to penetrate his very soul.
"Well done, Midoriya." Stain chuckled as he looked at the kid standing beside him. Izuku had grabbed a teleportation swap power. He had swapped the kid with himself and took the sword to the shoulder instead of the boy. "Your hesitation... it could have cost a life. But you moved," Stain mused. "But that may be all for naught. You've brought my prey closer to me. Bad choice Midoriya. A real hero would never do that."
WHOOSH!
Izuku swapped himself with the kid again. "I can't... I can't let fear dictate my choices. I won't let you have the kid!" He pulled the sword out of his shoulder with a grunt of pain, his blood splashing on the ground.
Stain's lips curled into a sinister smile. "Perhaps there is hope for you yet, young one." In a flash, Stain dashed towards the kid and in desperation, Izuku swapped with the kid.
"Game over." Stain stood pointing his blade at the kid's neck. "You failed." The move was a feint forcing Izuku to bring the kid closer to Stain again.
"No!" Izuku stretched his hand to the cowering kid who burst into tears. "Don't do this!"
"I had no intention of killing this kid," Stain lifted his blade from the kid's neck. "Run along, kid. Today is your lucky day." Glancing around the deserted park, Stain turned back to Izuku. "You on the other hand are a stain to society. I cannot in good conscience allow a hero such as you to live. Heroes who are willing to put the people in danger are not worthy."
Stain lunged forward, his blade glowing an ethereal orange from the light of the setting sun. Izuku's heart raced as he activated his quirk swapping places with Stain. Stain's blade sliced through the empty air, narrowly missing his target as he stumbled from the change in position..
Izuku backed away, his mind racing as he tried to anticipate Stain's next move. His copied quirk allows him to swap places with people only. It doesn't work on objects or animals, only humans.
"Hmmmn." Stain growled. "Nice, shiny new quirk you've got there but can you adapt to it?"
Izuku's brain was racing trying to find a quirk better suited to direct combat but the only quirk in his range was Stains quirk. A blood red light reeking of paralysis.
With a swift spin, Stain attacked again, forcing Izuku to swap places with him but he quickly spun, his blade catching the pen in Izuku's hand cutting it into two.
Stain's lips curved into a twisted smile. "Impressive. But can you keep up?"
Izuku's heart pounded, and he lunged at Stain, vanishing mid-motion to swap with Stain again. Stain's blade sliced through the air, missing its mark by a hair's breadth. But Stain was not one to be outmaneuvered. He pivoted, his blade colliding with the bench in a shower of splinters. Izuku dived behind a tree, his mind racing. Stain's eyes gleamed with an unsettling mix of challenge and excitement.
Izuku's breath quickened as he contemplated his next move. Should he run or should he fight? No! He shouldn't run. Wasn't this the kind of scenario he had always dreamed of? Stain could obviously not be trusted to be a law abiding citizen and Izuku would not be the one to let him go. 'What would All Might do?' he asked himself.
As Stain approached from behind, he swapped places, reappearing right behind Stain. He swung his fist with all his might, aiming for a decisive blow.
But Stain was faster than Izuku anticipated. He dodged the blow with an almost unnatural agility, and his blade retaliated with a swift counterattack. Izuku barely managed to block the strike, his arm trembling from the impact.
Stain's voice cut through the night. "You're young and have great potential. It's a pity you're not fit to be a hero."
Izuku watched Stain with a single minded focus trying to think of how to maneuver under Stain's swords. He activated his quirk again, swapping places with Stain before chaining three swaps together leaving Stain reeling. With a harsh swipe of his right hand, Izuku swept Stain's swords away, earning a few cuts on his arm. With his injured left hand he aimed a punch right at Stain's jaw.
But Stain was not just a skilled fighter; he was a hero hunter with years of experience. With a sudden twist, he kicked Izuku's legs out from under him, sending him sprawling. Before Izuku could react, Stain's blade was at his throat, the cold steel pressing against his skin.
Izuku's heart raced as he met Stain's unwavering gaze. Stain's voice was low and chilling. His face forming a horrific caricature of the grim reaper."You fight with conviction. But conviction alone does not make a hero."
A moment of realization washed over Izuku. He was up against an adversary who could eat him for breakfast. He had challenged a superior opponent with just optimism. He wasn't All Might and couldn't fight impossible opponents on his own strength alone.
"Let's end this," Stain smiled, bringing his blade up to his lips. His tongue darted out of his mouth taking a lick of Izuku's bright red blood. Stain's quirk, Paralysis, took hold of Izuku's body, freezing him in place. Izuku's limbs grew heavy, and his breath caught in his throat. Stain's presence loomed over him, a reminder of his own folly. "This is the end of the road for you kid."
As the setting sun painted a tapestry of the beautiful horizon, Stain's blade remained poised, a chilling reminder that the world of heroes was not a safe space for the everyday man. "Goodbye Midoriya." His blade dropped with a quick swipe.
CLANG!
"Pick on someone your own size Stain." A deep and gravelly voice rasped. Izuku raised his eyes to see the back of a towering figure whose shoulders blotted out the sky. Dressed in a worn leather jacket and faded jeans, he stood like a steady bulwark against the tide of death.
"Knuckle Duster" Stain hissed.
A/N: Damn! I can't help but pat myself on the back. Pat yourself on the back too. We're in for a wild ride.
This chapter just goes to show that Izuku isn't an all powerful kid. He's limited by the quirks he has access to. Don't worry, we'll get to UA where there's a vast array of top tier quirks. Imagine Izuku with Todoroki's quirk. Let me leave you all with that image.
If you enjoyed this, then you'll surely enjoy my second fanfic called Ninja Watch. It's a Naruto fanfic where our reporter Remington reports on the various activities performed by the various self-inserts and gamers in the Naruto world. If you like humour, do visit. I hope to see you there.
Nefarious out.