10.07.2023
It is I, the Absolute Madman with your weekly dose of Evil Within and since there are no comments to answer we can dive straight into the chapter!:
"Another one on the left!" Retro yelled out just as Wolfram was wrapping up their previous foe like a metal gift box.
"Do they have like a 3D printer for those things or what?!" Display shouted in exasperation, clearly fed up with the amount of not-exactly-cannon-fodder that they had to put up with already.
"Less talking!" Spark reprimanded her teammate.
"And more reflecting!" Charge quickly added.
The dynamic between the trio was somewhat strange, and if you were more cultured than our current protagonist then you could even say there was a lot of sexual tensions involved, but that unfortunately is not relevant to the plot so it won't be mentioned at all. Nope, didn't happen. However peculiar their work relationship might be, Izuku couldn't deny their effectiveness.
Right at the beginning Retro was quick to establish roles to ensure they wouldn't get in each other's way on accident and to make their coordination easier to flow naturally.
Izuku of course stood at the very forefront, sword in hand and ready to charge into anything that might cross their path. The overly casual and vocal trio followed him closely, ready to attack as soon as Izuku tied down his opponent and restricted their movements, allowing the twins and Display to set up their takedown. Retro and Wolfram brought up the rear guard, the former staying vigilant at all times even in a fight and the latter prepared to immobilize the incapacitated villain's.
Everyone besides Izuku himself hailed from Blackout's agency, so it was only logical to hold them to similar standards. The gap between the twins and Display and Retro or Wolfram was however simply stunning.
The way Display could predict what the twins were about to do, or the twins' ability to anticipate Display's reflective screens was simply supernatural! Their teamwork flowed like water, neither of their efforts ever in vain, perfectly in sync at all times. And if their cooperation wasn't enough on its own, they even managed to weave banter into their fighting routine, constantly attacking each other verbally in what Izuku thought to be a playful matter.
"Young-uns really are something else." Retro stated at one point.
"How so?" Izuku asked when they finally had some downtime in between the Nomu's.
"Blackout's got a couple of teams designed specifically to maximize each other's potentials and to capitalize on their skills. Charge, Spark and Display are one of the youngest sidekicks we have, but damn if they're not good. Believe it or not, even Kairo and Kuse have trouble against these rascals!" Retro stated, laughing wholeheartedly as if reliving some memories.
"Kairo and Kuse?" Izuku questioned, not familiar with either name.
"Oh right, you're not one of ours." Retro said to himself before explaining. "Shihai Kairo and Shihai Kuse are the real names of Blackout and Puppeteer respectively."
"They must be really talented." Izuku commented as they readied to resume their journey.
"Nah, they just worked really hard to get to where they're at today." Retro corrected with sudden seriousness. "Blackout helped guide them of course, but they're the ones responsible for where they are now. Not talent. Not others. Not even fate. Their own hard work."
"Wow. That's actually quite a nice motivational speech." Izuku thought with a smile, finding even more respect for the quarreling trio.
"Oh please. Everything is dictated by fate. Every time you think you've escaped your fate, you end up playing directly into what was destined for you. There's no escape from it. Everything that you'll ever do, everything that you'll ever BE has already been foretold and you can't do nothing about it." And of course the daemon had to appear out of nowhere and ruin the wholesome atmosphere with its preaching.
Izuku paid it no more attention however as they were once again on the move and his focus was best directed at the potential threats and not the voice in his head.
After taking down another Nomu or rather three, Izuku and the others finally managed to locate a fellow hero in all this mayhem.
"Backdraft, report!" Retro commanded immediately, stepping forward to fulfill their objective. "Why weren't you guys responding? We were worried that those monsters had overrun your position or something."
"We were too busy to respond at first and then found out that our radios got damaged in the fighting." Backdraft reported whilst still trying to put out the burning apartment block.
"Speaking of fighting, what's with all the fires?" Retro asked in a much less professional manner.
"Endeavor came through here with a couple of sidekicks." Backdraft simply responded and Izuku saw Retro sigh deeply.
"Fuckin' prick." The pro cursed under his breath before reaching into his pocket. "Take this one and make sure not to lose it." Retro said as he threw a spare radio to the firefighting pro.
Backdraft returned to his duties and Retro left him alone to go back to his impromptu team.
"Alright, our job's done but we'll stick around for a bit in case they need our help." He addressed his fellow employees before turning to Izuku personally. "Thanks for the assist Garran. I guess this is the end of our journey." Retro said as he extended a hand for Izuku to shake.
"The pleasure's all mine." Izuku responded, obviously shaking the pro's hand.
"You do solid work and if you're ever interested I can put in a good word for you with Kairo." Retro offered seriously.
"I'm not sure if your praise isn't a bit too high. I didn't really do much back there." Izuku bashfully said, taken aback by the offer.
"Nonsense!" Spark immediately jumped in to dispute Izuku's claim and she wasn't the only one, far from it.
"Yeah!" Charge was quick to follow in her sister's footsteps. "Sure you're not flashy or anything but you do your job just fine!"
"What they said." Display seconded the twins' opinion, though he was much more tame than they were.
"Doing great things is one thing for a hero. But taking credit for your achievement is equally as important." Wolfram shared some of his own wisdom.
"It's five against one kid, you sure you wanna argue with these odds?" Retro asked with a smug smirk, already knowing that Izuku must've understood his point by now.
"Facing insurmountable odds is a hero's duty!" Izuku proudly declared before also smiling at his former partners. "But knowing when to quit is also an invaluable skill." He said and they shared a quick laugh.
"I'm glad you got that kid." Retro said with a smile. "There's potential in you and if there's one thing that Blackout loves in prospects is potential. If you ever decide to give it a shot - just visit the agency and ask for me. We'll be waiting."
"Thank you." Izuku thanked the pro, both still smiling, but also realizing that this couldn't last forever and that there were things that needed to be taken care of.
"Alright, enough with the sappy stuff." Retro finally stated and addressed his subordinates. "Let's go see if there aren't any monsters out there that want their teeth taken out for a walk."
And with that they'd finally split, both parties going their separate ways to see if their skills could be of use to the victims of what will soon be dubbed the 'Hosu Incident'.
"It's like a miracle!" A woman declared as she inspected her arm that was severely scraped up from having to escape a partially demolished building. "My skin is in perfect condition and all the pain has already started to fade away!"
Izuku decided to put his healing ability to the test, pushing it even more now that he had some time to rest in between uses and there was no better occasion to get hands-on experience than this. As such he circled around Backdraft and the other heroes, searching for civilians that required some basic first aid or were left to their own devices due to shortage of manpower. His body was already strained from both the physical workout that it was put through and from Izuku's excessive quirk usage. It was going to hurt like hell once all the emotions and the adrenaline fade out, but till that happens Izuku will be more than ecstatic to offer his services.
"It's incredible. I could kiss you right now!" The woman said in the heat of the moment, still taken aback by Izuku's abilities.
"Simply knowing that you're safe and sound is a reward in and of itself ma'am." Izuku responded with a humble smile and a courteous bow.
"Oh my, you better watch your mouth or you'll have girls swooning all over you." The woman warned jokingly with a wide smile.
It was a rare sight given the circumstances that led to this conversation, so Izuku was understandably satisfied to have made the woman feel comfortable enough to smile even with all the chaos around.
"I'll keep that in mind ma'am." The greenette responded with a polite smile.
He was about to walk off in search of another person that might need his help when he saw something, or rather someone that caught his eye almost immediately. His legs moved before he was done processing his thoughts and before he realized he was already speaking, asking a question that was nagging him from the very back of his mind.
"Are you Manual?" Izuku asked, his body still on autopilot and his mind only just now catching up.
"Yeah, that'd be me. Do you need something, I'm kind of busy at the moment?" Manual responded with a question of his own.
"My friend applied to intern with you and I just wanted to make sure he's safe. Is he around here somewhere?" Izuku desperately wanted the pro to simply point him in a direction just so that he could see his classmate behaving logically and not putting his life at risk for some stupid revenge. Of course the universe denied him that wish.
"We got separated some time ago and I've been looking for him ever since. He's pretty fast though, so I'm sure he can evade any danger he might find himself in." Manual assured the teen, but Izuku was not buying it whatsoever.
"Unless he intentionally went looking for danger." Izuku mused to himself with dread slowly creeping up his spine. "Where did you last see him?" He asked, already knowing that he'd need to find Iida and talk - or beat - some sense into him.
"It was south of here, maybe south-west. A block or two at most." Manual stated.
"Alright, I'll look out for him if I happen to pass by that area." Izuku said before heading in the direction that Manual pointed. "I hope I can find him before he finds the Hero Killer." He thought to himself as he broke into full sprint, his body no longer aching and a new reserve of energy reinvigorating him like a cool breeze.
"What if he's already dead in a ditch and you're just looking for a closed body bag? Just think about it for a second." That's like the eighth or ninth time that the daemon taunted Izuku with these grim scenarios that always pointed towards Iida being already dead.
"Just shut up." Izuku dismissed the daemon's words once again, though he would lie if he said that the chances of finding Iida alive weren't dwindling by the second.
Izuku was running around like a chicken with its head exactly where it should be - you know, cause a headless chicken wouldn't exactly be capable of running right? - hoping to catch even a glimpse of Iida's knight-like armor, but to no avail. It felt as if he'd already explored every single alleyway in Hosu twice and yet Iida was nowhere to be found.
"Just give up, kid. That punk's probably already dead, so why don't just focus on those that are still amongst the living? Isn't that what you heroes are supposed to do - keeping people safe instead of chasing ghosts?" This time the daemon seemed way more persistent than before. Izuku had no idea what might've caused that, but he also didn't care right now.
"We're meant to protect everyone! And I'm not gonna give up until I find him, so shut the fuck up and let me focus!" This time however Izuku was done putting up with the daemons bullshit and its incessant whispers, nagging him like a swarm of mosquitoes buzzing in the back of his mind.
Their mental link went surprisingly silent at that point, whether it was because the daemon was surprised or for some other reason Izuku once again didn't know, but he also didn't care as well.
"Take a right behind that building." The daemon suddenly spoke up.
"Why?" Izuku questioned the daemon's words, but did as he was told regardless.
"Narrow alley next to the metal bin. Get to the chain link fence and follow it." Izuku once again followed the instruction, though the daemon refused to answer any question at that point.
Following a daemon's directions probably wasn't the most responsible thing to do - who could've known what kind of shit it was trying to lure Izuku towards? - but there were no other options at this point. Izuku could either continue running around aimlessly, hoping to stumble upon an - preferably - alive Iida or listen to the daemon that clearly knew something.
"Brick wall up front, jump it and get ready." The daemon gave one last pointer before the link went silent once again.
The order seemed strangely specific, but Izuku didn't question it. He was already running so he simply utilized his moment and used a nearby trash container as a stepping point to propel himself upwards and over the brick wall. As soon as he crossed the obstacle, death was staring him down, looking directly into his eyes. It was by miracle alone that Izuku was able to activate his barrier in time, preventing the blade of the katana from slicing him open like he was made of butter.
The sudden flash of golden light caught the assailant off guard and Izuku was able to escape their clutches, putting some distance between them and assessing the situation.
Propped up against the nearby bin was a man wearing a hero suit, clearly a pro or perhaps a sidekick that had a rough night. Behind Izuku laying face down on the ground was a starstruck Iida, bleeding from a wound on his thigh and with a really beat up suit. And in front of Izuku, staring him down with intrigue and bloodlust was none other than the Hero Killer in all of his infamous glory.
"Well well well… Another fake for the slaughter, huh?" Stain growled out as he licked his lips.
"M-Midoriya?! What are you doing here?!" Iida asked in disbelief.
"Saving your fucking life dickhead, what's it look like?!" The daemon sudden;y exploded and Izuku felt guilty for agreeing with it for a split second.
"I could ask you the exact same thing." Izuku responded instead, successfully suppressing all the anger he felt towards his classmate and channeling that energy towards the real villain. "I really wanted to believe that you'd do the right thing, but a small part of me always knew you'd try having your stupid revenge. We're supposed to be better than that!" Izuku preached, all the while sizing up his opponent in case Stain wanted to try something. "We're supposed to be heroes and heroes protect, not avenge. An eye for an eye would leave the whole world blind."
Silence filled the alleyway and Izuku chanced one quick glance at Iida, noticing the teen clearly struggling with both the situation at hand and Izuku's harsh - but true - words. It was then that slow clapping broke the silence.
"Bravo… you surprised me young man. I was sure you were just one of those fakes that were in this business for money or fame or both. And yet it turns out that you're a rare case… A true hero…" Stain complimented, but hearing this from a villain didn't make it sound like a compliment at all. "Look kid, that fake next to the bin and that fake behind you have to be eliminated for the greater cause. You on the other hand can live if you just step aside and let me do my job."
"I'm afraid I can't do that." Izuku responded, staring down his opponent with his hand on the handle of his sword. "I couldn't exactly call myself a hero if I didn't try to protect them now could I?"
"Get away from here! This is my fight! It's my duty!" Iida kept screaming in the background, but Izuku wisely tuned him out for the most part.
"I guess you couldn't… Don't take this personal kid." Stain eventually said after mulling over Izuku's response.
"Duck." The daemon simply ordered and once again Izuku was able to escape having the alley decorated with his innards.
"He's inhumanely fast! I can barely see his movements!" Izuku thought as he drew his sword to face Stain in mortal kombat.
What ensued was not an exchange of blows as it was strictly Izuku desperately defending himself from Stain's bloodthirsty rampage and an unending series of strikes. There was no denying it, Stain was skilled with his sword and that made him very dangerous. Add his unknown quirk into the mix and you get one hell of a cocktail.
Izuku managed to stand his ground however, using a combination of swordsmanship and his barrier to block all of Stain's attacks. Summoning so many shields in rapid succession was draining Izuku's energy rather fast and so he was forced to maximize his efficiency, making each subsequent barrier smaller and smaller, anticipating the trajectory of the blade and summoning a small plate that was just enough to stop Stain's blade in its tracks.
This stalemate was going well, or at least would be if Izuku had a win condition that played into this being a war of attrition. That was not the case unfortunately. No one knew that they were here and facing the Stain in a deadly duel. It'd be a miracle if someone was to stumble upon them by chance and Izuku already used up his miracles for the upcoming month just by escaping death twice in the span of five minutes at the start of the fight.
Neither side was gaining any significant advantage over the other, although Izuku was slowly getting used to the flow of the fight and even found an opening for an attack or two of his own. They were blocked effortlessly of course, but that didn't deter Izuku at all. He kept on waiting for opportunities before seizing them, hoping to get in at least one solid hit as that's all he potentially needed to turn this fight in his favor.
Lady luck is a fickle mistress however and Izuku was about to learn this first hand. One small misstep, an overextension that left Izuku open for a split second and that's all Stain needed to go in for the kill.
Izuku felt the very tip of the katana skim a sizable part of his abdomen, drawing blood but luckily not gutting him outright. The wound was very long but quite narrow and although the pain was sharp and stinging, Izuku could fight through that. At least that's what he thought.
That's when he saw Stain lick the blood off of his katana in a sick, ritualistic manner before suddenly feeling his body become heavier than it ever was. He could move a muscle and even blinking was tough. All he could do was stand there like a statue and watch.
"As I said, nothing personal, kid. I admire your tenacity and your drive, so I'm going to spare you this time." Stain said as he sheathed his katana and approached Izuku before knocking him to the floor. "Just lay here and enjoy the show. You'll be one of the few people who saw me in action and lived to tell the tale, consider yourself lucky." And with that Stain continued his trek, past Izuku's peripheral vision and towards the incapacitated Iida.
Izuku desperately tried to force his body to move, but it just wouldn't listen. It felt as if the Earth's entire gravity was holding him and him alone down, preventing him from doing anything.
"Come on! Get up!" Izuku hoped to psyche himself up in an attempt to break free from whatever this was. Tears of hopelessness filled his eyes. "It's just like back then. Is there really nothing I can do?!"
And that's when he heard it, the unmistakable sound of clasps coming undone.
"Grasp the handle and I'll help you. Just this once I'll let you use my power, but don't get any funny ideas. There's no guarantee that this psycho won't kill you on a whim once he's done with them and I sure as shit ain't going back to how things were before we met!" The daemon seemed pretty revved up and this wasn't the usual temptation that it tried to lure Izuku in with time and time again.
Feeling as hopeless as ever and with no other choice in sight, Izuku struggled to reach into the case for the second time in his life, finding the handle of the Black Blade and grasping it tightly.
Shit's getting real up in this alleyway! And is it just me, or did the daemon just had a change of heart? Does it even have a heart? So many questions and so little answers. I guess you're gonna have to come back next week and see for yourself!
Till then have a great day and I'll catch y'all in the next update!