AN: First chapter of the new year, WOO! Let us all hope 2022 is a good year, or at least better than the last two years.

Back at U.A., All Might was meeting with his friend, Detective Tsukauchi. And to All Might's horror, Gran Torino was present as well. The three were sitting together in the teacher's lounge alone, All Might's mentor eating some taiyaki. The school was empty, with most of the faculty having gone home for the day.

"I'm sorry to show up unexpectedly. Hope you don't mind." Tsukauchi said as All Might poured him some tea.

"Please, it's always a pleasure to see you, Tsukauchi," All Might said as he sat down on the couch.

"Hey, where's mine?" Gran Torino demanded.

"R-Right here!" All Might quickly did so, pouring his old teacher some tea.

"That's better," Gran Torino grinned.

"So, how's the investigation?" All Might asked, wanting to change the subject.

Tsukauchi sighed. "That's the reason why I came here. There were a large number of villains that attacked the USJ last month and we got info on all of them and dealt with them. But, we're puzzled by one," Tsukauchi said, making the other occupants in the room curious.

"Who would that be?" Gran Torino asked.

"The one they called 'Nomu.'"

"Right, that strong, fired chicken guy," All Might said, leaning forward.

"We went ahead and ran some tests on Nomu's DNA," Tsukauchi said, pulling out a folder that had papers in it.

"And what exactly did you find?" All Might asked, Gran Torino having stopped eating his taiyaki as he listened closely.

"First: we're not asking either you or U.A. to help us with the case. Technically, this is a leak. I just felt I owed it to you to let you know," the detective clarified. "It could lead us to the mastermind."

This got All Might's full attention. Tsukauchi wouldn't have brought this to him if it wasn't important. And by the sound of his voice, it sounded very serious.

"After several attempts at interrogation, we realized that Nomu can't speak. He shows no reaction to anything. It's as though he literally can't think for himself. No matter what's going on around him," Opening the folder, Tsukauchi placed a photo of a man on the tea table. "As for his identity, it turns out he's related to a student at U.A.'s middle school. His name's Rivalz Phenex, who disappeared in Sapporo about a year ago."

"Phenex? Like that one girl in Midoriya's club," Gran Torino realized. "But how can this lead us to the mastermind?"

"Here's where it gets interesting. Our reports show that he's been altered drastically. When we analyzed his genetic makeup, we discovered four different people's DNA," Tsukauchi stated, catching All Might and Gran Torino's attention.

"So someone is fusing other people's DNA into someone else. Is that the reason why he looks more monster than human now?" Toshinori asked.

"The transformation is a result of drugs and other unknown methods," the detective explained. "To oversimplify a bit, he's been modified so that his body is able to hold multiple Quirks at once. His brain's apparent lack of processing power probably comes from the burden that causes. But we're more concerned about his DNA. He shouldn't have more than one Quirk. Even if new DNA is introduced, that shouldn't give a person multiple Quirks. Not unless it's completely integrated into someone's body. Not all Quirks work like One for All, but maybe…"

All Might and Gran Torino's eyes widened, the two realized what he was about to say.

"…There's someone out there with the power to pass different Quirks on to other people."

"No…" All Might gasped in horror as he stood up, his body trembled. "This means…"

"The man who ripped out your stomach, the man who killed your mentor and predecessor, and my dear friend, Shimura, is still alive." Gran Torino growled.

"I didn't want to believe that tip we received either but given the evidence…" Tsukauchi grimaced. "This is why I came to you. I had to let you know immediately."

"I thought I stopped him six years ago, and yet…" All Might growled, his fist clenched tightly with fury and rage as he started transforming into his muscle form.

"What I'm curious about is how this tipper even knew not only this but also about the attack on the USJ," Gran Torino spoke. "Any idea who they are?"

"I've been trying to find out who it was ever since the USJ, but no luck," Tsukauchi replied. "Whoever it was made sure to cover their tracks really well."

"Weren't you the one who received the tip regarding All For One?" Gran Torino asked.

"Not in person," Tsukauchi sighed. "I received an anomalous call from a payphone in Tokyo. Whoever it was, they knew my name and my phone number. The only thing I could tell about them was that they sounded like a woman. I would've ignored the call had she not dropped All For One's name."

All Might debuffed and sat back down in thought. That peace that they had… it was never really there to begin with, was it? And now… now the choice to tell Midoriya Izuku about him… about everything… was slowly becoming less of one and more of a need.

Morning on day 3 of the internships, and Izuku had woken up to find that, once again, Milia was sleeping at his side, again dressed in nothing but an unbuttoned shirt and underwear, only now she wasn't alone. On his other side was Fuyuko, sleeping motionlessly but hugging his arm tight, in a loose black tank top and white shorts. Shockingly, Nejire was present as well, in a lilac button shirt and pats (thankfully) with her hair wrapped her body, clinging onto his leg like it was a stuffed animal.

'Why am I not surprised?' Izuku mentally sighed in acceptance, deciding not moving was a safe option, even if the girls… assets were pressing softly against him.

It took another hour for the girls to wake up, Milia being embarrassed, Fuyuko blushing a little but fine, and Nejire not having a care.

By the time they arrived at the main lobby for breakfast, Ryukyu and some of her sidekicks were already there. Surprisingly, Zero and Guren were present as well, Cynthia, Liana, and Setsuna accompanying them.

"Oh good, you're up," Ryukyu said upon noticing them.

"What's going on?" Milia asked.

"Zero and Guren just informed me about the Commission's Hero Killer Hunt," Ryukyu revealed.

"The Hero Killer!?" Izuku gasped.

"That's right," Zero nodded. "Endeavor and several other pros have already left for Hosu. We'll be joining them later today."

"As we'll be heading out later, we won't be patrolling today. So use this time to rest up and catch up with some studies," Ryukyu advised them.

"So we're going to work with Endeavor and other heroes to catch Stain?" Nejire asked.

"No, unfortunately," Guren said.

"The Commission, in their infinite 'wisdom'," Zero spat, "has decided that they want heroes covering as much ground as possible, and are discouraging groups, saying it makes us look weak if they need support."

"To be fair, they're not wrong, regarding you at least," Guren said teasingly. "Remember when we were in high school, you couldn't even lift a box of pillows."

Beneath his mask, Lelouch blemished at that particular memory; that had definitely been one of the more embarrassing moments in his lifetime. "Need I remind you that box held ten to twelve pillows, all of them large-sized?"

Now it was Kallen's turn to roll her eyes. "Except those were foam pillows. Even Nina was able to lift hers without any problems. And need I mention the time Milly outraced you while wearing a frilly dress."

The students, including his daughters, all tried to hold back their laughs, letting a few snickers out. The thought that Zero, the hero voted the one who most resembles a villain, being unable to carry a box of pillows and getting outraced by a girl in a dress was funny.

"I've gotten stronger," Lelouch weakly retorted, which only earned a skeptical chuckle from his wife. "Anyway, rest up. We'll be heading to Hosu soon."

If Itsuka wasn't used to it, she was sure that her arms and legs would feel like lead by now, with all the training her mentor had her do. But she would really like to have something other than the protein shakes he made. Heck, she would kill to have anything that didn't have copious amounts of protein powder in it.

'Why are there so many types of protein powder?' She had asked upon seeing Thunder Fist's personal collection. She was just thankful he hadn't spiked the water with protein powder as she took a bottle from the fridge.

"Battle Fist," Akihiko suddenly called. "I got good news."

'Oh, please tell me it's not protein powder related,' Itsuka silently dreaded.

"Just got word that the Commission is starting a Hero Killer hunt in Hosu."

'Oh, thank god,' she mentally sighed in relief before flinching from a sudden migraine. "We're going after the Hero Killer?" She asked.

"Yep, even though we weren't given an invite."

"…Is that even allowed?"

"Technically, any hero is free to join the hunt," Akihiko answered. "That, and Zero and Guren do this kind of thing all the time. Rumor says that the Commission threatened to revoke their licenses after the first few times, only to back down because they have dirt on the Commission. Now c'mon, we're gonna take the train to Hosu."

Manual and Iida patrolled the city once again on their own, the Normal Hero remaining cheerful as he led the student through the afternoon streets.

"Today it's even more patrolling! Sorry that it's so monotonous," Manual chuckled to Iida. "If I could've I would've switched things up for something better."

"It's fine, it's actually better this way…" Iida responded in a serious tone.

Manual glimpsed back to Iida with a look of concern, knowing something was wrong with the boy. He already had a feeling of what was wrong with him, why he seemed so serious, why he was here. So he knew he had to ask him something.

"Hey…"

Hearing his change in tone, Iida turned to Manual.

"I know that this may be wrong to ask, but… by any chance, are you here to chase after the Hero Killer?" He asked, stopping his walking.

Iida stopped walking as well, surprised to have been quickly found out. "I…"

Manual scratched his chin awkwardly. "I couldn't think of any other reason you'd come to my agency… As I said, you must've had better offers from heroes. Oh, but I'm really glad you came! It's just that…"

He looked rather serious now.

"You should never act out on a personal grudge. We heroes are here to protect and fight for the people, not to arrest or punish criminals. If the police need our help stopping villains, then we're called in to help. The use of Quirks has been allowed through the regulations of the government to only be for the sake of others, not for oneself. If anyone used their Quirks for their own selfish desires, then it would be a serious crime…"

Those final words, 'it would be a serious crime' echoed throughout Iida's head. He then looked down in some shame, but at the same time, anger. Thinking that he would just have to sit by while the Hero Killer roams free.

"Ah! I-It's not that I'm saying that the Hero Killer isn't guilty! Of course, he is! It's just because you seem like the type of person to focus on something, but then ignore everything else! It makes me think you're trying to hunt down the Hero Killer down, not just by yourself, but for yourself…" Manual told him out of genuine concern.

After remaining silent for a few seconds, Iida just bowed. "Thank you for the warning… and honestly, I'm not sure anymore." Manual seemed surprised by what Iida said. "Some of my friends have attempted to persuade me from pursuing vengeance for my brother. One, in particular, said something that… struck a bit of a cord. About his own experience with vengeance and how it didn't help."

Manual nodded. "He sounds like a good friend. No one's saying that you should forgive Stain, Tenya. He's a villain that needs to be stopped. But going after him half-cocked with a grudge isn't the answer." Manual then put a hand on Iida's shoulder. "You're a good kid, so I know that, in the end, you'll make the right decision. Now c'mon, we got a long day today."

"Yes, sir," Iida nodded.

Izuku sat beside Milia and Nejire on the private car Ryukyu booked them and some of her sidekicks. Fuyuko had to stay behind as she was a civilian, while Zero, Guren, Liana, Setsuna, and Cynthia had gone ahead on a separate train and had agreed to wait for them at the station.

Ryukyu had her phone in hand, reading over some sort of message, while Nejire and Milia were talking to pass the time. Pulling his phone out, he checked the class group chat, finding that almost everyone was having a pleasant evening so far.

"Whatcha doing on your phone?" Nejire asked.

"I'm representative of my class, and I need to check-in and make sure there haven't been any issues," he explained.

"[Attention, we are arriving at Hosu Station.]" the intercom announced.

With that announcement from the intercom, everyone readied to depart the train as it slowed down. When the train came to a stop and they exited onto the platform, Ryukyu led them to the main lobby, their progress slow due to the number of fans coming to greet them.

Once they made it outside, Milia looked up at the buildings around them, "So… Stain is here?"

Ryukyu glanced back at her, "And that is why, if we encounter Stain together, you and Midoriya are to run and get help. Get more heroes to surround Stain so he doesn't escape."

Milia and Izuku looked to Ryukyu in surprise. Before they could object, Ryukyu raised her hand up. "I know you're both strong, but you're still students under my care. If I was risking either of your lives and you got hurt because of it, I won't be able to forgive myself."

Izuku and Milia both nodded in acknowledgment.

"Don't worry, my cute kouhais! If we do run into trouble, it'll be my job to keep an eye on you two," Nejire reassured.

"Thanks, senpai," Milia smiled.

They walked around for a short time before finding a huge crowd of people, in the center of which was not just Zero, Guren, and Endeavor, but also a young man wearing a brown aviator's outfit, complete with white fur-lined on the interior and collar of his jacket. He also had messy brown hair, a bit of a goatee on his chin, a pair of yellow goggles over his eyes, and he wore a black undershirt with yellow patterns on it. But what stood out the most were the pair of massive wings that were prominently sticking out of his back. He seemed to be the one the crowd was centered on.

"No way! The Winged Hero: Hawks!" Izuku exclaimed in excitement.

"He's taking part in this too?" Milia asked, equally excited.

"Ah, Ryukyu, glad you're here," Hawks waved.

"I wasn't aware you would be taking part, Hawks," Ryukyu commented.

"Eh, me and my intern were in the neighborhood," the Winged Hero replied casually. "Figured I could help with the search."

"Does this mean everyone in the top ten will be taking part?" Nejire asked.

"'Fraid not," Hawks shook his head. "All Might and Best Jeanist are dealing with other cases, Mirko is busy and won't get here until tomorrow, same with Edgeshot, and Kouen is dealing with, and I quote, 'family issues'. No telling when she'll be available again."

"The five of us, along with all the pros already in the city, will be sufficient," Zero said.

"What's the plan Zero?" Endeavor asked.

While the pros discussed how to locate Stain, Izuku and Milia walked over to Setsuna and Liana, who were with Todoroki and Tokoyami, off to the side. "Todoroki. Tokoyami. Good to see you," Izuku greeted.

"Good evening, Midoriya, Takamaki," Tokoyami greeted.

"Hello. How is your training with Ryukyu?" Todoroki asked them.

"It's been pretty great," Izuku answered before looking Todoroki over. "New costume?"

Todoroki's original white shirt and pants were gone, replaced with a blue jacket with the sleeves bunched up around his elbows and matching blue pants. The biggest difference was that the ice she wore over her whole left side was gone. That, and it hugged her body a little tighter than her old costume, showing some of her curves.

"Yes," Todoroki nodded. "My old costume… wasn't fireproof. Though did they have to make it tighter?"

"Tell me about it," Milia muttered.

"Well, I like it," Setsuna grinned. "It's defiantly an improvement over your old costume."

"At least you don't have that silly ice all over you."

"DARK SHADOW!"

"Anyway, how do you think they'll look for Stain?" Izuku asked.

"Knowing my father, he would like heroes from each agency to cover different sections of the agency," Liana guessed. "And he'll want no one to go off on their own, despite what the Commission told them."

After a few minutes, the pros finished discussing the important details. "Are we all clear on our objective?" Zero asked the gathered pros and their sidekicks. "If any of us were to find a lead on Stain's location or encounter the man himself, contact the rest of us immediately so we can surround him."

"Based on the testimony of survivors he has a Quirk that lets him paralyze anyone," Endeavor added. "How his Quirk works is unknown, so it's paramount that no one fights Stain solo. Let's move!"

At that, each agency spread out, heading for different sections of the city.

"See ya, everyone," Todoroki said to her classmates as she followed her father and his sidekicks.

"Be careful, my friends. I feel that dark times are ahead," Tokoyami said as he followed after Hawks.

"Good luck, everyone," Setsuna said as she and Liana followed Zero and Guren.

"Good luck," Izuku returned as he and Milia followed Ryukyu and Nejire.

Stain was standing on the edge of a rooftop, watching the city spread under his feet, as he heard the sound of the purple vortex opening behind him.

"This place looks nicer than I expected," Shigaraki said as he came out through the portal, followed by Lailah. "So, what are you gonna do?"

"I will reform it," said Stain, crouched down and not making a move to look at any of the newer arrivals. "In order to do so, blood must spill."

"You have a clear goal," Kurogiri mused aloud. "Your dedication is admirable."

"Ah… " The Hero Killer stood. "Finally, someone who understands."

Shigaraki began to run a finger along the edge of the wound the Hero Killer had given him. "I get the feeling you enjoy picking on me."

"You seem to make it fairly easy," Lailah snickered.

"'Hero' is a title for those who've accomplished great deeds! This city is full of false champions. All they care about is money and fame. Until this world realizes its mistakes," Stain said, withdrawing the sword on his back, "I will continue my work."

He then leaped down into the city below like some kind of demonic monkey. As Shigaraki watched Stain go his own way, he began to scratch his own neck in anger.

"How many Nomu do we have?" The hands villain demanded as Kurogiri warped next to him.

"Seven," Kurogiri replied. "The good doctor has been investing more time in producing these Nomu ever since the USJ with Miss E acquiring more subjects for his work. None of them will be as powerful as the one we used at the USJ, though."

"Miss E?" Lailah inquired.

"An acquaintance who has been helping provided us with intel and subjects," Kurogiri answered.

"It'll be enough," grinned Shigaraki as he pointed out in the distance. "It's a shame, really. The Hero Killer and I just can't agree on a basic level. He just annoys me. The potential destruction we could have caused together. Oh well, I guess this is what he gets for thinking he can get away with stabbing me. Bring the Nomu."

"As you wish."

A shadowed swirl began to form below them.

"I'll kill you Hero Killer. If it's what I desire, then I will get it. Your pride. Your conviction. To hell with it. You're not even a boss, and I've just gotten seven new players. Level…"

Seven monstrosities emerged from the portal. All of varying sizes and grotesque features, the one thing they had in common was the exposed brains.

"Start."

Stain crept through the back allies of Hosu, looking for a suitable location to hunt.

"Hero Killer Hunt," a man bemoaned. "They honestly believe that regular heroes like us can catch a man like Stain? What is the Commission thinking telling us to put on this show? I catch thieves and petty criminals, I don't know how to deal with a serial killer."

He raised an eyebrow at that. A hero was nearby, one who knew his station.

"I guess with so many out they expect numbers to work, but still it feels wrong, we should be in groups…"

He was curious now. Was the Commission literally sending him people to kill now?

Further down the alley, a man stepped into view dressed as a Native American. 'Native, no issues that I know of, the man focuses on smaller crimes, but helps when able with disasters.'

Native looked up from his train of thoughts and paused as he looked at him. "Ancestors watch over me," he muttered, getting into a stance.

"Really, you're willing to fight me, when you know you can't win?" he asked, showing he had heard the man's supposed soliloquy.

"And let you harm more people?" he rebuked. "No, I just need to hold out until more heroes come and we can put a stop to your murders."

Drawing his blade he asked, "And if no one comes to your rescue?"

"Then I'll do my best to weaken you so another can finish the job."

Stain smiled. This man had conviction, it was a pity that he was in his way.

Itsuka was beside Akihiko on the train, the sun already disappeared on the horizon to turn the sky dark. They had been riding on the bullet train towards Hosu for a small amount of time. "It's already getting kinda late. Is that okay?"

"Yep," Akihiko replied, drinking a protein shake. "Stain doesn't seem to stick with any kind of schedule, so they need heroes patrolling 24/7. Besides, more skirmishes happen at night so it'll be more fun."

Itsuka sweat-dropped. "But… won't so many heroes discourage that kind of behavior?"

"Maybe, but there will be always at least one idiot who'll cause trouble regardless of the heroes present."

"Hey, look at that! A building just exploded," a passenger behind them suddenly shouted.

"Really? Where?"

Soon passengers were all crowding towards the window, curiosity overriding their sense of safety. "Everyone, please remain in your seats!" A conductor told everyone.

"What's going on?" Akihiko asked, standing from his seat.

"Could it be a fire?" Itsuka asked.

Suddenly, something came flying from the city and busted right into the train right in front of them.

"Gah!" Itsuka kept hold of her seat as the train momentarily shook, the passengers screaming. Clouds of dust covered the inside of the train that kept everyone from seeing what had crashed into them.

Right in front of her was a large hole in the train's side, but more importantly, there was a hero dressed in white trying to get up from the floor, his head slightly bleeding.

"Nngh… What the hell-?" started the hero, only to be crushed into the floor by a large hand. The passengers were soon greeted with a strange light greenish-grayish monstrosity with its brain open to the world as well as two eyes on both sides of its brain.

Itsuka's pupils shrunk, recognizing right away what the four-eyed monstrosity was. "NOMU!"

Before she could properly react, Akihiko lunged forward, fists sparking with electricity, delivering a right hook into the Nomu's face. With the Nomu disorientated, Akihiko rotated his arm, more sparks coming off from it as he did so. "Thunder… Uppercut!" With a yell, Akihiko punched the Nomu hard enough to send it flying off the train.

Sanada Akihiko AKA Boxing Hero: Thunder Fist. Quirk, Elec Fist. By rotating his arms he can generate and store electricity, drastically increasing his striking power.

Once he was sure the monster was gone, Akihiko turned his attention to his fellow pro. A train attendant ran up as Akihiko stooped down to the injured man and checked his pulse. "He's alive, but he'll need medical attention right away. Stop the train and get an ambulance here as soon as you can."

The man nodded as his fellow coworkers ran into the train car from both ends, ushering passengers away from the damaged car.

Itsuka ran up, glancing outside through the gaping hole in the train as it began to slow down… just as another explosion rocked the city. "What the hell is going on?" She asked.

"Not sure," Akihiko stood up beside her. "You called that thing a 'Nomu'. That was the monster All Might fought at the USJ, right?"

Itsuka nodded. "Yeah, but it looked different."

"Either way, we can't sit here," Akihiko scowled as the train finally stopped. "I'll head to where the fire's at, see how I can help. Battle Fist, you'll help any civilians get away from any danger. If you encounter any villain, do not engage. Only fight back if you have no other choice. Understand?"

Itsuka narrowed her eyes, nodding.

"Good. Let's go!"

Shigaraki smiled with glee behind the hand covering his face. "These Nomu are great. They'll have this city burning in no time."

From his side, Kurogiri looked over at Shigaraki. "I am glad you decided to listen to Master and not participate in the battle."

"I'm still injured, so of course, I won't. That's also why I wanted you to drop Muscular off in Hokkaido. I'm not risking one of my best units for a side-quest. The Nomu are enough. I'm not stupid. Besides, sometimes it's more fun to watch. Isn't that right, Lailah? …Lailah?"

Shigaraki and Kurogiri looked around, finding no sign of Lailah at all. "Odd. She was here a moment ago."

"Isn't it obvious where she went? Ugh, she's worse than Muscular," Shigaraki smiled again. "Oh well. If she manages to kill some heroes, I won't complain. And if Stain bites the dust, all the better."

*BOOM!*

"What the heck was that!?" Nejire exclaimed. The sudden shaking of the ground lurched them out of their patrol. Izuku and the others turned their heads towards where the distant bang had come from. Smoke was already rising up into the sky.

Ryukyu's eyes began to shine bright yellow. "The Hero Killer will have to wait…" Ryukyu let out a mighty roar before her whole body began to shift in shape and size, becoming much larger and more reptilian. Her hair became much longer and spikey while her arms and legs became grey and scaly, with a long tail and a pair of massive wings emerging from her back. Her fingers and toes all now ended in a massive, black claw, and her neck grew out along with her head shifting into a more beak-shaped form. Her teeth had also become sharper as well, which finished off her Dragon transformation. "Let's move!"

"Right!" Nejire, Milia, and Izuku all nodded.

Nejire propelled herself into the air with her Quirk, while Izuku spread his dragon wings, picking up Milia, and followed.

It didn't take them long to reach the source of the screams and flames, panicking civilians all running away from the flames. A couple of pro heroes were already on the scene, a couple busy trying to stop the fire.

The other heroes, though, were busy fighting the ones behind this. Milia and Izuku gasped in shock at what they were seeing.

Several of the heroes were fighting a large, half-man, half-beast man at least 3 meters tall with black skin and red scars with several fox-like tails, the tips of which were alight with white fire, a section of its skull has been surgically removed exposing its entire brain, its eyes a solid black. It howled as swatted away one of the heroes, the white flames on its tails attacking the heroes after.

An explosion to their left pulled them in as they turned the corner and he saw a large black Nomu emerge from a burning fire, its brain free of any eyes as it screeched before swinging at two heroes who went flying to the side and landed in a heap.

A third Nomu appeared carrying a man in the air as it flapped sickly pale yellow wings, its brain sported two eyes, but its mouth was covered by what looked to be a breathing apparatus.

"NOMU!?" They both exclaimed, eyes wide.

The winged Nomu glanced over at Izuku and Milia. "D…k…" with a screeched, it dropped the man and charged towards the two, forcing Izuku to dive to the side as it swings its thin claws at him, missing him by a hair.

"You okay?" He asked Milia, placing her on the ground.

"Yeah," Milia nodded.

The fox Nomu roared as it breathed blue flames at some of the pros, but Ryukyu jumped in and took the brunt of the attack. Her costume singed, Ryukyu let out a roar of her own as she slammed the Nomu into the ground. 'That attack just now… that was Kitsune Fox Fire! But how?!' Ryukyu didn't have time to wonder how as the fox Nomu began to push her back.

Nearby, the eyeless Nomu charged forward, intent on crushing any hero in its way. Nejire, seeing this, raised her hands. "Full charge, output level 30," her Quirk gathered in her palms. "Nejire Wave!"

Nejire's attack blasted the Nomu back rather easily, which hadn't gone unnoticed by Izuku. "It didn't withstand the attack? It must not have the same Quirks like the one at the USJ."

"RYEEEEE!"

The screech from above reminded Izuku of the winged Nomu, which was currently trying to dive-bomb him. Izuku ducked behind a car, the winged Nomu flying too fast to avoid slamming into the car. 'This one really has it out for me!' Izuku took a few steps back as the Nomu recovers from the impact. 'But why? What'd I do to it?!'

The winged Nomu screeched again, but before it could get back into the air, Milia's claws pierced the membrane of its left wing. It cried in pain as it attempted to get back into the air, Milia's extended claws damaging the wing further, making it difficult for the Nomu to stay in the air.

"Nice one, Yari!" Izuku smiled.

"Thanks," Milia nodded.

"Manual, quick, put out the fires!" A Hero with bull horns ordered as he ripped a fire hydrant and threw it at the nearest of the monsters.

"Why did you choose to go off at a time like this, Tenya!?" Manual muttered as he quickly took control of the water to put out the fires and distract the monsters.

'Tenya? Is he talking about Iida?!' Izuku quickly ran over to Manual, Milia close behind. "Do you mean our classmate, Iida Tenya?" Izuku asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah he's an intern at my agency. However, he seems to have disappeared on me. I'm worried about him, due to what happened to his brother. Damn it, where are you?" He gritted, shifting the water to another fire.

"Oh no," Milia gasped, her hands covering her mouth. "You don't think…"

Izuku said nothing, having come to the same conclusion. "Ryukyu! We need to find our classmate!"

"I heard!" Ryukyu, fighting off the fox Nomu. "Nejire, go with them! Find your classmate, and only engage in combat if absolutely necessary! We'll handle things there."

"You kids be careful," a female hero shouted. "Just got word that there are more villains like them elsewhere in the city!"

"More Nomu!?" Izuku and Milia gasped. Just how many Nomu were there?

"Okay, we'll be careful," Izuku nodded along with the girls, and after getting a little more details from where Manuel and Tenya had been a few minutes ago, rushed in that general direction.

Unknown to them, the winged Nomu, who had been struggling to stay in the air while avoiding attacks from the heroes, turned its head towards the three, its soulless eyes on Izuku in particular. "D…ku…"

As Iida ran through Hosu's back alleys, he felt his stomach twist. Guilt gnawed at him with every step. If not for his burning desire to see his brother's attacker brought to justice, his guilt would have been crippling. But he kept running, fueled by his desire and conviction. This was his best chance to find Stain and he could not afford to waste it.

Still, he wasn't betraying just Manual, but also Principal Nezu and his friends. They had healed his brother, and Yuuto had opened up to him. And yet here he was.

"That idiot's making a move. And he's so noisy," he heard a man mutter in a nearby alley. "I will have to dispose of him later. Right now… I have important work to finish here."

Iida glanced down the alley and saw him. The Hero Killer, Stain, was standing over a hero, Native he believed, sword at the ready. Iida quickly sprung to action, racing toward the Hero Killer at full speed.

But Stain anticipated this, using his sword to block the attack fro, knocking off his helmet and sending him to the ground. "A child wearing a suit," Stain noted after Iida's failed attack. Iida glared at Stain with hateful eyes. "Run along. This is not a place for children."

Iida sat up as he stared at Stain. His glass knocked off when he failed to land his first hit. "You're Stain, aren't you. The Hero Killer."

"Your armor's design…" Stain assessed Iida's costume. "A fan of Ingenium, are you?"

"His younger brother," Iida hissed in reply.

"Then are you here for vengeance?" Stain spat. "I can tell from your eyes. So choose what you do next carefully, boy. I will kill whoever I must, even if that means children."

Steadying himself, Iida almost replied with an answer that would've meant yes, but hesitated. He recalled Yuuto's words on how, even after he got vengeance for his family, that didn't change anything. "Even if I said yes and defeat you here, it won't resurrect your victims, or heal my brother's engines. No," Iida looked away from Stain and swords Native. "As much as I hate you for what you've done, right now the only thing that matters to me is saving Native's life!"

To Iida's surprise, Stain responded to that with a wide grin. "Well, then… your life just might be worth sparing."

Itsuka ran through the streets of Hosu, helping any civilians get away from the epicenter of this disaster. "Looks like no one's here," she noted, having not seen a single soul since she ran down this street. So far it seemed as if almost all of the civilians managed to get away from the brewing catastrophe. "I should probably meet back ups with Thunder First."

Suddenly, an odd sound caught her attention. It came from a nearby alley. Cautiously, she walked up to the edge of the alley to take a peek, but all she saw was an empty, dark alley. "Hello, is someone there?" She called out.

Nothing.

Dismissing it as probably a stray cat, Itsuka was about to turn away when she stepped in something. Looking down, she lifted her foot to find a thin, thread-like substance stuck to her boot. "Is this… webbing?"

Suddenly, the webbing pulled back into the alley, tripping Itsuka as she was dragging in, the girl screaming in surprise. On instinct she activated her Quirk, her hands going as she attempted to stop herself from being dragged into the alley. She quickly tried to grab the webbing drawing her with her enlarged left hand while her right grasped onto the corner of a building, which managed to stop her, breaking the web.

From above, Itsuka heard an amused hiss. Not wanting to chance it by looking up, Itsuka quickly rolled to the side as something hit the ground where she was at.

Lailah gave an amused chuckle as she rushed toward Itsuka, who quickly grabbed a nearby trash can with her enlarged hand, throwing it at the murderous angel. Lailah used one of her spider-legs to push the can aside, slashing at Itsuka with one of her clawed hands.

Itsuka screamed as she felt Lailah's claws cut across her face. Quickly, she enlarged her right hand and struck, forcing Lailah back several feet, Itsuka using the chase to back up a greater distance away from the monster.

Lailah quickly righted herself, now taking the moment to assess her prey. "What's this? A little girl playing hero all by her lonesome?" She mockingly asked.

Itsuka kept her left hand on her cheek, trying to stop the bleeding. "Are you some kind of villain?"

"You could say that," the spider woman smiled. "This just seemed like the perfect night for a little mayhem, and I couldn't resist," Lailah smirked in sadistic glee as she licked the blood on her fingertips… before blinking and liking the blood again. "Well… this is surprising."

Itsuka took a step back. The look in Lailah's eyes somehow got even more unsettling. "W-What's surprising?"

"You're blood… it doesn't taste fully human," Lailah licked her lips.

"Not fully human? What the hell are you talking about?"

"You don't know?" Lailah questioned. "Hmm… If I had to guess, your power was locked away, and maybe even your memories," Lailah seemed particularly giddy as she stepped toward Itsuka, who took several steps back in turn. "That's a good thing because now I can take as much time I can to make you remember. Let's start with this."

Itsuka gasped as grey light emitted from the palm of Lailah's hand, forming a spear. For some reason, fear began to take hold, every cell of her being telling her to run.

"So you know that much, at least," Lailah smiled, noticing the frightened look on Itsuka's face. "Heh heh heh… This will be fun."

AN: Bum bum buuummmm... Cliffhanger! Finally getting to the fight with Stain! But it looks like a few guests will be involved in this blood bath. Bad joke aside, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Not many differences from canon, but a couple of changes. Mainly there are 7 Nomu instead of 3, one of which being the Fox Nomu. We'll see the other Nomu next chapter.

Also, Iida did go after Stain the first chance he got, but here he's managed to put his thirst for vengeance aside (barely), which manages to impress Stain a little.

And oh boy. Itsuka facing against Lailah, who's figured out that there's more to Itsuka than meets the eye. Guess we'll find out how this will transpire next time.

Until then, stay safe, stay healthy, and don't be racist. Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!