Hello everyone! It's me, Discarab, and I'm back with yet another chapter in A Tale of Two Endlings. I hope this wait wasn't as bad as the last one! Hopefully, from now on, I'll be able to release chapters at a more consistent rate than in the past. Anyways, that's all for me here, so why don't I stop this little header note and get into the main story!

Disclaimer: I don't own DGM or BNHA, all rights go to their respective owners.


Chapter Fourteen: A Villain's Ideals

Time seemed to slow down with every step Allen took. In front of him stood the person responsible for a pile of dead friends and families. This man could've been a demon and he wouldn't have batted an eye. And yet, somehow, this person seemed to be as normal as any other. The way he kindly waved to pedestrians walking on the other side of the street, the style he carried himself with, and his manners all suggested he was an upstanding member of society. However, he and Metal Meister knew that the reality of the situation was anything but that. This person was a killer. He was a villain who was beyond any chance of redemption. Or, at least, that's what the evidence suggested. But, even with a confession from the suspect's own mouth, Allen suspected that there was something more to the man who was leading them through the city, the man known as Geum Chin-Mae. This suspicion slowly bubbled within him, rising and growing until he couldn't contain his morbid curiosity. And, just when the feeling was too much to bear, Chin-Mae spoke. "We've been traveling for almost an hour now," he said, "don't you two have any questions? I thought I told you earlier that I was willing to explain while we walk." His invitation given, Allen was happy to take the chance to ask what was on his mind.

"Don't be coy," he started as he locked eyes with the sadistic psychopath, "you know exactly what we want to hear." The very reason he and Metal Meister agreed to this deal was to learn why this man did what he did. Given his mellow personality, one could reasonably assume that this person didn't simply start killing on a whim. No... there was a purpose to his butchering. "Tell us why you started killing, Mr. Chin-Mae," Allen commanded. "Did somebody tell you to kill those people? Were you forced to? What happened in your past to turn you into this?" Metal Meister, who at this point was also quite curious, perked up his ears to hear the man's explanation. However, when Chin-Mae noticed their curious gazes, all he could do was laugh.

"Allow me to apologize for that," the man said as he held his hand up to his mouth, struggling to regain his composure. "It's just that, out of all the questions, you had to hit me with the most stereotypical one first." When he said that, Allen couldn't help but scowl.

"What do you mean by that?" he hissed as he glared at the killer. "Isn't it normal to want to find out why you started killing?" Yet again, the man could only chuckle.

"No, no, trust me, I know why you asked that question. It's just that... well... I think among all the questions that's the one with the most unsatisfying answer," Chin-Mae told him as he looked longingly at the sky above. "You see, to be perfectly honest, both of you are probably perfectly capable of answering that question by yourselves." Before Metal Meister or Walker had the chance to ask him to elaborate, the killer continued. "After all, in the grand scheme of things, I'm probably nothing more than your bog-standard cookie-cutter villain."

"Oh come on, you can't be serious," Metal Meister interrupted as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm telling you the truth. My backstory is a dime a dozen for people like me," Chin-Mae said as he led Walker and Metal Meister off the main road and onto a long, winding stone path. "I was born into an abusive family and had a strong quirk. Everyday I'd be abused and burned by my parents. So, to get out of that household, I studied and got into a good school. However, somewhere along the way, I picked up a curious desire. And that desire manifested itself as a want, no, a need to kill other living beings." It was a tale that sounded like it had been read off the back of a magazine. However, even though it was ridiculously cliché to the point of sounding needlessly fake, Chin-Mae's voice didn't waver for a second. "I'm not a member of some fancy organization. Nor am I some criminal mastermind, I'm just you average killer. Hell," he said, "the only reason you guys haven't caught me yet is because of my power." The second after he finished that sentence, Chin-Mae snapped his fingers together and touched a nearby tree. Instantly, the bark's color changed from brown to a dazzling, bright red. Soon afterwards, the tree erupted into a massive torrent of flames. On instinct, Metal Meister and Walker jumped back. However, unlike the killer's previous fires, this one fizzled out in the span of a few seconds.

"Is it a combustion quirk?!" Walker yelped out loud as he shielded his eyes from the bright inferno.

"Close, but you aren't completely correct," Chin-Mae responded as he snapped his fingers again, completely erasing any lingering remnants of flame. "My power is quite simple, actually. When I snap my fingers, I can adjust any non-human entity's chemistry to violently react with oxygen. I can control how much changes, as well as immediately reverse the change. My ability works with clothes, oils, and anything you can find in your typical household."

"That explains why we never found any evidence," Metal Meister thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose. This man's quirk wasn't as destructively powerful as other similar abilities. Like, for example, Bakugo Katsuki's ability. However, it was far more precise. Since his ability wasn't just about setting things on fire, and focused instead on changing the physical makeup of matter, it made sense why their investigation wasn't able to find anything concrete at the crime scenes. As these thoughts shot through Metal Meister's head, Chin-Mae looked around until he finally found the landmark he was looking for: a small, rotting wooden sign.

"We're nearly there," he thought as he opened his backpack and took out the small vial of ashes that he had collected from the church. "Anyways," he continued as he turned back to Metal Meister and Walker, "that's why I'm a killer, and why you haven't been able to catch me. Pretty disappointing, right?" he said as his usual happy visage was replaced with a slight sense of melancholy. At this point, Chin-Mae half-expected the pair to attack him right then and there. After all, in their eyes, he had led them on a wild goose chase. However, much to his shock, that didn't happen at all. Metal Meister certainly looked annoyed, but Walker, on the other hand, still had an inquisitive look to his eye.

"Even if that's the case," the boy started as he took a step towards Chin-Mae, "you still aren't telling us everything. True, you may be doing this because you're nothing more than a run-of-the-mill killer, but there's something more. I mean, you only started killing quite recently. If what you said is true then your selfish campaign of death would've begun much earlier." Just like before, the man smiled. However, this grin wasn't one of childlike glee. Instead it was... sad. Like that of a parent saying goodbye to their child.

"Allen Walker..." Chin-Mae thought as his heart started to beat. "You and Metal Meister don't even know how important you are." The corrupt hero who ruled over the slums, and the boy who he had taken under his wing. The light they gave off was small now, but, given time, Chin-Mae believed that they could become a radiant sun. "When I was in high school I joined the kendo club. After a while, I got pretty good at it. Heck, I still carry a sword with me to this day. Here, why don't you take a look at it," he told the boy as he tossed his hidden weapon to the young hero.

"Wait? What?" Walker said, shocked, as he fumbled with the blade. Once he had finally gotten it under control, he started to carefully inspect the weapon. After all, it could've been a trap. However, he stopped when he noticed the familiar emblem that was imprinted on the sword's hilt. "U.A. High?!" he yelped as he looked up at the killer. "You went to U.A.?!" he asked.

"Technically I did," he said as he turned around and continued walking. "Don't get all excited now. I wasn't part of the hero course. To me, U.A. High was just another school." Truth be told, when he was a student at U.A., he was part of the business class. "When everyone thinks about how selective U.A. is, they only think about getting into the hero section. After all, that is everyone's dream. However, as I'm sure you know, most people aren't talented enough to make the cut," he shrugged. "Though, honestly, I'm not complaining. I never wanted to be a hero. I enjoyed my time as a student just like anyone else. Plus, my desires didn't exactly mesh well with the values of that place." A serial killer who had attended U.A. High? The idea was laughable. "Then again," he thought as he made his way to the rotten sign, "the ideals I gained there might be why I started this journey in the first place."

"Hey, slow down, where are you going?! I've got more questions!" Walker yelled as he and Metal Meister hurried after Chin-Mae, the man's sword dangling at his hip. The pair dashed forward recklessly, charging through the green without a second thought. With every step they took, Chin-Mae seemed to get a little bit faster. Eventually, right when they were both about to break out into a sprint, the killer came to a stop.

"We're here," he said, his voice monotone and flat as Allen and Metal Meister practically fell into the clearing. Metal Meister, in his haste, tripped on a root, causing him to come plummeting down onto a large, flat rock.

"Ow! God damn it's always something," he hissed as he rubbed his aching head. After that, he got up, and finally got a chance to survey the area Chin-Mae had led them to. Allen Walker, of course, recognized the place instantly. It went without saying that he had never actually been here, but the feeling of places like this was one that he was all too familiar with. "A... graveyard?" Metal Meister spoke as one of his eyelids twitched. "I should've known a nutcase like this one would bring us someplace weird..." he thought.

"Yup," Chin-Mae spoke as he walked up and placed a tender hand upon one of the many headstones, "you're correct, Metal Meister, but you still haven't figured out the significance of this little outcropping. After all," he started as he turned around and stared daggers at the corrupt hero, "these are the graves that you filled." At his words, Metal Meister couldn't help but scoff and roll his eyes.

"Oh, please, spare us the melodrama. Did you really drag me and the kid out here to chastise me about my past wrongdoings?" Judging by the killer's words, it was obvious that he knew about his illegal operations, but, in this situation, that didn't mean a damn thing. However, yet again, Chin-Mae only grinned and chuckled.

"True... I guess talking about your crimes would be a tad redundant," he said as he returned his focus to one of the graves. "Still..." he started, "it's because of these here graves that we're in this position today, Metal Meister." With that, the killer sighed and sat down, leaning against the gravestone that he had been tending to. As he spoke, Chin-Mae momentarily looked upwards, staring through the numerous branches and leaves at the sky above. "It was a strange life," he mumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tell me, hero, if I told you that I grew up in your slums, would you believe me?" Yet again, Metal Meister could only grunt and shrug.

"I don't care what hole you crawled out of," he said, "in the end, you're nothing but murderous scum." Metal Meister knew damn well how horrible that part of town was, and even though he was partially responsible for some of the crime there, currently, he was trying his upmost to turn it around. "That place is a hellhole," he continued, "I wouldn't be surprised if a demon like you was birthed there." To say that Metal Meister didn't feel remorse for this turn of events would be dishonest. As a hero, having such a horrid human being call his backyard home was disturbing. However, there was nothing he could say or do to refute this. It was obvious that Chin-Mae was, at least indirectly, a product of his own actions. Yet, even though that was the case, he refused to let such a crooked idea bring him down. "So are you saying you want an apology?" the corrupt hero growled. "Don't make me laugh. As a hero and as a man, I simply can't do that. Especially not when my junior's watching," he finished as he nodded towards Walker. "The boy may have ample experience," he thought, "but I'm still his elder. I should at least try to set a good example for him." If there was one thing in the hero business that every student had to learn eventually, it was that, no matter what, you had to remain true to yourself. That was the only way to survive in this cutthroat industry.

"Not even a hint of hesitation..." Chin-Mae thought as he scoffed. "Then again, I am dealing with Metal Meister here. The man was never known for his sense of remorse." Truth be told, it didn't matter how this hero thought of him. As long as he knew the truth, then both he and Walker could start moving in the right direction. "I guess it's about time that I tell you, Walker, the motivation—besides my own pleasure—behind my killings," he spoke as a group of butterflies flew overhead. The second those words left his mouth, the atmosphere of their conversation completely changed. It became even more unsteady than before, almost as if Walker and Metal Meister were both standing at the precipice of a bottomless pit.

"Your... motivation?" Walker pondered as he nervously gulped down a ball of nonexistent-saliva. He still couldn't fathom why this man, this incarnation of villainy, so carefully picked out his victims. He could've chosen anybody to kill, but Walker knew better than most that that wasn't entirely the case. "There has to be a reason why he killed the Eiichis," he thought as he bit his lip, looking up at Chin-Mae's face with the expectant guise of a student. Once the killer was certain that the pair's attention was focused entirely on him, he sighed yet again and turned back to the grave he was facing.

"Man, you two don't even know how funny this situation is. Heck, I doubt the two of you, with your normal sensibilities, could even comprehend my reasonings. But I guess that's just life. After all, in the end, all three of us are trying our best to save the slums. Or, at least, that's my impression," he spoke as he strangely puffed-out his chest like some proud warrior. It was such a bizarre sight that Allen and Metal Meister could only stare in silence for a few moments, stuck knee-deep in a sense of bewilderment. Unbeknownst to them, this man—Chin-Mae—would set both of their lives spiraling down a quick and dangerous path. Especially for the young Allen Walker, this person would serve as an integral guidepost to lead him to his future.


All Might frowned as he stared at the blood red horizon which stretched out endlessly in front of him. He was currently perched comfortably in one of the staff room's many leather couches. Mr. Aizawa, Ms. Midnight, and the rest of U.A. High's instructors were all present. All of them no doubt preparing for the staff meeting that they were all dreading. "Here's hoping that the principal will go easy on us this time," the retired hero thought with a frown as he nervously gripped his leg. With the annual culture festival coming to a close, it would soon be time for all of them to start preparing the next round of exams. And, in his class' case, new training curriculums. It went without saying that all of this was simply par for the course. However, thanks to a certain individual, their sense of normalcy had been shattered.

"Are you worrying about Walker?" Aizawa asked him as he took a seat in a neighboring couch.

"Huh, what gave it away?" All Might asked his coworker and comrade as the two teachers hastily skimmed over their notes for the rapidly-approaching semester. "It's been difficult..." All Might sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm struggling to come up with activities that the boy can take part in. I know that being excluded from most internships and the like is supposed to be his punishment, but such a thing shouldn't effect his education, should it?" All Might knew that Allen Walker was a good kid. Hell, considering the fact that he didn't have a quirk, he'd honestly call him inspiring. However, even though that was the case, and it was his responsibility to educate this young lad, the endless webs of red tape were making the task exceedingly difficult. In response, Aizawa only sighed and leaned back into his seat.

"I understand where you're coming from, All Might, but this situation isn't exactly surprising. He killed a villain without a license. Legally, even if it was for the right reasons, that's still murder. Dammit he's lucky that he didn't get arrested," the man groaned as he looked out the window at the courtyard below. He saw several members of Class 1-A and B carefully cleaning up after the festivities. All of them had happy expressions, and it seemed as if everything was just business as usual at U.A. High. But these two teachers knew that that wasn't true.

"Your class' part really was something, Mr. Aizawa," Ms. Midnight told the hero as she gave him a thumb's up. "So was Class 1-B's! All of you did amazingly well!" Aizawa scoffed at the woman's words. It was true that his class had done well, however, there was something... unsettling... about the whole thing that had been lingering in the back of his mind since the festival ended.

"True, and thank you, but I can't say I'm exactly pleased with the way they handled it," he said, his voice soft and foreboding. When All Might and Ms. Midnight both raised their eyebrows in confusion, Aizawa frowned yet again and stared out the window. "Did neither of you notice it?" he started. "At first, I thought they were doing incredible working together. However, as much as it pains me to say it, my class wasn't completely unified in that party."

"What do you mean?" All Might asked the hero with a concerned look on his face, garnering the attention of all of the teachers in the staff room.

"You must be blind," Aizawa started, "after all, didn't you notice that Walker wasn't taking part in their party?" At the man's words, All Might couldn't help but take in a shocked breath. High school festivals were an activity that an entire class had to take part in. Heck, that was the entire purpose of the activity! "I didn't find out until one of the students posted this video online," the hero continued as he raised up his phone for All Might and Ms. Midnight to see.

"A... clown?" All Might mumbled as Aizawa nodded. "Did the school hire a professional entertainer or something?" he asked. After all, that was the natural reaction. Those movements and tricks that the clown was performing weren't something an amateur could learn in a fortnight, after all. That was the level of the sheer talent that this person was displaying.

"Ooh~" Ms. Midnight gushed as she jokingly raised her hands up to her cheeks in glee. "That clown looks absolutely adorable! You've got to tell me his nam—" she stopped. It appeared that she had finally figured out what her coworker was trying to show them. "Wait a minute..." she started as she looked up and locked eyes with Mr. Aizawa. "Isn't that..."

"Allen Walker? Yes it is," Class 1-A's teacher finished her sentence as he returned his phone to his pocket. "It's hard to believe, isn't it? What with those exceptional movements and layers of makeup. However, there's no other person it could be. Plus," he mumbled, "there's no way this institution would hire an outsider for our students' culture festival." If one stopped to think about it for a moment, they'd hastily realize that such a notion was completely preposterous. "I've been asking around, and it appears that Walker participated in the festival as a clown because he wasn't allowed to take part in his class' project."

"That's depressing..." Ms. Midnight mumbled as she looked up towards the ceiling and frowned. "Do you have any idea why your students wouldn't want him involved?" she asked. After all, it wasn't like Aizawa's students were a gang of bullies. In her experience, at least, they were all pretty good kids. All Might agreed with her, he just couldn't understand how a class with Midoriya, a person who was frequently bullied in his younger years, would willingly ignore one of their classmates. However, after just a moment of thought, the answer to this strange paradox dawned on the two heroes.

"So that's how it is," All Might thought as he tiredly rubbed his eyes. He always did find it strange how silent Class 1-A was after Walker killed that villain. In his naivety, he believed that they were all simply able to sweep the issue under the rug. However, it appeared that, no matter how idealistic the situation may be, nothing could change the crushing reality of the boy's actions. "I guess it might be a bit too much for them," he mumbled as he turned back to his coworkers. "Are you going to talk to the principal about this?" All Might asked the tired teacher. However, yet again, Mr. Aizawa shook his head.

"No..." he started with a sigh. "With something like this I doubt he'd be able to do anything. What Walker did is something that heavily goes against a lot of our students' ideals and beliefs. We can't just tell them to make up and act friendly and pretend that that'll actually work." Those words were ones that All Might didn't want to hear. However, at the same time, they were ones that he expected.

"This whole debacle is just getting worse and worse," the hero groaned as he scratched his chin. "I can't even imagine how bad some of those kids feel right now," he thought as he squeezed one of his hands up into a fist. Even though what Mr. Aizawa said was correct, Ms. Midnight wasn't wrong earlier when she said that Class 1-A was full of good people. He knew that, even the ones who were slightly rough like Bakugo, all meant well deep down. For the world to place such a heavy burden upon all of them at such a young age... it was truly horrible.

"Are you going to talk with some of them, Mr. Aizawa?" Ms. Midnight interjected as she got up from her seat. "You know that we don't condone such negative behavior here at U.A.," she said. "At the very least, we should pull the class representative aside and have her brief us on how they view this situation." Aizawa scoffed at Ms. Midnight's words. Her answer was perfect, almost as if it were lifted right off the pages of a textbook. However, he knew that the answer to this complex problem wasn't something that simple.

"If this could be solved that easily we wouldn't be having this conversation," he said as he reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small envelope. "I'm assuming the two of you also got one of these?" he asked them.

"Was that in today's mail?" All Might wondered, Aizawa nodded. When Ms. Midnight confusedly raised one of her eyebrows, Aizawa let out a frustrated breath and slowly opened the letter.

"From here on out I highly recommend checking your mail," he told them as he placed the documents that were enclosed onto a nearby table. Immediately, All Might and Ms. Midnight leaned over to view them.

"Ah hell..." Ms. Midnight cursed as she returned to her seat, "this is going to be a problem," she said. For the documents that Mr. Aizawa had shown them were ones that they were all too familiar with: complaints from families and the national schoolboard.

"In hindsight, it probably shouldn't come as a surprise that some of our students' parents have issues with us housing Walker. After all, considering the boy's actions, its only natural," Aizawa continued as he scooped up the list of complaints and returned them to his left breast pocket. "Discussing this matter was one of the topics for today's meeting, didn't you see that in the email?" he asked. When Ms. Midnight and All Might didn't respond, Aizawa sighed yet again.

"I was busy working on my upcoming lectures," All Might mumbled as he embarrassingly rubbed the back of his neck. Ms. Midnight, on the other hand, simply shrugged and nonchalantly started to whistle. She must've forgotten it. However, once that misunderstanding was cleared up, a whole new issue bubbled up to the surface. "Wait a minute..." All Might started as he turned back to Mr. Aizawa, "if the schoolboard really is that worried about it, what are we going to do?" It wasn't like they could simply suspend Walker. Even though he did what he did, the hero association and the school had already officially given the boy their respective punishments. Adding on anymore at this point would just be redundant.

"Yeah, I was wondering about that too," Aizawa said as a few more teachers walked into the meeting room. It seemed as if they were about to begin. Before everyone took their seats, Aizawa stood up and gave All Might a small nod. "Don't worry about Walker, All Might, I've got a plan," he said.

"Oh, you do? What is it?" the hero asked as Aizawa slowly made his way to the main conference table.

"It's simple, really," the man started, "the main issue at the moment is that everyone is on edge due to the boy's presence. So, I was thinking that we'd do something to... let's say... make him more normal."

"What in the world does that mean?" Ms. Midnight wondered as she stretched her arms over her head. In response, Aizawa simply grinned and patted another one of his pockets.

"Well if the parents have a problem with him, why don't we have his family or guardian come over and iron things out?" Class 1-A's homeroom teacher said, causing All Might to raise his eyebrows in shock.

"You're saying... that you want him to participate in parent-teacher conferences?" he said as Aizawa grinned. Normally, since Walker was a transfer student, such matters would be handled via email or similar means. But, considering the circumstances, having the school officially notify Walker's guardians about a meeting would definitely help. After all, parents apologizing for their kid's actions was something that was to be expected in this day and age. Showing that there was another face to Walker—and a normal one at that—could indeed help to close the gap between him and his peers. "If Mr. Aizawa can convince the principal we can even have the school pay for his parents' transportation and lodging. That would definitely help to alleviate some of the confusion," the man thought as he turned back to his coworker. "Do you have his guardians' contact information?" All Might asked. However, Mr. Aizawa only shook his head.

"No, not yet, I was planning to ask the principal about it during this meeting. After all, it isn't like those things are hard to come by," Aizawa mumbled as he got comfortable in one of the cushioned seats. The hardest part of this whole plan was simply getting permission from the schoolboard. Once that was completed, all they'd have to do was contact the boy's guardians and everything would drop into place. "Hopefully, this idea will go off without a hitch," he thought as he closed his eyes. However, as this instructor would soon learn, gaining this information would prove to be a fruitless endeavor. After all, how could one contact someone that didn't exist?


Author's Note

Another day, another chapter, I hope you guys all enjoyed this one as this is where I start making this story truly gray in the conventional sense. I've been waiting to spring this one out for awhile, so I really am interested to see what you guys think about all of this. That said, all that's really left is to keep writing on my end, so I'll just end this little note here. Please, rate and review, have a good day, and I'll see you guys on the next chapter of A Tale of Two Endlings!

Chapter Fifteen: No Right Answer