Written by Aduubo, Buckichamp, and PikachuSpartan.
I OWN NOTHING. KILL LA KILL IS OWNED BY STUDIO TRIGGER AND KAZUKI NAKASHIMA. MHA IS OWNED BY TOHO ANIMATION AND KOHEI HORIKOSHI. _
-Hosu City, Ten minutes earlier-
-CLANG-
No hesitation.
In the madness that engulfed Hosu, Tenya found the man he sought out – The Hero Killer: Stain. He quickly countered Iida's movement and stunned the young speedster briefly.
'There he is,' Tenya seethed while trying to keep his emotions in check. 'The Hero Killer is right there. I have to stop him-'
..~~~HLK~~~..
"Okay. But, during our internships, I'll be checking up on you in our group chat. Please promise me that you'll get back to us. We're all in this together, Iida. I'm doing this because we care about you. And we want to be there for you."
..~~~HLK~~~..
'Midoriya,' Tenya looked up to see the walking armory glance him over. The cerebral eyes seemed to be analyzing everything Stain could notice with the teenager.
'I need to stop him. Not just for my brother, but everyone else!'
"Your suit looks very similar to that of Ingenium. Tell me, what do you hope to gain coming here in that uniform, knowing full well what I did to that hero? I let him live to spread the good word," Stain questioned, causing Iida to stiffen.
Tenya stared down the man responsible for crippling his brother, the man wanted for countless murder's and career ending injuries of many heroes. He tried to keep a cool head, but the way he talked made his blood boil.
'Is he mocking me?!' Iida wondered, clenching his fist tighter as he took a stand.
"The suit I wear is his legacy," Iida broke his silence, earning a puzzled look from Stain.
"I am part of a prestigious family line, each generation producing another hero to continue that legacy."
Tears started to form in the speedster's eyes as his voice started to waver.
"When I was growing up, I was happy knowing that my brother would be there with me. To guide and tutor me until it was my turn to take on the mantle."
As his fists shook, he clenched them tighter than before, causing him pain in his palms. All Iida could do was glare at the pavement below.
"But now… because of what happened, what YOU did, that can never be. My brother will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair because of you. We will never have the chance to train together, run together, patrol together. I won't be able to work under him and learn what I can to truly carry on our family name."
Tenya's head snapped up, as he faced Stain with unfettered hatred and rage pouring out of his gaze.
"YOU TOOK THAT AWAY FROM ME! YOU TOOK EVERYTHING!"
Stain only stared. His blank expression soon changed to disinterest, which struck a nerve with Iida.
"Now, what are you really here for, boy?" Stain asked.
"What? What are you talking about? I'm here to stop you!"
"And yet you've made it entirely about your brother. Not about this fake right in front of me," Stain said while kicking the downed Native.
"I'm here to stop you, Hero Killer. Nothing more… nothing less!"
With that, Iida rushed at Stain with a full-speed kick.
Seeing the attack coming from a mile away, Stain quickly side-stepped from Iida and nailed him with a boot straight to the back. Tenya skidded across the alley, merely a few feet away from Stain and the other side of the street.
"No… No, there's something else entirely. You strike with the intent to kill, but your eyes tell a different story," Stain analyzed.
'That hurt! I knew the Hero Killer was skilled, but I was at my top speed. His reaction time…'
Iida recalled a moment during the Sports Festival: The fight between Midoriya and Matoi.
'...It's almost as fast as those two!' Iida thought as he got up from Stain's attack.
"You came here with the intent to fight, and you're making mistakes even a toddler could point out. Make as many excuses as you want, but it's about time you face the facts, kid…"
Tenya jetted forward with an axe-kick to Stain's head, only for him to crane his neck to the side, dodging the assault. As his leg descended, the hero assassin clotheslined Iida, slamming him into the nearby dumpster.
"...deep down, you don't want to fight. No, you have something else in mind. You want answers," Stain concluded, causing Iida to falter.
"You wanted to know why your brother, out of all the fakes out there, was attacked by me. As if you're entitled to the reasoning of my culling. That level of selfishness is what I wish to purge from this society. A hero shouldn't let personal attachments hinder their means of thinking when dealing with a villain. A hero-"
"Bite your tongue, you cretin!" Iida snapped, cutting Stain off.
The Hero Killer looked at his prey, slowly getting to his feet.
"Who are you to judge what is hero-like or not? Your hands are marred with the blood of many heroes, each of them with their own goals and ambitions. Yet you felt it was necessary to cut their lives short. Not once giving them even a moment of counsel. I refuse… to let you dictate such twisted ideals any longer. You hear me, you villain?!"
Iida stared into the killer's eyes with a glare as sharp as a knife. Stain watched as the child in front of him vented his frustration.
"I am Ingenium, and I will stop you! That, I promise!"
Tenya attacked the Hero Killer with another kick aimed for his torso. The bandit jumped over him and stuck a spike from his boot into Iida's shoulder before stomping down on his head, pinning him down and sticking into his arm.
"The hell's wrong with you, kid? You're ramblin' all over the place. You losin' it or something?" Stain looked down at Tenya with his question.
"S-SHUT UP! You're the psychotic murderer here! Stop comparing me to the likes of you!" Iida shouted, feeling offended by Stain's question.
"Hmph. Maybe. But, there's a difference between you and I," Stain said coldly.
"In my younger days, I thought that everything was perfect. That all of the heroes were as noble as the people said. That is, until I saw how corrupted this society truly was. Because of that, I can see what people are. Nobody ever says what they mean. Some lie to the world; some lie to themselves and don't even know it."
Iida tried to force himself up, not wanting to waste his time with all of this talk. But Stain only pressed his foot down further, drawing out a painful grunt from him.
"And then there's you. You don't know what you want. You don't even know who you are."
"I know what I want. You're just a little boy whose mind is trapped between walls, gasping for air."
Tenya gasped as the philosophical realization Stain laid out hit him like a truck. He was losing his bearings so badly that the cold-blooded killer was the one putting his sanity into question. The irony of it all tore Iida apart.
Stain then pulled the blade out of Iida's arm, bringing the blood-ridden end to his mouth and licked the crimson off it. Iida was then paralyzed, unable to feel anything in his body.
"Goodbye, child. You might not be a fake, but you're too far gone to be preserved in this world. Me killing you now is a mercy. Hopefully, you will have a better chance in your next life."
"No, please! Not like this!" Iida pleaded.
His words fell on deaf ears as Stain aimed the katana right for his head. But out of nowhere, he was met with a fist to the face.
..~~~HLK~~~..
-Honnōji Academy, Student Council Meeting Room: Same time-
"You'd better have a good reason for calling us all here, four-eyes!" a very grouchy Jakuzure yelled upon entering the Student Council Meeting Room with the other members of the Elite Four.
Up on the higher platform, Inamuta stood beside a screen while Satsuki sat on the other end. Jakuzure, Gamagori, and Sanageyama shortly took their seats.
"Can't believe I'm missing out on a new stuffed animal just to sit through this," Nonon pouted.
"Couldn't you just get it another time?" Sanageyama asked.
"If I had help, maybe I would! It's not easy to get a limited edition item when you're by yourself!"
"Awww, I thought you were so independent!" Uzu mocked.
"I'm independent! But I like company from time to time! It's not easy when you guys are the only friends I have!" she yelled.
"Maybe if you weren't such a hardass to your students, they'd like you more. Even Satsuki manages her PR better."
"SHUT UP!"
"If you're both done arguing, I'd like to go over why I called you all here at this hour. UA is currently having their students embark on pro hero internships. I was given permission by Lady Satsuki to observe Izuku Midoriya as he was actually on his way to Shibuya, which isn't far from here," Inamuta explained.
"I bet you must be real excited about that little green-bean, huh, Inamuta?" Jakuzure scoffed.
"Hey, I would have liked to meet the kid again. How come you didn't tell us, Inamuta?" Sanageyama asked.
"We are not here to coddle him, Sanageyama. He is still just a commoner. Whether he joins us or not, he'll have to fight his way to the top like the rest of them," Satsuki spoke up.
"Right. And, his train was abruptly stopped in Hosu City, when a creature hijacked the train. They called it a Nomu, the same creature that attacked the USJ. My bots were able to track Midoriya until we found quite the find."
Inamuta then put up a display on the projector that showed Midoriya about to face off against the Hero Killer.
"Pff, so the kid's going to fight. So what? Didn't we see him lose against Matoi already?" Jakuzure rolled her eyes.
"That was a fight between close companions, Jakuzure. This time, he's fighting to survive," Satsuki reminded her.
"Thank you, Lady Satsuki," Inamuta showed his appreciation.
Jakuzure groaned and slumped on the desk. She hated whenever Satsuki took someone else's side. It just made it impossible to give them shit.
"Oh, hold up. They're about to start," Sanagayama said, garnering the attention of his compatriots.
"Really, how can you tell? You're blind!" Nonon questioned, surprised that Uzu was somehow following along with the fight.
"There are other ways to see Jakuzure," Uzu said while "staring" off into the distance.
"..."
"What?"
"If that was your way of trying to sound cool, just know that you failed miserably. That was probably the dumbest shit I have ever heard!" Nonon exclaimed.
"W-What?! No it's not!" Sanagayama defended.
"Both of you, quiet," Inamuta chided, wanting all the focus he needed to gather data.
'Time to show me what you're really made of, Izuku Midoriya.'
..~~~HLK~~~..
'I hope this will be enough,' Midoriya readied himself as he hid his phone behind his back.
Knowing the dire straits he was about to face, Midoriya sent his location into the class group chat. Even if it was one person, someone would at least try to put two and two together and send help.
'But for now, I'm the only one who can slow him down. Hopefully enough til a Pro Hero comes by. If any.'
"You actually landed a hit on me, boy. Few fakes have managed to touch me in the past. All of them fell as a result. Tell me, how will you fare in comparison to them?" Stain questioned, earning a chill in the young hero's spine.
"Midoriya… Please, run."
Izuku looked at his downed friend, and saw a look of mild frustration.
"This has nothing to do with you. I'm the one that has to defeat him! So please, take the pro and-"
"Stop."
Iida's plea was interrupted by Midoriya.
"I am about to fight the HERO KILLER, Iida. This can wait. And besides, it's just like All Might said…"
Midoriya cracked his knuckles and neck, then reloaded both of his arms and went into a boxer stance.
"Meddling in others affairs, is the essence of being a hero!"
Stain let out a short grunt, processing through Midoriya's speech. While the greenette stood tall, ready to make his move, Stain's expression soon changed into a wicked, deranged smile.
"Heh."
With full cowling activated, Midoriya was off and running at eight percent.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"Looks like they're off," Sanageyama noted.
"He had to make the first move. But lunging in like that isn't a recipe for success other than trying to avoid the blades," Houka noted.
As they watched on, Midoriya skirted around Stain, who whiffed with both his long and short blades.
"Whoa! The kid has some serious speed," Jakuzure looked on with a shocked expression.
"He's faster than the results we recorded from the sports festival!" Inamuta stood up, his jaw dropping slightly.
"You're saying he's improved again?" Sanageyama asked.
As the Hero Killer looked around for Midoriya, the boy was already a few feet above, leaping up and landing a devastating punch to the top of the head.
"Amazing!" Inamuta fawned. "What changed in such a short time?"
"You're stumped?" Jakuzure raised an eyebrow, finding it hard to believe.
Midoriya leaped back briefly before bouncing around the walls and connecting on another blow.
"Geez! Is the broccoli head using those walls like a pinball machine's buffers?!" the girl huffed.
"He let his guard down," Uzu spoke out, drawing glances from the others.
..~~~HLK~~~..
'Alright! This is working! Stall for time and help will-'
Midoriya's train of thought grinded to a halt as his body hit the ground, his arms barely keeping him up.
'What?! When did I get cut?! One graze was all it took?'
Midoriya looked to his right and saw a bloodcurdling sight; his blood on Stain's short blade.
"You're not quite powerful enough, but you made a good effort," Stain started to talk, briefly pausing next to the inheritor.
"You may have gotten the jump on me at first, but I saw through your plan."
The vigilante started moving toward Iida, still rambling on.
"True heroes like you are worth keeping alive. You're not one of those false heroes who like to bluster. Like Endeavor or this fake," the fanatic nodded toward Native. "You're different from them."
..~~~HLK~~~..
The Honnōji student council looked stunned.
"So… he licked his blood and froze him?" Jakuzure squeaked, her face turning pale.
"Damn. His swordsmanship is impressive. How bad is the cut?" Sanageyama asked.
"I can't even see it!" Inamuta explained. "What about you, Lady Satsuki?"
The Kiryuin heiress stayed silent, intently watching what was transpiring on the screen. She wondered what Midoriya could do if he was paralyzed.
As the Hero Killer approached Iida, Midoriya tried to plead with him to stop.
-FWOOOSH-
Everyone watching the broadcast went silent, as flames pushed Stain back and nearly fried the nanobot.
"C'mon! Get me a visual," the sky bluenette huffed, before another nanobot dispatched to the scene showed Shoto Todoroki standing next to his downed classmate.
"Hey, Inamuta. Is that one of the kid's pals? The one who nearly burned the entire stadium to a crisp?" Jakuzure wanted to confirm.
"Yes! The youngest Todoroki!"
'That boy,' Gamagori pondered. 'I wonder…'
..~~~HLK~~~..
"Todoroki…"
Midoriya looked to see his fellow classmate as he unleashed a torrent of flames that put the Hero Killer on the back foot.
"Midoriya, you should be more detailed when telling us what's going on. Sending your location wasn't really much of a message. I almost didn't make it in time," Todoroki lectured.
He then created an ice hill that carried Izuku, Tenya, and Native over towards him, keeping them at a safe distance from the villain.
"Sorry, but you won't be taking any more lives today, Hero Killer," Todoroki activated the flame on his left hand as a warning.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"Looks like things might be a wash from here. I'm sure Todoroki can keep the Hero Killer back with his quirk," Jakuzure added with a sigh of relief. She was actually on the edge of her seat from all of this tension.
But her words were refuted as a cut was made on Todoroki's cheek, coming from the wild blade that Stain threw.
Not even a second later, Stain was up in his face. He pulled out a knife to strike, but the blade was blocked by an ice formation. The Bandit then looked up at his sword in the air, which made Todoroki do the same.
Being fixated on the sword, Todoroki was nearly blindsided when the Hero Killer grabbed him to lick his cut. The teen activated his flames to push him back. The deranged killer grabbed his weapons and made a slice straight through an ice wall Todoroki tried to put up.
"Holy crap! He got close to him that fast?!" Jakuzure was shocked.
"He closed the gap and almost managed to fake the kid out! That guy's got some serious skills! I'd like to fight him someday," Sanageyama analyzed while stroking his chin.
"This isn't good. With the others incapacitated, I don't know how long Todoroki can keep this up," Inamuta furrowed his brow.
"When did all of you become so concerned over some young hero students?"
Everyone turned to Satsuki, unsure how to take question.
"I've seen enough to know how this fight will end."
With that, the Kiryuin opened the door to grab some fresh air.
"I'll be back momentarily," Satsuki noted before leaving the others alone.
"What did she mean by that?" Uzu turned to Nonon.
"Beats me," she shrugged.
Stain threw another curveball in the shape of knives that pierced Todoroki's left arm. In that moment, he leaped over the ice wall with a serrated katana, ready to finally end Native.
"SMASH!"
Izuku was suddenly in the air with Stain, his foot aimed up high above him. Performing an axe kick, his heel slammed directly into the fanatic's fingers with pinpoint accuracy. The world around Stain stopped as he fell to the ground.
All of the feeling he had in his body was numb, as he could only focus on the pain that came from his right hand, as four of his fingers were broken, minus his thumb.
"GAHH! NNGHH!" he hissed through clenched teeth.
The Vigilante's vision was blurred from the sudden pain, but not enough that he couldn't see a green figure rushing him again.
Midoriya attempted to add more strain to his right arm by forcing the killer to block with it. But Stain knew this tactic and managed to counter the incoming punch with his left arm.
"I'm through with your games, boy!" Stain yelled as he grabbed Izuku's fist, pulling him close and following with a headbutt to the nose.
Dazed from the surprise attack, Midoriya kicked off of Stain's chest to gain some distance.
"Midoriya, dodge!"
Izuku looked back before jumping to the side as another wall of ice was created by Todoroki.
"Are you alright?!" Todoroki asked, concerned for his comrade.
"Yeah… I'm okay," Izuku nodded, shaking away some of the dizziness from the headbutt. He flinched slightly, trying to nurse his now broken nose.
"Ow, the nose again. I really don't want this to be a trend in the near future."
"Why are you both doing this? He should be fighting me! I'm the one who inherited my brother's name!" Tenya cried out, still helpless on the ground.
Both of the boys looked back at Iida as he made his declaration.
"You wanna make your brother proud?"
Tenya looked at Todoroki, the heterochromatic teen looking down at him.
"Stand up and become Ingenieum! BECOME THE HERO HE WANTED YOU TO BE!" Todoroki turned his attention back to Stain, releasing another flurry of ice at the Hero Killer.
"Todoroki…" Izuku glanced at his teammate, actually surprised by the words coming from him.
His attention then went to Todoroki's left arm. The knives previously thrown were still embedded into his forearm.
"Hey, wait a second."
Shoto looked toward his classmate, curious what he wanted now.
"Yes, what is it?"
..~~~HLK~~~..
"Ouch, that headbutt smarts. I heard the crunch of the kid's nose. Hell, I practically felt that!" Sanagayama said, relaying his findings to the rest of the group.
"It's Midoriya's first real brawl, I doubt he has taken account for more cruder means of battling. And it's not really helped with the Iida son constantly weeping," Inamuta said, giving out a more descriptive playback.
"Whatever. When is this thing going to end anyway? All this back and forth is starting to get too tedious," Nonon complained.
"Is it because of the fight itself, or are you just hoping to get back in time for the sale?" Uzu said, earning a surprised gasp from the girl.
"Okay, that has nothing to do with this!"
"Will you two stop with your bickering so I can-"
*RIP*
An audible sound of cloth being torn was heard by the trio, sending their attention back toward the fight.
"Is he…?" Jakuzure began to ask.
"Yep. Looks like it. Actually that is pretty smart. What do you think, Inamuta?" Sanagayama asked
"..."
"Inamuta?"
Houka couldn't answer, as his attention was on Izuku Midoriya and what he saw on the screen.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"There, that should be tight enough." Midoriya said, tightening the makeshift bandage on Todoroki's forearm.
Seeing his friend's condition, Midoriya decided to tear off his left suit sleeve to help stop the bleeding, just enough until help arrived.
"Thank's Midoriya, but are you sure this will last? My flames might burn them off." Shoto asked, somewhat concerned.
"It's fine. While it's not really blade-proof, my suit is fire resistant. Your current temperature would only do as much as heat damage," Izuku explained.
"If you both are finished…"
The two student's turned their attention back to the Hero Killer, honestly forgetting for a brief second that they were fighting him.
"How about we continue where we left off?" Stain said, readying his blades. His broken fingers, now also sporting a makeshift tourniquet.
"I hope you have a plan for that, Midoriya," Todoroki warned, readying himself for the next round.
"Yeah, I got one… Maybe two," Izuku snarked, earning a small deadpan stare from his partner.
"You've been hanging around Matoi too much. Her personality is rubbing off on you."
"Yeah, you wouldn't be the first to say that much. And one more thing also rubbed off, if you think about it," Izuku said as his left hand moved to his right shoulder.
"Yeah, and what's that?"
Izuku's only answer was him clenching his right shoulder.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"Okay seriously, what's up with you? You've been silent ever since he… oh," Jakuzure looked on at the screen, seeing a certain greenette with one sleeve ripped off and a surprisingly buff, yet lean arm exposed.
"Lemme guess, he ripped one of his sleeves off?" Sanagyama predicted.
"Okay, I'm really starting to doubt you're blind. How can you tell?" Jakuzure asked her blind friend.
"It doesn't take a genius to tell that he ripped his sleeve off. I heard the rip from all the way over here," Uzu explained.
"Whatever. Inamuta, stop being horny and give us some damn feedback!" Nonon chided.
That comment got Houka out of his dazed state and turned his attention back to his associates.
"HOW DARE YOU?! I will have you know that I was mainly focusing on the battle in front of us! Not being "horny" as you say! I can't believe you would make such a-"
*RIP*
Inamuta's rant was cut short as another rip was heard from his robot's comm's. Quickly, he went back to the screen to see that Midoriya ripped his other sleeve off.
"Uh…Inamuta, you okay?" Uzu asked.
"Yeah, you got really quiet all the sudden- God damn it," Nonon facepalmed.
Inamuta just stared at the screen while the drone happened to be conveniently zoomed in on Izuku from his torso up. The sky blue haired teen stayed like this until he dropped his datapad.
"Oh no! Dammit, my tablet!" he immediately snapped out of his trance and tended to his item.
"Looks like there's something he loves more than that boy," Nonon rolled her eyes.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"I hope your plan works, Midoriya!" Todoroki shouted, igniting his left side.
"Alright! Let's go!" Izuku yelled, rushing toward the Hero Killer.
"Good. Now, let's see what you're made of!" Stain exclaimed, rushing toward the greenette.
As the two came close, Todoroki unleashed another blast from his cold side. Feeling the incoming attack, Izuku jumped up to dodge so that the attack caught Stain by surprise.
Seeing the oncoming ice pillars, Stain started hopping on each one, getting closer to Shoto.
"You use your Quirk far too much. It makes you a lousy fight-URK!" Before he could finish his taunt, Stain's throat was caught by Midoriya's sleeve. Using his whole body, Izuku throws the Hero Killer down to the icy floor – hard.
'Damn! This kid's like a leech! He just won't get off!' Stain shook the pain off and kicked Midoriya aside, jumping away before Shoto could freeze him.
He lunged at the heterochromatic teen again, who shot another fiery blaze. But Stain ducked and lined his sword up with Todoroki's arm, preparing to cut it right off.
"TODOROKI!" Izuku cried out.
Iida felt movement stirring up in his limbs. Stain's quirk was starting to wear off. His friends continued to put their lives on the line for him. He needed to stand up now, or he could never keep up with his classmates.
If he didn't, his brother would have passed the torch in vain.
"RECIPRO BURST!"
Tenya's engines powered up before launching him into action. He shot his leg forward, shattering Stain's sword with a mighty kick. Before Stain could process, the speedster followed up with another swipe, sending the killer flying back.
"Iida!" Midoriya jumped over to rejoin his friends. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, Midoriya. I'm alright. You don't need to worry about me. I'm done jeopardizing everything," Iida affirmed.
"Glad to hear it. We need a plan. Now," Todoroki stated as the Hero Killer rushed them again. He shot another wave of flames to maintain the gap between them.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"Looks like that Iida kid's finally got that stick out of his butt!" Jakuzure said.
"And the Hero Killer's starting to slip! The more he's unable to kill his target, the more desperate and reckless he's getting! This might be their last chance!" Inamuta's hands gripped the table with anticipation.
"They're getting ready for the final push! KICK HIS ASS, MIDORIYA!" Sanageyama raised his fist to the air as he cheered.
..~~~HLK~~~..
'One For All: FULL COWLING!'
"RECIPRO EXTEND!"
As Stain was in the air evading Todoroki's fire, both Iida and Midoriya jumped up to close in on him. Iida came from the front while Izuku flanked on the side.
Stain was cornered.
"No," The killer grimaced as he saw Midoriya come into view.
"HRRRAGH!"
Izuku's fist clocked him right in the cheek, followed by a devastating blow to his ribs from Tenya. The psychopath's body was completely twisted from the force of both attacks before he blacked out.
They finally won.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"YEAAAH! SHOW 'EM HOW MEAN AND GREEN WE ARE!" Sanageyama roared with pride.
Jakuzure's jaw was too busy being flat on the table to leave a snarky comeback.
"Phew. You did it again, Midoriya. You never cease to amaze me," Inamuta sighed before he wore a smile on his face.
"So."
"So?" Jakuzure and Sanageyama wondered together.
"What did you think of this impromptu meeting? Was it impressive? Surely it wasn't a waste of time since you were on the edge of your seats," Inamuta said with a smirk.
"Whoa man, I never doubted a second of this," Uzu raised his hands up defensively.
"Hmph. It was alright. It wasn't a total waste of time. I still could have gotten that stuffed animal though," Nonon pouted and looked away.
"But we did get some excellent data on not only Midoriya, but also Todoroki and Iida. I'd say that's a pretty good trade off," Houka chuckled while tilting his glasses.
"Whatever. Can we go now? Looks like they're packing up here," Nonon whined.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, RUNT?!/THERE YOU ARE!"
"That sounds like- Oh crap," Izuku perked up, only to be met with repeated chops to his scalp by Miruko, and a boot to his face by Gran Torino.
"¡Maníaca impulsiva, loca, suicida!/What did I tell you about going off on your own?!"
"I'm sorry! Ow! I'm sorry! I was just-!"
"Wait a minute, I told him to stay in the bullet train! YOU'RE BOTH DUMBASSES! What the hell are you doing bringing him out here?!" Gran Torino yelled and launched his feet into Miruko's face.
"GAH! Isn't this what you brought him out here for?!" Miruko caught him by his feet and held him upside down.
"To fight low level thugs! Not supervillains!"
"Uhh, who's this?" Shoto asked amongst the arguing duo, gesturing to Torino specifically.
"He's Gran Torino, the hero I'm interning with," Izuku answered with a sigh.
"Miruko's here? in Hosu? I thought you weren't one for team ups?" Native questioned, earning a small ear tilt from the rabbit hero.
"Oi, I'm not doing any team-ups. I'm just doing a favor," Miruko shrugged, dropping Gran Torino.
"How did you both find us?" Midoriya asked.
"Someone else told us to come here. Looks like that was the right call cuz I was getting real worried about ya," Gran Torino answered.
"I'm sorry," Izuku apologized.
It was not long before other heroes joined the scene. They quickly got on the line to contact the police and an ambulance to come tend to the teens' and Native's injuries.
Tenya's lips quivered before he mustered up the courage to approach Shoto and Izuku.
"You guys."
Todoroki turned to face him immediately, but Izuku took a bit longer before doing the same.
"You were both hurt because of me. I'm truly sorry."
Tenya's eyes began welling up with tears as he bowed.
"I was just… so angry! I couldn't see anything else."
Izuku only looked at him in silence, not saying a word. His brow scrunched up a bit before looking away without even acknowledging the apology, which Shoto was quite surprised by. But to keep the situation under control, he spoke up.
"Come on, pull yourself together. You're the class rep."
"Right," Tenya sniffled before wiping his eyes.
Todoroki made another glance at Midoriya. This kind of behavior wasn't something he'd expect to see out of him.
"GET DOWN!"
That warning from Torino came out of nowhere and caught everyone off guard. Before they were able to react, Izuku was scooped up into the air by the fleeing winged Nomu. Blood rained down on the heroes as it made its escape.
"KID!" Miruko jumped and bounced off the wall to try and grab onto either Midoriya or the Nomu, but it was able to dodge her and fly up higher.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"Whoa! What the hell is that?!" Uzu's shot out of his seat.
"It's one of the creatures attacking the city! It's got Midoriya!" Houka scrambled to grab his datapad. "We can't let it get away! Maybe if I call in my drones-"
"Hold up! Look!" Nonon stopped him by pointing at the screen.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"Let go, dammit!" Izuku struggled to pry open the monster's foot.
Stain slipped a knife out of his sleeve before licking Nomu's blood off of a hero's cheek, paralyzing the creature.
Izuku could feel that they both were descending, and that one of Nomu's legs dangled upward from gravity. He took the opportunity to grab hold of one before using his other arm to elbow the calf hard.
"It's not your time. You can't die here. Not when the world is still plagued by these fake heroes," Stain hopped right on the creature's back and shoved the knife straight into the brain.
As Nomu's grip loosened, the teen also climbed on its back to gain balance and jump off before it crash landed.
Izuku managed to touch down safely and at a distance from the two dangerous foes nearby. He felt his stomach churn as he watched blood gush all over the pavement. The Hero Killer turned to face him and everyone else with his knife out, covered in Nomu's gray matter.
"Shit! Everyone, get ready! We've got a fight on our hands!" One of the local pro heroes called out.
"Stand down, everyone. I've got this."
Almost everyone gasped upon hearing the booming voice, along with his thundering footsteps. It was Endeavor, who managed to finally catch up with the fleeing Nomu. But once he saw that the creature was dead, and his intended target was here, he grinned.
"I've found you, Hero Killer!" Endeavor shouted.
"Endeavor," Stain snarled ravenously. "You false hero."
His eyes were bloodshot, and drool ran down his face. Stain struggled to keep his posture as he was taking very slow footsteps towards the group of heroes. He didn't even take into account that his bandana fell off his face.
This killer was clearly fatigued, but it didn't make him look any less menacing.
"Good. Killing you will be a stepping stone toward fulfilling my ambition."
Stain's aura shook everyone to their core. Nobody could move a muscle as he continued to approach them.
"All of the fakes! Every last one of you must die!"
Endeavor found himself to be a victim of the shock that everyone else experienced. Izuku could feel his heart beating so hard that it was trying to come out of his chest. He may have been deemed "worthy" but he was still the closest one to the manic killer.
"COME ON! JUST TRY AND STOP ME, YOU FAKES! THERE IS ONLY ONE MAN I'LL LET KILL ME! HE IS A TRUE HERO!
Izuku lost his balance and fell onto the ground. He wanted to fight back, but his instincts wouldn't kick in. It was like he was staring death right in the face.
"ALL MIGHT IS WORTHY!"
-CLANK-
For what felt like an eternity, the heroes stared at the motionless killer as his haunting blank eyes stared back at them. He was completely out cold.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"I can't believe it," Inamuta took a labored sigh as he collapsed on his seat.
"Dude's a psycho," Jakuzure said with wide eyes.
"He was willing to take them all on, even if it meant he was going to die. As crazy as he is, he's got resolve," Sanageyama rubbed his temple.
Gamagori remained silent, with nothing more to add. None of them were prepared for how intense this fight would turn out.
"But, it looks like Satsuki was right again. Then again, we didn't expect otherwise," Inamuta added.
"Seriously, how does she always get this stuff right? I'd kill to have that kind of foresight!" Sanageyama gruffed.
Outside of the room, Satsuki stood by the door with one singular bead of sweat dripping from her chin. She held her hand to her chest as she let out a sigh. Never before, in the many years she had been in the field, been scared by something. Let alone a person.
'Chizome Akaguro, Hero Killer. You showed a resolve for your truth beyond what most ever hope to show, and many will not comprehend.'
Satsuki took one more breath before she straightened herself off of the wall she leaned on and re-entered the room.
'You kept fighting, not knowing if this battle could be your very last. Hoping you were doing the right thing. In the end, we are all fighting for something we believe in. That is what it means to be human.'
To Be Continued…
Buckichamp A/N: Quite the twist, eh? This chapter's production was the result of a compromise between PK and I (saying that since I'd been a staunch objector to just writing every detail of the Stain fight). Bringing back Satsuki and the Elite Four watching the Hosu events was something all three of us could live with. Plus, it's time they're more properly utilized in the story (take that as you will).
Also damn! Where's the love for the real MC – Ryuko – and her chapter for the internships in Chapter 34?! Everyone seemed to be flocking to Chapter 35 LOL!
You should hopefully have noticed a far different interaction between Stain and Iida compared to canon, which was PK's thinking (HIGHLY suggesting re-reading the start of Chapter 32 for the context, as well as the same for Chapter 33).
Before I forget, READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE TOP OF CHAPTER 37 WHEN THAT IS RELEASED! VERY IMPORTANT you read thoroughly (and re-read Chapter 34 closely).
With all that aside, a few clarifying notes and whatnot from the reviews (edited for brevity and clarity):
Q: Great chapter. Really enjoyed Izuku's training session, and that dream... Things are just waiting to happen.
Little correction. People don't speak Spanish in Brazil, but portuguese. It has some similarities but it's completely different.
-Guest
People don't speak Spanish in Brazil, they speak Portuguese, which is a lot different. Take it from me, a Brazilian.
-Claus Alaerth
PKSpartan A/N: I did say one of her great great grandparents were from Mexico and Spanish is a spoken language in Brazil in some parts. Specifically in Rio De Janeiro, where Spanish is one of the mandatory languages in the city.
Q: So… Maverick… that's either a Hero name you've given to Nana Shimura… or you have an OC as All Might's teacher now…
Hoping for the former truthfully because having it any other way just feels wrong.
-Omegashark18
Maverick? I thought All Might's teacher was Nana Shimura?
-Kyle
Buckichamp: This is why it's crucial to pay attention while reading. I'd say it's easily inferred that Maverick refers to Nana Shimura, as we aren't fucking up the story to replace Shimura with someone else. You all be the judge of that, because it could just be me being an old man knowing everything that Aduubo and PK know. The people who read and I see connecting some dots, you are noted and make me smile as I wonder who will uncover the truth to the other questions!
Q: I'd like to see more Hero La Kill content on youtube.
-Jacob Cook
Buckichamp: Slowly but surely. We had hoped to get the first chapter or two of HLK comics out last year, but someday we'll go into more detail why it ended up taking until 2023 (hopefully) for this stuff.
Another thing of note is we kinda liked this three-week release schedule we've been on since September. We haven't been rushed, have re-populated the chapter backlog and also because of the aforementioned production of the comics that you all have waited VERY patiently for. That's gonna still take some time.
Translation: We're tentatively sticking to three weeks, but maybe finding a compromise of some kind we need to sort out AND feel comfortable with.
Before I go further, he's the groan-inducing message for some of y'all; We are going on a break from writing and publishing after tomorrow because to put it simply, it's needed. It'll be a four week hiatus of time off from work, but the next Chapter will come out on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023.
There's two more chapters after this to finish off the internship arc before the next arc comes up. I think y'all will get a kick out of what we have planned, as it is NOT Two Heroes (not doing that movie in HLK canon, see Ch. 29 author's note) or the Midterm Exams. Guess away! If someone gets the correct guess, you'll get a shoutout (but only the first person we see).
PKSpartan: And for those who get the surprise Spider-Man reference…you're awesome.