Izuku was portaled on a water tower in Hosu. He was in his costume, with all the attached weapons. Kurogiri and Tomura were waiting for him. The area was in chaos, with smoke rising and the glow of fire in plain view. "Question." Izuku pointed at the orange light. "What the fuck?" If this was their plan, he could see why they failed to kill children.
"Master Tomura met with Stain just a half hour ago," said Kurogiri. "The plan didn't go well and Stain said he'd be here. Master Tomura then released the Nomus onto the city. He called you after that." Izuku shook his head, it was a childish outburst. He expected no less from the supposed leader of the League of Villains.
"Hey! Who said you took orders from him?" Tomura didn't want Izuku to know that. It must've been embarrassing.
"Master Shigaraki. He said it would be funny." It was, Izuku found himself amused by Tomura's outburst. He didn't let it show to spare his feelings.
Tomura was scratching his neck. "Those jerks, making fun of me," he mumbled.
"Let's get on with it. What can I do to salvage this mess?" All Izuku knew was that Stain was there, and he knew the League was trying to kill him. Even an idiot could connect the dots.
"I put the Nomus out as a distraction. I want you to sneak up on Stain and kill him." It was a lie to cover up his tantrum, but it was still a bad plan.
"I want you to think about this for five seconds. You are the only person who was seen with a Nomu. There are Nomus where he's hunting after explicitly telling you he would be there. What do you think he'll be looking for?"
Tomura didn't talk for a short time. "I don't understand."
"He would be expecting somebody to sneak up on him!" Izuku couldn't stop himself from screaming.
"And that's a bad thing why?"
Izuku felt a headache coming in. Nobody could be this stupid! "He would have his guard up even higher than usual. Even if he was in a fight with a Nomu, he could notice me coming from a mile away." He hated Tomura so much at that moment. "I got it!" An insane idea popped into his head. "Portal me to him right now!" He pointed to Kurogiri.
"Of course, Master Midoriya." He opened a portal.
"Don't call me that in front of people." He walked through the hole in space.
It led to an alley. It was dark, he couldn't hear the chaos of the city. There was another person. He had a ninja outfit with pointless red bandanas and multiple knives. He was stabbing someone with a sword. This was Stain, the Hero Killer. He stood up and pointed the sword at Izuku. "Are you a hero? Did you come here to try and stop my crusade?"
That would happen if he killed him, but it's mostly because Izuku hated him. "No, I'm here to help you."
"I work alone." He put the sword on his back and started walking away. "I can make a new world without you." Stain's motives have been questioned for months. The leading theory was that he hated the current state of heroism. The evidence they had was that the only heroes he killed seemed to have more brand deals than people saved or villains caught. What he said just confirmed it.
Izuku walked up beside him. "Listen, I understand you're doing this to achieve a goal. But how do you expect to get it by randomly killing heroes?"
"I don't choose them randomly."
"That doesn't matter. The public doesn't see the connection so it might as well be random. It would help if you let people know why you do this. That's how activists have done things since forever. What you're doing is just senseless violence."
Stain put a knife in front of his face. "Do you want me to kill you?" He didn't even see the guy move.
He put his hands up. "Hey, I get it. I wouldn't want my work insulted either. But you've been working for months and nothing has come of it. No protests, no copycats, the only reason I know you have a goal is because I spend too much time on message boards. I can help you reach a wider audience."
Stain put the knife away and kept walking. "Follow." Izuku did so. "What's your name?" He wasn't gonna use his real name. What should his fake name be? Would it be a villain name? Was he a villain? He shook that thought away, he was doing righteous work. It was everyone else who thought it was wrong.
"I haven't thought of it." He looked up, he was alone. He looked around, there was an alley to his left. Stain was about to stab someone in a suit of armor. He was very familiar. He had a wide body, an aerodynamic costume design, and exhaust pipes coming out of his calves. Oh crap, it was Iida, Izuku speed-walked to him. "Hey, buddy. You don't need to kill this guy. That would be bad for your image." Stain crippled the guy's brother. He heard that from Ashido in the group text, which he was in for three hours. They begged him to keep it a secret, but he could still use it to his advantage. "It seems like you're targeting a specific bloodline. That could come off as a little eugenicsy."
"Akatani. What are you doing fraternizing with a villain?" It seems Iida thought he was Mikumo Akatani. Is that what the TV guy meant by 'someone you might know.' That guy was one mystery after another. He'd rather die than be mistaken for him, though.
"I'm not Akatani."
"I'm sorry, I meant Yamikumo. Now why are you palling around with the Hero Killer?"
Izuku thought for an extra second. This could work. He smiled lightly behind his mask, glad nobody could see his face. "Because I'm a villain. I'm part of the League of Villains. I also killed all those quirkless kids to show how none of them could be as great as me. But now you know my secret, so I should just walk away." He walked beside Stain. "Let him go, I need him." Stain nodded and took out his sword. He was most likely to cut his calf so he couldn't follow. He put his sword in the air and brought it down.
It stopped before making contact. A guy in the same costume as Izuku blocked in with a staff. He supported it with his entire body but was still shaking from exertion. "Hey, Iida. Sorry, I'm late," his voice strained. "I got a bit sidetracked with all the Nomus around." He glanced at Izuku. "Who's that guy? He kinda looks like me." It was Akatani, he didn't have a mask.
"Yamikumo, you're here? Then who's that guy over there?" Iida was still on the floor.
"I was lying, you idiot. I'm not Akatani!"
"Then you're the real Quirkless Killer!" Iida finally figured it out.
"What! You killed all those people?" Izuku didn't have the chance to answer.
Stain stopped his attack. "This isn't worth half my strength." He looked at Izuku. "You, you're plan failed. Leave now and I might spare you." Right when he thought he couldn't get worse.
"I would, but that wasn't exactly my plan." Izuku took out his staff and got in a stance. He had to be the one to kill Akatani, and letting Stain go was not an option. He had one option, and he hated it. "Hey, Yamikumo! Do you want to help me fight this guy? You don't exactly have a choice."
Akatani got ready to fight with his staff. "Fine, but when we're done. I'm not letting you go."
"I expected as much." Izuku attacked. Stain blocked and sent a knife to his skull. He barely blocked it by spinning his staff.
Akatani snuck behind the Hero Killer and attempted to hit the guy. It was caught and Akatani was held in the air. He brought back a dagger to stab him.
Izuku lunged forward, took out his knife, and stabbed Stain in the calf. It took less than a fraction of a second. Stain's leg crumpled and he fell on one knee.
"Yamikumo!" Iida was standing. "Let me help!"
"I think we're good!" Akatani was nearly stabbed in the face, he barely moved his head out of the way. "You know what, knock yourself out, buddy."
Stain moved to cut Akatani's neck. His arm was kicked by Iida, sending the knife into the wall. He was sent back and lost his grip on Akatani. He stood up, clenching the muscles in his calf, it didn't bleed a drop.
Izuku, Akatani, and Iida formed a triangle around Stain. They looked at each other, each of them nodding. They all went at once. Izuku went for his leg, he had the knife. Iida tried kicking his gut to knock the wind out of him. Akatani was going for his head, his staff could give him a concussion. It was the best plan and they all thought of it. At least Izuku assumed that.
Stain dropped falling into a plank position. He supported himself on one arm and kicked Izuku in the nose. He was flattered, he was seen as the biggest threat. Take that Akatani. He was sent back multiple feet, his nose was thoroughly broken, and his head was spinning so much it felt like a roller coaster. He couldn't breathe, so he took off the lower part of his mask. He could taste the blood rushing from his nose.
"Iida, no!" The sound of Akatani in distress was great. Izuku struggled to get up. "Damnit, Stain! Why don't you just get out of here?"
"Do you want to know why? I'll tell you wh..." Izuku's ears started ringing, he couldn't hear the villain's speech. He had a concussion, he needed to visit a hospital. Akatani didn't appreciate Stain's speech because he continued the fight. Iida didn't join because he was on the ground again. That guy was proving himself to be thoroughly useless.
Akatani was holding his own very well. He knocked all attacks from Stain away, answering each one with several of his own. None of his attempts to hit Stain landed, they were all blocked, but it did occupy all of the villain's attention. That was the magnitude of the onslaught from Akatani.
Izuku picked up his knife and snuck behind Stain. He was moving slowly and was mostly supported by his right arm. He drove the weapon into the man's side.
Stain gritted his teeth, stopping for a single second. Akatani took this opportunity and tried hitting Stain in the head.
Stain grabbed the staff, tore it from Akatani's hand, and drove it into his stomach. At that exact moment, he ran his fingers over Izuku's face and licked them.
Izuku hit the floor, he couldn't move at all. It was that Stain guy's quirk. He should've researched that a little more. He was disappointed in himself. It should've been the first thing he found out about him. It was pathetic he didn't, he deserved this.
The fight continued, but it wasn't a fight. Stain had Akatani down in a second. He got his sword out to hit him. Iida once again kicked his weapon into a wall. That extra second allowed Akatani to get one of Stain's knives and start their fight anew. He kept up the same strategy, attacking more times than he could handle. They were running in circles. At this rate, they'll all be dead.
Izuku's right ear popped. It came with a rush to his senses like no other, he nearly screamed. But he could finally hear again.
A few minutes passed and Izuku felt some of his fatigue wane, he could stand again. Stain was locked in a fight with Iida and Akatani. He made up a plan on the fly. "Iida, give me your phone! No time to explain!" Iida gave it to him and continued kicking Stain while Akatani drew his attention. "What's your password?"
"1234," Iida yelled.
Izuku rolled his eyes as he went to Iida's messaging app. He got to a group chat called 'Class 1-A' He must be the class representative. This made it much simpler. He sent his location with the words, 'Please help me I'm about to be murdered,' and put the phone away. He got his staff and ran back into the fight.
Izuku couldn't say what happened next, it was all muscle memory. Blocking, attacking, dodging, and all that crap. The important thing is that they lasted only five minutes.
Iida was probably dead, Izuku couldn't see him. He was leaning on a wall, clutching his ribs after being punched into it. He assumed they were broken. He didn't know how he was still standing.
Akatani was on the floor, Stain got some of his blood and he was paralyzed.
Izuku couldn't catch his breath, his nose was clogged with blood and was so painful he didn't want to try clearing it out. The ringing in his left ear never stopped. He looked at Stain, who was hunched over, breathing heavily. "Hey," Izuku said around breaths, his voice was nasally. "I want you to know this isn't personal." Stain's stance didn't change, he didn't care. "You're really strong, I wish I didn't have to kill you." Izuku didn't think he would win, nobody came to help yet.
Stain got out a knife. "You're pretty arrogant, aren't you?" He put the knife to Izuku's chest. "You're strong for a kid. I'll kill you quickly."
Izuku tried to breathe less because the rising of his chest made it press into the blade. He slowly let out air from his lungs. It was visible. Izuku smiled.
An icicle slammed into Stain's side. It sent him several feet away. He sprawled onto the ground and didn't get up. "Akatani, why is it always you who gets into trouble? Are you gonna make me use my fire, too?" What was the history here? Izuku wanted to know more.
He walked one step and fell on the floor. He puked at least a gallon of blood. Yep, internal bleeding, he should be dead soon.
Todoroki walked around to him, put his arm around his shoulder, and forced him to stand. "Come on, you need a doctor." He walked them out of the alley. It was a wide street, the fires from before were all extinguished, the fighting was done.
"What about the others?" Izuku was having trouble staying conscious.
"They aren't puking blood." He got him there.
Todoroki took him to a group of heroes right outside the alley. Endeavor walked up to them. "Shoto, you left without warning. You're lucky I could track you. You could've been killed."
"Deal with me later. Akatani needs medical attention." Todoroki gave Izuku over.
Izuku stood up, it hurt like a son of a bitch, and put his mask down. He started to leave, he needed to get away and kill Stain. "I'm fi-"
"Shoto! Don't let him get away! That's not me!" Akatani was up, breathing heavily, with his hands on his knees. Who the hell was this guy? Did he have a durability quirk? "That's the Quirkless Killer!" That guy was so annoying.
Izuku was angrier than he ever felt before. He didn't care about the pain, or his bloody nose, or anything else. All he saw was a quirkless hero wannabe. He took out a knife and ran towards him. "I'll fucking kill you!" He stabbed the guy's head. Akatani dodged, grabbed his wrist, twisted his arm, and held it behind his back. Izuku braced for the takedown.
Except it didn't come, his arm was released and he fell to his knees. He waited for the heroes to get him. But they didn't show up, either. "Back up! All of you back off!" Izuku looked up, Stain was yelling, he was exuding a murderous aura. He had Akatani and a winged monster. "None of you can call yourselves true heroes! Obsessed with money, and fame, never caring for anybody but yourselves! And you, Endeavor, are the biggest fake of all! None of you can kill me! Only a real hero is worthy! All Might, All Might is worthy!" He stopped, not moving a single muscle. The aura didn't stop.
Izuku didn't realize he shot the guy in the head until the gun was empty, he was squeezing the trigger even when it was empty. He only hit the guy once, but it was a fatal blow. He holstered the gun, walked to the guy, and looked down.
Akatani was barely conscious, he had a look of utter terror. Izuku wanted to kill him so badly. But the heat on his back kept him from doing so. "Quirkless Killer, you're under arrest." He couldn't go now, he still had so many plans.
He took Akatani and put a knife to his throat. He looked at the other heroes. They were ten feet away at most. "Back off or this guy gets it!" He needed extra time to think. Framing him wasn't an option, they know they have a similar body type so he couldn't get some random quirkless jerk.
The air was tense, Izuku was itching to run but that would invite Endeavor to burn him to a crisp. He picked Akatani up by his collar, it was more than painful, and he dropped him immediately. He took his phone out and asked Tomura for a portal. It wasn't opening yet, he needed to buy more time. "I don't get why you all value this guy so much. All of you, with your amazing quirks. You should've left people like this behind long ago. The quirkless are holding the world back from achieving true greatness. They are a scourge and should be eliminated!"
"You're wrong. Quirks aren't something to be glorified." Of all people, Todoroki said this. "You aren't better because you can punch harder, run faster, or do any other million things quirks do. They don't make your life any easier."
"You're the son of the number two hero, you have one of the strongest quirks of all time. What do you know about life being hard?" Ice and fire balance each other out, if he used both of them, he'd be invincible.
"You're right, with all my advantages, I should be a little bit happier. But all I feel is empty. Akatani showed me where I was wrong. He beat me without a quirk, proving himself to be better. After that, I had nothing. Nobody talked to me, nobody comforted me. I was alone my whole life, and I just never realized it. No quirk can help you with that."
Izuku thought about that, was being alone all his fault? he looked at Akatani. The heroes moved towards him. He put the knife back on the guy's neck. "Back u-" Izuku felt his ribs again, the pain from the fight was returning. The heroes didn't stop. He got up and backed away. "Get away." Endeavor paced towards him, he made a fireball and launched it. Izuku put his arms up and fell backward. The last he saw was a faceless man grinning at him.