Here it is, the twenty-sixth full chapter of Miraculous Quirks released at the right time as promised. After drafting them, I've broken up this arc into 4 total chapters all but the last pretty short by my standards but it will add to the suspense I feel and this way each chapter can tell a different part of the arc. Also, at this point, due to travel coming up, I will be falling back to weekly uploads only as I need to rebuild my draft cushion and edit in advance so I can still upload while I am away from my computer and can't do so in a month's time. Anyway, that is all the administrative stuff I have for now and there are no questions or guest reviews to address here, though do keep the reviews coming as I enjoy hearing from y'all, so I will leave this note here. That means that it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 26th full chapter of Miraculous Quirks.

Disclaimer: I do not own either of these great works of fiction.

Chapter 26: Chaos in Hosu

"Usually, a patrol is to deter crime rather than actual prevent or stop it." Mage said as he and Adrien walked through Hosu City, which was a ward in western Tokyo, so they hadn't gone too far to reach it, but it wasn't within their jurisdiction so their presence here was extra to the usual hero presence in the area. "Heroes go on them every day and as they are in their costumes the people know that they are there to keep an eye out and the criminals avoid crime while we patrol. It's a deterrent and those who do commit crimes are quickly caught."

"But this one isn't normal, is it?" Adrien asked as they walked. "This patrol I mean."

"No, it's not." Mage admitted. "First off we are out of our jurisdiction, not that the Guardian agency has a set jurisdiction due to our international status. Usually, we are called in for international criminals who have committed crimes in other countries and fled to Japan but the area around our agency is our responsibility, so the sidekicks do patrol it and it is good experience for them. Hosu, however, is not an area we usually go to, so this is different."

They had come to Hosu City at night for the special patrol. Adrien knew that Ida was supposed to be interning here and had texted his friend about being here to see if they could grab a bite or something after the patrol as he wanted to see how his friend was doing and get some local cuisine with him to make sure he was ok. Ida's brother had been crippled by the Hero Killer and Adrien wanted to make sure he was mentally all there and doing well in his internship, but his friend had only seen the message and not responded which was unusual of him, but Adrien chalked it up to Ida being busy.

Therefore, Adrien was just going to experience this patrol, his first real one, and see what it was all about. Of course, this was going to be instructional and practical, something he couldn't wait for. The last two days had been nothing but hard training with Bolt in unarmed combat during the day while Mage explained the intricacies of hero society in the evening.

It had been productive, and Adrien had significantly improved but he wanted to get more out of the internship then just training and lessons. Today was that day as Bolt had headed back to the States so he was here with Mage, in his hero costume as Cat Noir out patrolling for the first time in 230 years.

Adrien wouldn't lie, it felt good to be doing something he was so familiar with. He may be walking, he may not be able to actually do anything, and he was with his hero instructor he was interning under and not his lady but still, he was glad to be here. This was normal to him and even though he was in a new city, he was glad to have it as it was what he was used to, and the sense of normalcy helped a lot.

"How is this different?" Adrien asked as they walked, they were speaking Japanese as it was expected of them, and it helped it become more natural for Adrien to use it when speaking with another nonnative speaker. "This seems a lot like what I'd do back in Paris."

"Well for one, this is a night patrol which means there will be issues that we will be resolving, mainly small fights but possible some drug deals or other crimes which I know you didn't deal with back in Paris." Mage said with a grin. "This is common with work study and intern students to get them experience though. The main thing though is that we are in Hosu to add security here and look out for someone specific."

"We are?" Adrien asked.

"You need to follow the news Cat Noir, a hero must always be up to date with the latest news, especially when it deals with crime." Mage said using Adrien's hero name as they were in costume. "The Hero Killer is why we are here."

"Wait seriously?" Adrien asked his eyes wide. "Can you actually be part of that?"

"No, I can't intervein unless he attacks me directly and I must act as if I am human, but the sidekicks can, and they are in pairs because of him." Mage said speaking lower than usual so that they weren't overheard. "We are here for you to get experience and to add extra security. Should there be chaos, I can act within reason, but should I stray and use more of my power then is allowed I will be punished by the sacred oaths I've made over the years. It's a delicate balance but after many decades I've got it sorted."

"Oh ok." Adrien said before asking something else that suddenly popped into his mind. "Wait. How do you know that the Hero Killer will be here?"

"Two ways." Mage said. "The first is standard detective work that all heroes should know how to do. The Hero Killer is nothing more than a typical serial killer who targets heroes for whatever reason. He has an MO, a pattern so to speak and in the areas he strikes he always attacks a certain number of heroes in a given area before moving on, killing at least 4 per area and sparing a handful to pass on his message though few have beyond how he beat them. He's only killed one hero in Hosu to date, so he's not done. Serial killers are creatures of habit, he can't leave until he's completed his ritual. Most recently he gravely wounded the Turbo Hero Ingenium in Hosu but left him alive. His next victim won't be so lucky."

"Wait, Ingenium was hurt here in Hosu?" Adrien asked his eyes wide as things started to fall into place. "I didn't realize that it occurred here. That explains a lot."

"Yup, he's not from this area but does frequent it as his agency utilizes more esoteric Quirks and acts all over Tokyo due to that and its size." Mage said. "He was looking for the Hero Killer here during the day when it should have been safer. Alas he found him and lost though how I don't know as Ingenium was a talented hero, but I think the Hero Killer has a Quirk that can really even the playing field if he can use it and as he's always attacked solo heroes it has to be something that is best in one-on-one situations. I know that your classmate Ida is his brother, but you can't take this personally. A hero must never act for personal or selfish reasons."

"No, I know that." Adrien said and he did, his time as Cat Noir back in the day had taught him that though he'd seldom let his emotions get the better of him thanks to who they were facing at the time. "But Ida doesn't, and he idolized his brother just like Midoriya does All Might, so I don't know how he'd take his brother being injured so badly he had to retire. He's also accepted an internship offer here in Hosu."

"I didn't know that that's not good." Mage said seriously. "Keep your eye out then. Your experience may be of some use to Ida should shit go down and I am expecting it to do so for the second way I know that the Hero Killer is here."

"You mentioned that there was a second way you found out." Adrien said. "What was it?"

"All heroes have informants or sources of information to help them out, it's only natural." Mage said. "Some are sketchier then others, and I have a few like that, but my main source is a Guardian asset known here as Hito while he's in Japan. He goes by Demos normally and is an immortal being from the early Athenian democracy era who was approached by Dominus following his ostracism and offered immortality in exchange for service to Dominus as the Guardian's fixer, information broker, and political manipulator should we need him."

"Sounds like a useful person to have." Adrien said.

"Hope you never meet him, the man has his own agendas all the time, he's a politician through and through and shouldn't be trusted more than necessary." Mage said. "But he's loyal to Dominus and useful when he wants something or when he's needed. He was who was given the power to sense the future to find when you and Ladybug returned and pinpoint your location. It was thanks to him that we knew you'd arrive here in Japan and had enough fair waring to put our plan into place."

"Oh, so he was part of helping us." Adrien said.

"More than anyone but me and I owe him a lot for that." Mage said with a sigh. "And he's not done with me yet. Part of his immortality is the ability to split his conscience, but he can't do it as much as a Guardian can. He can manifest in about 10 areas at most, though he limits to 6 to be effective, and one of which is here in Japan. The other day he came to me and told me to come to Hosu with you on this day. Wouldn't say why but he knew we'd be needed here so here we are."

"We?" Adrien asked.

"Yup, he specified you should be here." Mage said with a nod. "Not sure why but he's not wrong hence why I'm assuming that it has something to do with the Hero Killer. So here we are and…"

Mage didn't get to finish his sentence before there was a massive explosion right in the heart of Hosu City. Almost at once the sky light up and they could see a fire burning and hear screaming as people fled the area. Well, it looked like some serious shit was going down tonight, but this wasn't what Mage was expecting.

"This must be what Demos saw but this isn't what I thought it would be." Mage said as they began to run to the scene as they pushed through the crowds. "The Hero Killer isn't flashy like this, he's all about one-on-one confrontations in back alleys, that's where his victims are found. This, this is as if a child is having a tantrum and lashing out."

"That sounds like a different villain that a few of us have encountered." Adrien said. "I've never met the villain called Shigaraki, but I've heard that he's rather immature."

"Yes, this is something that the League would do if the assessment of Shigaraki's personality is accurate." Mage said. "Alright here are your instructions. We are going to head to the scene. I will provide whatever aid I can to the hero in charge while you coordinate the evacuation. Do not engage under any circumstances and only use your Quirk if it is to save someone from debris. Do not use it in combat."

"Agreed." Adrien said but suddenly he heard a beeping sound and felt a vibration on his lower back.

It was his staff, and it was a text alert. He'd linked his phone to his staff so that he could use the tech function on it when in his costume and instantly pulled it out to check it. Few had his number and if he was getting a message now it was either Marinette telling him she was done for the day or something else. If it was the latter it might be serious given who had his number and what his classmates were currently up to.

It was the latter, but it was confusing. It was a message from Midoriya, but it was only his location, an alleyway around 4210 Echo Street. That was in Hosu City, which was odd as Midoriya wasn't supposed to be here, and while not too close to him, Adrien could be there in less than 5 minutes.

"Mage, I got a message from Midoriya." Adrien called out as he stopped causing the Guardian to do so and turn around to look at his intern.

"Ok is it serious?" Mage asked.

"I think so, it's just his location and its for an alleyway near Echo Street." Adrien said and he saw Mage's eyes go wide at that. "Yeah, he's in Hosu City for some reason."

"He shouldn't be." Mage said his brow furrowing before he suddenly switched languages but not to English or French but surprised Adrien with Italian. "The hero he's interning under, I don't know him personally but he's one of the few in the know about truth of my order and of course he knows the truth about that power because he was close to the 7th holder."

"You know about Gran Torino?" Adrien asked in Italian going with what Mage was saying as it was clear he had changed languages to avoid being overheard. "I think you said he knows about that power, but you were a bit vague on it."

"About yes but we've never met." Mage said. "We keep an eye on those who know about the truth of the Guardians, but Gran Torino was never a concern, his honor and loyalty are second to none from what I've heard. He doesn't live here, and no doubt came out of retirement for Midoriya. If he's here then something has happened, and I don't doubt that Midoriya is in the thick of it. That boy is a magnet for trouble."

"I agree." Adrien said. "And I really think I should go to check it out. Midoriya isn't someone to be cryptic like this. He needs backup for something, but he can't sent more than his location."

"Ok go but don't do anything reckless or stupid, I don't want to deal with a pissed off Ladybug." Mage said still sticking to Italian even they didn't need to. "I know where you will be and will get the word out to my sidekicks to redirect them to Echo Street and help out. They will be there within 15 minutes if they haven't been held up by the chaos going on in the city center."

"What about you?" Adrien asked.

"I am still needed in this chaos." Mage said. "This is where I must be, but you have to go to your friend. I'll send any hero I find your way if I can. I trust you Cat Noir, don't let me down and don't die, Ladybug will find a way to kill me."

"I won't." Adrien said as he turned and ran off to find Midoriya hoping that his friend was ok.

Mage just turned and ran on. Whatever the commotion was, it was far enough away that the people here had either evacuated or had holed up inside as they hoped to be spared the destruction, so it was pretty clear. That meant that he could run fast to where he needed to be. He could of course teleport there, but his cover didn't have that power, only transformation and conjuring to appear as if his Magician Quirk was it was listed. There were certain limitations on it and what he could do to keep his power in check.

As such, when Mage was stuck in these situations all he could really do was run to the commotion and lend what aid he could. It was as he was running that he saw a new flash of flames out of the corner of his eye that were much closer to him than the fire burning ahead of him.

The flames were intense and powerful though not too hot and there was only one hero in Japan capable of creating them. If he was here then so would be his intern who would have gotten the message as well. That was good and Mage could use his help as he turned to run towards the flames. What he saw was a rather interesting scene.

Mage turned in the street in time to see a greenish/gray thing unleash flames from its body followed by a yellow and cream blur that shot up and into the air and a parting of the flames. Mage knew he had to act and began running when the creature suddenly coughed up its tongue in a set of tentacles. Flames appeared again but before they could be unleashed, the blur shot through the tongue, turned, and then slammed into the back of the creature at full speed and drove it into the pavement, cracking it, and knocking the thing out.

"Didn't mean to damage the pavement." An old voice said as Mage approached. "I'm out of practice it seems. Picked a great day to patrol again."

"Not bad old man." A younger, deeper voice said, and Mage knew who it was at once. "You've got some skills left I see."

It didn't hurt that the man was almost 6 and a half feet of pure muscle dressed in blue with flames coming out of his shoulders, boots and forming a beard and mask on his face that mostly hid his red hair. The Flame Hero: Endeavor, the number 2 hero in Japan had been the one who'd produced the flames that had drawn Mage here and now he could help.

"We need to tie this guy up." The old, shrunken, man said, and Mage recognized him as Gran Torino, the old hero who'd fought alongside the 7th holder of One for All and Midoriya's supervisor this week. "Then we contact the police and …"

Gran Torino didn't get to finish his sentence as Mage had arrived and raised his right hand. He easily conjured a thick rope that he used to hog tie the creature that he now noticed had 4 eyes and brains spilling out meaning that it was similar to that Nomu thing that had attacked the USJ but judging by the burns on it, this one couldn't regenerate like the bird on that All Might had defeated could. The ropes were actually made of magic so there was no way the Nomu could get out and only Mage could remove them.

"Looked like you two could use a hand." Mage said as he approached the other pros. "My Quirk was good for this, so I took care of it. This guy isn't going anywhere anytime soon."

"And who are you?" Gran Torino asked turning to the new comer and surprised by the power he felt coming from the man.

He'd never seen this pro before, but he'd been out of the game so long that he only really knew the main ones these days. Still, the power coming from him was beyond even Toshinori's. It was like something he'd felt once before a long time ago from a different pro. That one had been similarly dressed only in light gray not lilac and he didn't have mask. Still the similarities were enough for Gran Torino to deduce that he was like the man he'd known in his heyday.

"Name's Mage." Mage said and both Endeavor and Gran Torino heard the British accent in his Japanese denoting him a foreigner. "I run the Guardian agency office here in Tokyo."

"That is why your outfit looks familiar." Endeavor said simply as he finally placed the outfit. "You are one of the Guardians then, the international heroes who can act first when a criminal crosses international borders."

"Guardians?" Gran Torino asked as it all came back to him, and he knew at once what this man was about. "I wasn't aware one of their number was back in Japan. You lot are usually based in America and Europe if I recall."

"Some things have changed, and we needed a presence here again." Mage said with a shrug. "I was the one who had to come so I run the agency now. I was here on a tip with my intern, but he got a notification and went to help out a friend while I continued to see where I was needed. That's when I saw Endeavor's flames and knew something was going down here."

"What proof do you have that you are one of them?" Endeavor asked, he'd met the Fire Guardian in his youth and knew what to look for with these international heroes as the outfit was generic but there was a single mark only a Guardian would have.

"This." Mage said holding out his right forearm and the gauntlet opened to reveal his tattoo, MAGE 18, writing in lilac ink before it closed. "Proof enough? I know you've met Blaze before Endeavor."

"I have, one of only two fire Quirk wielders that I've met with hotter flames then me." Endeavor said. "He was most impressive and taught me a lot. Very well. I don't know which member you are Mage, but I know the requirements for joining so I will trust that you have this guy well in hand."

"He ain't going nowhere." Mage said with a grin. "Only I can dispel those ropes. He's held fast."

"Good, I'll leave my sidekicks here just in case though." Endeavor said as there was another explosion. "I'm heading to the main action. You two, there's an address on Echo Street I want you to check out."

"I know it, my intern got the same thing as yours no doubt did." Mage said. "Go Endeavor, I feel like only you can handle what else is going on. I doubt this is the last of these creatures and one is bound to have what the one at the USJ had."

"Yes, you are right, this is a job only I can do, and I can do it better than All Might." Endeavor said before he ran off.

As soon as he was gone, Gran Torino turned to the Guardian and was ready to confront him. However, before he could, the Guardian approached him, and the time seemed to stop around them as the man drew a knife from his lower back and held it off to his side. He could still move, as could the hooded man in lilac before him, but everything else seemed to be frozen.

"So, you are aware that I know of your true nature, immortal." Gran Torino said to the man that was really an immortal being who was sworn to protect a certain element though he was still a little confused on some of the finer details of that order. "But I know little of you other than your name, so I am at a disadvantage."

"Yes you are, and I am sorry for that." Mage said. "That is why I have temporarily frozen time so we can chat. I can't do this for long and this is not my element but so long as I have my blade out I can tap into it thanks to a blessing from Dominus for a moment. We need to have a few words."

"Given the fact that an actual Guardian is in the country again I think so." Gran Torino said. "I've dealt with one of your kind before, I know the full truth of your order and what you do. One of them was briefly assigned to Japan when my sworn friend Shimura held the power and I got to know him well."

"Which of my brethren was assigned then?" Mage asked. "I've spent most of the time since the advent of Quirks on my own thing, a mistake I made prior to the advent that I had to wait centuries before I could begin to fix it, so I wasn't really sure of the situation in Japan beyond the surface level until the results of my mistake appeared here almost a year ago."

"I dealt with Gust, the Air Guardian." Gran Torino said deciding not to question what Mage was going on about as he was sure that Toshinori would give him the answers he sought as there was no way that the 8th holder didn't know about the Guardians as well. "Given mine and Shimura's Quirks he was the best and stayed in the country while she was the holder. In fact, he predated her having been around for her own mentor En as well."

"Alright, I'll speak with him for more info, but I know he's a straight shooter even if he does like his poisons." Mage said with a nod. "As for why I am now here, it is a long story and I don't have the full time to tell you, but our interns are currently at that location that Endeavor mentioned, yours is the one who sent it and mine went there."

"Very well, we shall discuss more after this." Gran Torino said with a not of frustration in his voice at Midoriya leaving the train, he was so impulsive but then again he could see why Toshinori liked him so much as they were clearly very similar. "But I do want to know what your element is."

"Magic." Mage said seriously. "I am the Guardian of Magic and the illegitimate immortal child of Ra and Hecate. You know that much, I take it."

"I don't know the western deities well, but I have heard of Ra at least." Gran Torino said rubbing his chin. "So, you are the esoteric one that Gust mentioned. He spoke of his brethren a lot as Shimura was curious about your order. You're the first of the few who guard a more intangible element that has some crossover if I recall."

"Yup and I am surprised that you are not questioning it." Mage said.

"Magic has a rich history in Japanese folklore and mythology." Gran Torino said with a shrug. "And I know thanks to Gust that most of that is actually real."

"Very much so." Mage said with a grin. "But I think we need to head off and check out this alleyway on Echo Street. I can't hold this time bubble for long and it will drain me."

"Agreed." Gran Torino said, and Mage sheathed his blade and time returned to normal, but it took him a moment to recover from the effort. "Let's go."

Mage just nodded as they headed off to find their interns and what they'd run into. Hopefully it wasn't too bad by Mage had a bad feeling about it. This was not going to be good.


During the time that Mage had been dealing with Endeavor and Gran Torino, other than during the time bubble though he didn't know about that, Adrien had been running to the location using his staff's display screen to direct him to it. It was in a back alley and that was not a good start. He recalled what Mage had said and hoped it wasn't the truth, but he was dealing with Izuku Midoriya here. He'd only known the boy for a bit, but he already knew that he was just one of those people who always knew how to find trouble.

The back alleys themselves were dark, quiet, and deserted. That was a mix of the chaos going on elsewhere, but it also just seemed to be a factor of where they were. Had it not been for the pin in Midoriya's location and a setting on the staff, Adrien wouldn't have been able to find it, but he was nearing it now and hoped that he wasn't too late for whatever was going on.

As he did he suddenly felt a drop in temperature and smelt fire that was nearby thanks to his heightened sense of smell. Well, there was only one person in the world he knew that could do cold and fire at the same time, Shoto Todoroki, which meant that for some reason he was in Hosu as well and had gotten Midoriya's message, so he too had come to check it out. If he was here and using his Quirk, then it wasn't good.

Adrien followed the cold and fire, using it to reach the right alleyway faster than just looking at his staff's function that he turned off now. When he got there he stopped and stared at the sight that greeted him. it was possibly the worst thing he could have seen right then but he knew that he had to get involved despite Mage's warnings. That was what a hero did after all.

In the alleyway were 4 people and a lot of ice that filled the end of it blocking it off. Standing before the ice, in a new dark blue costume with a grey chest thing and his back to Adrien was Todoroki looking out. He was saying something to someone, but Adrien couldn't make it out.

Behind Todoroki, on the ground, were 3 people who weren't dead but two had a lot of blood on them and pooled around them. One was the dark green clad Midoriya as Adrien expected though the costume looked more professional this time. He was on his back in an unnatural, frozen position but looked close to recovering it seemed. Another was Ida in his white armor, helmet and glasses off, and blood on his left arm as he lay motionless on his chest, but Adrien could hear his voice though not his words.

The last one was a pro hero that Adrien didn't recognize. He was in a native American themed costume that Adrien knew back in his day would have been seriously problematic but seemed fine here for some reason. The pro was on his side and had a bloody wound on his shoulder.

Before Adrien could run to help, there was a slashing sound and the ice burst apart. In the air behind it was a figure holding a katana in one hand and what looked like a combat knife in the other with a long tongue licking the air. He had a red scarf, brownish mask, a black tank top and pants, brown wrappings on hist arms with black sleeves at the base, and heavy-duty boots that were covers in chains, metal strips and spikes on the toes. He had a metal brace on his ribs that held at least 3 more knives in them and there were no doubt many more knives on him.

There was no doubt in Adrien's mind who this was. This was the elusive Hero Killer: Stain. It didn't take Adrien long to deduce what had happened. Stain had been trying to kill the pro when the chaos began. Ida had likely used that to find him and been defeated, how Adrien had no idea, but it had to do with the guy's Quirk somehow as that was the only explanation. Midoriya had been in the area for some reason and intercepted them, but he too had fallen. Then, or around the same time as Midoriya Adrien wasn't sure, Todoroki had appeared and was still fighting it seemed.

"You have some impressive moves kid, but you blocked your field of vision against an opponent who's faster then you." Stain called out in a gravely voice. "Rookie mistake."

"Come try me then." Todoroki said his left arm igniting and surprising Adrien with the ready his use of his flames.

Suddenly there was a flash and Adrien saw Todoroki's flames go out. The reason for that became clear a second later as Adrien saw a pair of folding knives in Todoroki's left forearm that stunned him and caused him to step back.

"You're good kid, I'll give you that, unlike him." Stain said and Adrien saw that Stain was coming down on the pro with his blade in both hands ready to impale him.

That was when Adrien acted. He knew it was the right thing to do and that he was the best for this. Hopefully one of the others knew what this guy's Quirk was as that would be helpful but first he had to save the pro's life. With a leap and an extension of his baton to add to his speed, Adrien leapt at Stain so fast that he was a black blur out of the shadows, flashing past his fellow students who just stared in shock as a new player joined the fight.

I think I'll leave it here on a nice, cruel, cliffhanger for you as Adrien has joined the fight between the U.A. students and Stain. Soon y'all will see what I feel would happen if Adrien Agreste joined this battle and took part in it as we continue the Hero Killer Arc. That is all I really have for this short chapter though I do have a question for y'all. Do you want a special chapter showing more of Marinette and Mirko (stuff like the bath, workout, more hopping around Osaka) in a special retroactive chapter after this arc similar to the episode about everyone's internships in the anime? Right now, I don't have it as there isn't much more to tell I feel but I can write a short chapter for it if y'all would like. Let me know in PMs or reviews if you want that. Other than that, I will leave this chapter here. If you like it or have any questions please let me know in reviews or PMs, I will try to answer them as best I could and post any questions asked between uploads at the start of the next chapter and do follow and favorite this, so you are alerted to future uploads. Do keep the reviews coming as I like hearing from y'all as you enjoy my work, it motivates me to keep producing the best work I can for y'all to enjoy. Until next time.

Stringdog