Hello Again. Guild Master here.

My site is still being tested and does have the next four chapters available who want to read ahead. Give it a shot if you want to know what it is this alternate world has in store for our beloved heroes. The hero killer Stain arc is all finished on the other site, as well as Toga's prelude.

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Eliminate spaces and semicolons to visit site. Add http colon forward slash x2 if you need to. This site really is against hyperlinking.

Two Days Ago

Not all internships were as ideal as people made them out to be. Chemistry of character was a huge factor in how well adjusted the relationship was for the trainee and the trainer. Bakugou arrived at the offices of Best Jeanist and fell into absolute hell with everything he saw and experienced. Every pretentious employee of this nightmare of a living existence kept treating him like an idiot while he stumbled through the endless identical looking offices and hallways of the agency.

Meeting the hero leading the agency was no better of an experience for Bakugou as he was met with nothing but critiques and judgment of his outer appearance and mannerisms. This recommendation of hero agencies wasn't simply because of its reputation as a top rated hero firm in the country. Going over the options of available options for internships with Haru had him pick out this one in particular over the other more conventional options. Why he was here was the biggest question for Bakugou as he stomached even more criticism over his lack of elegance and public appeal; whatever that meant.

He stomached all of it and held his tongue to the very end. There was a reason his mentor pointed him in the direction of this very agency and he would be dead before he didn't figure out the mystery. Though it wasn't much of a mystery since the man who threw Bakugou to these well groomed wolves was right outside of the agency itself as Best Jeanist exited with his entourage.

"Hey, kiddo; having fun?"

"LIKE HELL!"

It was a warranted reaction from Bakugou to voice his displeasure of being sent to such a contrasting agency from what his focus of being a hero was. Unknown to Katsuki; it was this exact reason that Haru sent him to this agency in the first place.

"Well, we tried. Hello there; Best Jeanest! I would just like to express my absolute gratitude for taking good care of Bakugou Katsuki. It's such an honor."

The hero was rendered speechless by the mere sight of Haru politely greeting and bowing to him. Not one to rush the conversation; there was a bit of time passed before Haru interrupted the hero from looking at him from the angles he was taking of the white haired man.

"You!"

Best Jeanist was nothing short of a kidnapper as he pulled Haru's head into a staring contest with himself and demanded the man who came to visit Katsuki to follow him. Katsuki was somewhat forced to tail behind as the only familiar face he knew was being kidnapped by one of the country's top heroes for some sort of arbitrary reason.

Forty Nine Minutes Later

From behind the curtains concealing the model to present the next set of threads that the fashion based hero selected for his recent poach from the wild stood a familiar face the irritated Bakugou was starting to lose patience for. For the tenth time in less than an hour was Haru being revealed in his ensemble of slacks, a shirt, and dress shoes without socks with other sorts of male accessories to complete the look. The entire department was up in arms about signing up Haru for a modeling contract that the company itself was sure that the man would have been insane to say no to.

"Sorry, but I'm just here to check up on the intern you got for today. Do you mind if I just…"

Somehow, he and Katsuki were able to escape the dungeon and were back at the van that both Katsuki and Haru felt familiar with without the rabble to stifle the atmosphere. Katsuki didn't question how it was that his mentor got both of them out of that fresh hell of pretension. He somehow bobbed and weaved through the corridors of eager fashionistas while dragging both himself and Bakugou through the blind spots where nobody was looking. He even managed to retrieve his clothes while walking out with the designer threads Best Jeanest stuck him in.

There were a few minutes for them to catch up and have lunch before the people inside the building figured out that Haru was right outside their offices. A quick lunch of falafel and greek meatballs was hot and ready for Bakugou at Haru's usual speed. While Bakugou was being vocal about his grievances with the whole internship; his mentor was making his own plate while lending the boy his ear.

"Still; why am I here? Wouldn't an internship somewhere the action is be better for someone like me? I still don't know why you recommended this place."

"... To be honest Katsuki; it's because this place is the opposite of your interests that I gave you the recommendation."

He really didn't beat around the bush when it came to just answering whatever questions were hanging in the air for him. The exact reason was broken down and revealed to Bakugou in a way even he couldn't misinterpret the intent that Haru had for the boy.

"You're rough around the edges and you really don't care much for the opinions of others- excluding me."

An exception that Haru could anticipate Bakugou using to excuse himself. He caught it before Katsuki could rebuttal.

"Right now; you're more liable to scaring people than being their role models. You need to come to terms that you simply are lacking in what a hero as a whole is."

It hurt Bakugou's pride to hear one of his role models tell him that he simply doesn't have what it takes after all the effort he made to get here in the first place. Fortunately, Haru hadn't quite finished his explanation.

"That's not a bad thing, mind you. All of us have to learn something new in order to do anything, and you're no exception. So don't feel too bad."

"... I'm not…"

"Uh-huh, sure."

Bakugou had his hair roughed up by Haru who humored the boy's pouting. It really seemed odd to others for how Katsuki was so docile and tolerant of the things Haru did and said to him. There really was an admiration for the man that gave him a privilege to be treated differently by Bakugou.

"Anyways, just know this is important for you if you truly want to be the hero you wish to be. Learn to pick Best Jeanist's brain for his wisdom and knowledge over what makes a hero great in the public's eye. He's a little eccentric and can come off as vain; though he is one of the best when it comes to commanding admiration and respect from the people he helps as a hero."

Haru and Bakugou were now almost done with their short lunch as the older of the two finished off his thoughts for Katsuki.

"If you want to be the greatest hero, just know that there's more to it than just being stronger or faster than the people you fight. There's a very real responsibility for you to make people look up to you and make them want to be better themselves because of you. That's what a real number one hero does."

They bid their farewells as Haru drove away when Best Jeanist and his entourage came leaping out the front door and missed him as he turned the corner at the end of the street. Now it was all up to Bakugou to persevere and adapt to be the hero he said he would become. If all of his training and effort didn't break him now; he would be damned if he let this internship get the best of him.

The Next Morning

Early the next day of Izuku's training with Gran Torino was mostly him going through the routine he was already accustomed to back at home. Almost all his time yesterday was spent training with the elderly hero with how to better move around the environment and utilizing his enhanced mobility in conjunction with how to turn one's body to land an effective blow. It was an exhausting amount of physical exertion and some sparring that felt rather real for how close to the real thing Gran Torino was simulating for real fighting. Nothing that Izuku hadn't already experienced in the past with All Might and Nakamura.

A morning run was something that Izuku considered to be cathartic at this point of his physical training. Rarely were there other people out at this hour to exercise and it gave Izuku space to just clear his head before the start of the day. Exiting the double doors in his sweats after stretching and warming up inside revealed a very familiar and surprising presence that Izuku had no expectation of seeing that morning.

"H-Haru-san?! What are you doing here?"

Much like his usual light hearted greeting; he leaned up against the van he was synonymous with and just waved at Izuku like they were doing something they planned already.

"Yo. How are things with Gran Torino?"

"Wait, do you know him too?!"

There was a moment that Haru took to explain that he got the location of his internship after speaking with All Might the other day. His mentor looked a little shaken by the idea of sending the boy to his old teacher, so Haru just decided to come by and check up on Izuku for anything he could help with. It was also a bit of a relief for Izuku to know that Haru really wasn't just an omnipotent magical being that hovered in every aspect of his life without him even knowing.

"We're here already; wanna run together?"

Dressed in blue and white sweats was Haru with Izuku in green and black sweats. There wasn't anything that warranted Midoriya to say no to a friendly morning run, so they both went on their merry way to better their physical health side by side. Moments like there were times that Izuku could truly feel like he never had a missing figure for most of his life; not when the one who did most of that work out of love for the boy was still right there next to him.

An Hour Later

Gran Torino awoke that morning in his costume as he usually did and came downstairs to find the entire building empty of any other human presence. The room upstairs still had Izuku's bags and costume, so it was safe to assume that the boy was either out on an errand or exercising from earlier that morning. It was still early and now he was hungry for something fattening to fill his gullet, though now it was like he could smell breakfast for how hungry he was.

Walking into the refrigerator gave the elder enough time to put together that the smell wasn't a hallucination of his senses. There was in fact an aroma of cooked eggs and fried vegetables wafting through the building. He followed his nose and opened the front doors to be introduced to the sight of Izuku and some strange man with similar colored hair as he had without being aged and geriatric as he was. MOuth watering to the scent of a freshly cooked breakfast caused Gran Torino to approach the duo while Izuku was talking about some other personal matter that went right over the hero's head.

"Ah, you must be Gran Torino. My name is Nakamura Haru and I'd like to give my personal thanks for taking care of him."

A respectful bow wasn't the only thing Haru did to show his thanks for the elderly man and his guidance of Izuku. Another plate of scrambled eggs with white rice and salad with a bowl of miso soup was all wolfed down by the old man who usually subsisted off of premade meals or frozen microwavable food. A generous offering for the food centered mind of Gran Torino.

Some time passed and Haru stepped out to bid his farewell as he was off to another part of the city for work while Izuku did the same. Everybody except Gran Torino said goodbye, and the lack of a departing sentiment from the elderly teacher was because of what was going through his head the longer he studied Haru. This man had a startling amount of elegance in how he moved and walked. Not like a ballet dancer or trapeze artist; but there was a remarkable amount of balance in the way he walked and moved that told Gran Torino this man was a cut above the rabble when it came to scrapping. He took a shot in the dark and threw an idea towards Haru to see how he would react.

"Nakamura; you trained this kid here, didn't you?"

Haru paused for a moment as he was just about finished with packing up his van. Izuku didn't mention anything about Haru being his teacher and was now curious as to how he could possibly know just by looking at Haru. Turning to Gran Torino, a good natured smile came across Haru's face as he responded honestly to Gran Torino's question.

"Indeed I did. Was there something you wanted to ask me as one of his teachers?"

"Ha, I knew it! There was no way that clumsy oaf would have been able to teach this young un anything other than how to punch a hole through a wall. You, on the other hand, I can tell that you're anything but."

"... Hm, I guess old habits die hard."

The amount of experience that Gran Torino had gave him the insight to start picking up on certain subtleties in others. He was far from being a mind reader, though seeing if someone was able to hold their own or not was a simple enough task for the battle worn veteran. Haru had a habit of keeping his center of gravity centered in a way that told Gran Torino that this man was either just as competent in a fight, if not more so, than the hero himself. Being older had also made the hero a bit more direct with certain things, such as what he was about to say to Haru to satisfy his curiosity.

"If ya don't mind; I'd like ta see what sort of person was capable of teaching a fifteen year old kid to dodge and move like someone ten years his senior. If you would have me, that is…"

Between the two men staring each other down was Izuku starting to panic. Why Gran Torino started to pick a fight with Haru was beyond him at this point. It was a disaster waiting to happen for Izuku as he saw a familiar grin on Haru's face that looked rather dangerous in the context of the current situation.

"I don't see why not. I've got the time; so where would you like this to happen?"

They both entered the building with Izuku watching from the stairway and behind a wall. Haru removed his jacket and placed it on a couch to keep it from getting dirty. He was now in a black crew cut tee and stretched once more while Gran Torino propped his cane against a wall before standing face to face with Haru in the middle of the room. The air was starting to thicken with the intensity the men were giving off before they began their friendly match.

"Would you like to exchange information on our quirks or make this a surprise for both of us?"

"No need, I don't have one to boast about. Just start whenever you're ready."

That caught the old man off guard for a moment. He was about to go up against a quirkless man? Not only that; he was the one who trained this kid enough for the boy to catch Gran Torino off guard? Wanting to reassess didn't make him see Haru falter one moment in taking on the old man. Perhaps this guy was crazy. Or just maybe; just maybe, his confidence was warranted to a degree. Haru didn't look like or sound like an idiot and even had quite the head on his shoulders. All this just made Gran Torino far more curious as to what this man was capable of.

"Fine. Here I come."

Only a few seconds passed before Gran Torino launched himself off the walls and ceiling to catch Haru in a blind spot. He was sure that his attack was about to connect when his target suddenly just vanished. Being experienced enough to correct his midair path gave him a moment to reorientate and scan for his opponent. Haru hadn't even completely left the spot he was standing. His left foot was still where it was at the start while He leaned out of the way quickly enough to throw off the veteran hero for a moment.

Snapping back on the offensive took just a split second before Gran Torino started flying across the room like a human bouncy ball shot out of a cannon. Each follow up attack was treated very much like the first; with every attempt to land a tackle or blow, the other man always felt just out of reach for Gran Torino. There were similarities between the mentor and student with Izuku having a clear influence from how Haru moved to evade the hero. Biggest difference was the boy kept losing his balance and was just able to cut it close with moving out of the way. This man had it down pat and was able to make it look effortless with every movement still expressing a masterful amount of control.

Thing was that there was another major difference between Izuku and Haru in engaging the senior for a fight; not a single attack or reaction other than dodging came from Nakamura. Some dodges even gave him an opportunity to strike back at Gran Torino while he was very much vulnerable for an attack. Like hell he was gonna let this quirkless man make a fool of him any longer than necessary.

He began to use his quirk midair to try and further disorient his opponent by preventing him from going in a direct straight line from point to point. This did help to pick up the pace of the fight, but he had the same level of success of trying to even touch Haru. Izuku was starting to see how much Haru had been holding back in the past. It was pretty much a blur to the boy who still didn't develop his sense of speed to the degree these two already possessed. Two moving shapes that were moving against one another in a dance of speed and power.

Eventually there was a point that one of them had to end the fight. Gran Torino went swooping in and aimed right for the back of Nakamura's head with both legs outstretched for a drop kick. Gloves were off as now Gran Torino was going at it with full force. A killing blow for most other people; regardless of being superhuman or not. His momentum was steady and aimed true to its target, though getting close enough to actually land his attack was not on the agenda for Haru.

The entire world spun violently and he was yanked out of the air violently and flipped over. He was pinned by the front of his costume while Haru had him fixed by the material he grasped. Before he could use his quirk to send out a powerful jet of air and escape like he did Izuku; He saw a fist come down with the intentions of crushing his face to the back of his head. It just came short of connecting and gave the message to Gran Torino that the fight could have ended just now.

From Izuku's perspective, his mentor suddenly pivoted and swept up the human missile barreling right at his head and pinned the elder by the scruff of his costume before almost decking his lights out. It was over with Haru being the winner. Both men dusted themselves off and straightened out their outerwear before shaking hands out of respect for one another.

"Been a while since someone was able to outmaneuver me. Gotta say, it's humbling."

"Well, you certainly made me work for it. Only reason I was able to keep up was because I had to deal with that sort of thing as a kid."

An amicable atmosphere was produced from their little impromptu match that made both men see the other in a positive light. This was something that Izuku would never forget as long as he lived. Gran Torino also got his answer as to how Izuku was able to develop the agility and spatial awareness necessary to move around competently enough. He wouldn't say this out loud, ever, but for the whole match he felt as though he was being watched by Nakamura. He might as well have been standing still in front of the man for how little he felt his speed made an impact on outmaneuvering his opponent. What sort of fresh hell did this man go through to be able to move and react like that? This world really was quite interesting in how it treated its inhabitants.

With the hero's curiosity satiated; Haru took off for Hozu for a reason that neither the naive Izuku or experienced Gran Torino could ever expect from this man. Things had been progressing and Haru was able to find his intended target that he nabbed and tagged Stain for. Things needed his attention and this trip was the last one he could spare before he had to remain in the district for Stain. After he got what he needed from the serial killer; he was gonna have to clean out the garbage after he used him up.

Based on his intel and guesswork, Stain was likely to return to Hozu to further incite fear in the populace and likely would be right back to hunting down heroes. No matter how ahead of the curve these vermin thought they were; they were nothing but rats following the smell of peanut butter through a maze of Haru's design.

The Next Day

Out on patrol in the district of Hozu was Manual and his temporary young ward Iida. Returning at the early hours of the morning to the office was Iida looking worse for wear. Manual was merciful enough to give the boy enough time to sleep and prepare for the next day of patrols. Cleaning himself and his armor before heading back out was all Iida could manage before reuniting with the water based hero back out on the streets. They stopped for a quick bite to eat and chat while walking around their patrol route.

"So, I guess you got what you wanted. Are you feeling alright, Tenya?"

It was still a little fresh with how much his shame was digging into him over being so careless in searching for Stain. All of this was just him being completely self involved and lacking tact or common sense while making the people around him worry for no good reason. There was Izuku as well; who he ignored for days on end and treated rather poorly for simply being concerned for his well being.

"... I don't know. I have some stuff to deal with and… And I can't help but feel like a failure. Am I so short sighted that I can't even-"

"Well, now you know! All we can do is just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Thinking like that will only make the learning experience completely useless, so lighten up and just know that you know better. Alright?"

There was something rather comforting in the way Manual always treated the people he interacted with. Giving people the opportunity to expect better from themselves was just his way of being a hero in a more personal capacity. Iida took his words and considered the sentiment of giving himself some leeway with how he's been acting. He took a bite of the croquet the two of them got for a quick meal and reflected on himself without all the harsh criticisms. It still hurt to feel like he did, but at least he was able to keep moving and be better for it.

Later that Evening

A black cloud of mist appeared out of thin air on top of a building in Hozu. It grew in size and eventually stopped to spit out Stain and the other members of the League of Villains. So much of the district still was somewhat unaware of the chaos about to ensue in a little bit.

"This city needs reformation. Only way for the right kind of reformation to take place is for sacrifices to be made…"

Another grim declaration of delusional aspiration for the greater good. Shigaraki and Kurogiri were more wary of this villain's unstable nature and posed a fair warning to him if he were to ever lash out at them like he did before.

"Hmph, then I'm certain he would be far more than just a challenge for you."

"Him?"

Before Stain had been dragged off to god knows where, he had been attacked by a mysterious figure dressed in all black and a gas mask. He clarified that it wasn't a hero in any way, shape, or form. No hero would carry the weapons he saw on that man, nor take such sadistic joy in beating his opponents so mercilessly.

"Heed me if you give a shit about your flimsy goals; there's something out there, and it's hungry for people like you and me…"

Stain took off for the streets below with a single leap off the rooftop. His words would have been ignored as some sort of mad rambling; had it not been for a similar story that an associate of the league had told of so many years ago.

"... The gas mask is new; you think it's the same one who took down Gigaiomancha? His MO seems to match up with the weapon he used."

There was a feeling of foreshadowing for Shigaraki as he didn't know for certain if it was. Their mutual associate who their esteemed leader attempted to bring into their midst was a blubbering mess and ranting about a devil that punished the giant with a black switch made of unholy ebony or something along the lines of that. Coming from a more coherent source like Stain only made them concerned and brought up some questions as to what it was that their newest ally was wary of.

"We'll inform the master after we finish our current mission. For now, we can't allow Stain to hog the spotlight for tonight's show. Blackmist, bring out the Nomus."

Another portal of Kurogiri's making appeared out of his floating body and rose to impressive heights for what he was asked to summon. Three of some of the ugliest homunculus looking monsters lurched out from the darkness and stood behind their commander in anticipation for their next command.

Everything that Stain had been so obsessive about was nothing but useless prattle to Shigaraki. He would send the message that Stain was nothing more than an ant at the heel of the League of Villains.

Elsewhere

Izuku and Gran Torino were on the metro headed for Shibuya for their field work. The diminishing population where the office stood made it completely dead of any sort of crime and left more populated areas with all the criminal activity available for miles. Getting closer to the action also served to be somewhere that the ESD would be responding and get Izuku clued in as to how heroes work with the government funded security task force.

For the thousandth time, Izuku looked at his mobile and contemplated texting Iida to check up on him. Their last meeting was anything but friendly and it gave Midoriya hang ups over whether or not he should keep pushing to help Iida. This was a difficult thing to process; even for someone who did nothing but analyze and think about all sorts of things during all of his waking hours.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing some technical difficulties and are coming to an emergency stop. Please remain seated as we-"

A harsh and jarring use of the emergency brakes almost sent Izuku through the chair in front of him. Not only that; a few rows up was a sudden explosion from outside the train that sent a hero into the train along with a familiar looking creature. It's lizard-like aesthetic with it's brains exposed clued in the boy that this was something similar to what he saw back at the Disaster Simulation Arena back at school.

It looked to have something sticking out of it's chest while it was pinning the hero it was in pursuit of with a single hand from it's grotesquely long arms. Just as quickly as it showed up; the Nomu was ripped from the train as it attempted to stop itself from leaving the train by clawing at the sides of the breach in the side of the car. All it could do was rip out two handfuls of the train's walls as it was being reeled back to whatever had hooked the creature in the first place. Not two seconds later the elderly hero told Izuku to remain put while he flew out the side where the breach was.

Following behind his teacher loaned Izuku a view of the city as there were other fires in the distance. He was certain that the train had come to an emergency stop at Hozu, where Iida was taking his internship. There was a deep fear of what could be happening to his friend as Izuku kept his eyes on the fires burning in the distance.

Elsewhere

The destruction was heard by Manual and every other hero in the area. They all scrambled to combat the sudden threat that was tearing at the city with malicious intent; though one individual who was not quite a hero spotted something down an alleyway that was the original object of his reason for being in Hozu. Stain was in eyeshot with a random hero hanging from his grasp while the killer pinned the costumed individual against the alley wall while the other heroes were too busy going after the more obvious threat.

This was everything he wanted from the very beginning. His chance for payback was right there in front of him. What had erupted inside his chest wasn't blind rage or revenge; it was apprehension. Hesitation gripped him as he was well aware of what it meant to go after such a dangerous man that was well out of his means. He couldn't act out like he planned before and just discard what everybody did to make sure that such an encounter wouldn't happen. The image of his brother in the hospital didn't fill him with the same vitriol as before. What his brother did was to protect him from such a threat and just attacking Stain would be like spitting on his sacrifice.

"Hm, looks like they made their move. Fucking annoying. Still, I have a mission to do. I'll take care of him later."

Stain drew his attention back to the hero who was unable to move due to his quirk. No matter how much the hero tried to get his body to respond; twitching was all he could muster from the body that was completely disobeying his every command.

"I… I can't move!... Goddamn you… Fuc… Fucking die!"

"You're the one who wanted to be a hero. This is what happens, so deal with it."

An innocent man was about to be murdered. The other part of Iida was reacting to the sight of Stain raising his sword to finish off the hero in his grasp. If he hesitated to act now; there was going to be a dead body that was made from his lack of conviction. Iida went in and just threw caution into the wind as he rushed to stop the villain from making another kill.

Approaching from the right was someone rushing Stain with speed that he felt was a bit familiar. He didn't think too much about it as he swung his sword to the right to counter the person who was making a mad dash towards him. What the villain felt wasn't the resistance of striking whatever it was he had aimed his sword at. Nothing met his weapon before he felt a kick on his hip that sent him flying down the alley and tumbling across the hard asphalt. Coming to and looking at what hit him was a smaller version of the hero that he almost killed before being smacked around like a cat toy by that masked freak.

Iida had managed to do it! It was by the skin of his teeth with how close the weapon came to decapitating him; but he managed to dodge the blow and counter Stain. The hero was lying against the wall and was still just as paralysed as before. Before Iida could grab the hero and make a break for it; Stain leapt back up and gave Iida a death stare that would have killed a rabbit. It was one thing to be kicked by someone who was clearly a hero in training. Being reminded of that masked man and his humiliating defeat while failing to kill that one hero was enough to set off Stain into a red hot rage with Iida as his butting post.

What Haru had instilled in Iida just last night was barely enough for him to dodge the first blow. There was no way he would have managed without those harsh lessons for him to use as a guideline for his survival.

The Night Before

He went down in another painful tumble onto the abused grass of the soccer field by Haru's broomstick tripping him from behind. How it was that Haru was able to keep up with Iida and his quirk was beyond the teenager's understanding. Iida attempted to try and get back up with a growing amount of difficulty to do so. There were no significant injuries worth noting, it was more to do with him running and attempting to dodge a broomhandle for hours on end with only two or three breaks to allow him to recover his energy.

This was all for the cause of getting revenge for his brother. If eating glass and nails were what he needed to do to get back at stain, then he wouldn't hesitate to do so. It was this way of thinking that got Haru to treat the youngest Tenya so roughly and without remorse. More and more the boy was starting to get frustrated while remaining stubborn enough to endure the abuse. Haru could see the boy reaching his breaking point with every passing minute that was draining Iida of all his energy.

Something landed next to Iida with an audible thunk and clued Iida in on the water bottle and banana that landed next to his head. Looking up at Haru revealed the man was also cracking open a water bottle with an apple in his hand. He even took a seat next to the boy and took a break with him.

"You got fifteen. After that, we're right back to it."

The last break felt like it was an eternity ago. Iida sluggishly retrieved the water and fruit to refuel and hydrate after hours of being pushed to his limits. Time lost its meaning to Tenya and left the boy to wonder how much time actually had passed since they started the training. So much of this training was really starting to get to Iida. His brother was far more capable in a fight and Stain had cut into him like it was nothing. What good was he against him when a man without a quirk was running circles around him for hours on end?

"You wanna know why you're not making any progress?"

All the more reason to feel like an idiot at the hands of Haru. Being hours into the exercise lent Iida no useful information based on his own ability to garner information. Having to depend on a handout was just another blow to his already abused pride and ego. There wasn't much time left and his energy wasn't coming back anytime soon; so there was only the option of taking the hint in order to make any progress.

"..."

"... Let's use an example, shall we?"

Averting Iida's attention to the left, the bottle that Haru had been drinking from was about halfway done and placed on the grass a good few meters from where he came to a stop.

"You think I can hit the bottle from here with a single swing?"

At first glance it seemed impossible from how much space he had to travel.

"How could you? You're at least a fe-"

The stick in Haru's grasp swung far and low to the ground in a blink of a moment. Like it was a magic trick; the plastic bottle cracked open and spilt some of the remaining water inside of it. Nakamura had cleared the distance while only taking a single lunge to attack. He stood straight up and returned the open mouth stare of astonishment from Iida with a casual and relaxed one.

"I… Uh… What?"

"You measured out the space based on what YOU thought was possible. Right now, I want you to remember something that I think you really need to consider…"

Haru went right up to Iida and crouched in front of the teen while he was still seated on the ground. The look in his eyes was one that asked for nothing but the teenagers undivided attention.

"It doesn't matter what you think will happen; either something will or won't happen during a fight that'll help or work against you. So stop assuming you know what will or won't happen and just be ready for anything."

In a way, Iida had one thing in common with Izuku; they both had a tendency to work things out in their own heads to a nauseating degree that no normal person would bother with. Problem with Iida was his conclusions to potential scenarios was a bit more fact than potential to him. He thought that the range of the swing was something that only took into account a typical side swing while standing. Haru had gained some extra distance by lowering his body and extending his lunge to strike at the target.

"Try this. Instead of breaking down everything mechanically; think of my range as a balloon filled with water."

Haru stood and demonstrated the concept to the teen with his own range of motion.

"Visualizing your opponent as a set of limbs and a torso tends to make you focus on the wrong thing. You pay attention to what kind of motions they make versus the actual important thing."

A few more strikes were demonstrated to deliver another hint to the stumped Tenya. He didn't know how else one was supposed to imagine their opponent when they were literally a set of limbs and a torso.

"Whatever they can reach with their weapon is their area of attack. Seems kinda unfair, right? But having a weapon has its drawbacks too. Not a big one, but a vulnerability nonetheless…"

Present Day

That weakness was how the wielder usually committed their attack to the weapon itself. Barely a weakness and more of a function of swinging around a sword. For Iida, it was quite literally beaten into him for hours on end to imagine his opponent like a rubber balloon filled with water that would stretch out in order to touch him. Whatever direction or type of swing the attacker did would become the farthest point of contact and something he had to dodge at all costs.

How an elastic rubber membrane stretched was the area that he needed to avoid as well when he dodged. It wasn't a perfect analogy, though it still made it effective for Iida to visualize the fight and focus on the thing that will keep him alive. His tutor had also emphasized that everything he taught to Tenya was strictly to be used defensively.

No concept of countering and utilizing his own range of attack in tandem with his opponents was taught to the boy due to his lack of time and experience. All Iida could do was dodge and avoid getting himself killed by the skin of his teeth. That kick he managed to squeeze in was one made in a desperate attempt to save the hero Stain had planned to cut open.

"You… Little… SHIT!"

Lack of planning and common sense landed the junior hero from the frying pan directly into the fire. For things outside of Iida's control, Stain was now out for blood and could only see red with everything he's had to deal with from the past few weeks. His mission to rid the world of pretender heroes was met with nothing but resistance at every turn of the road.

From the annoyance of being constantly caught off guard by this new department that kept hounding him at every turn; to the maniac that treated him like a plaything while he was in the middle of ridding the city of another fake hero. Nothing was going his way and now he was just about to snap with how fucked off he was.

"Do you know who I am?! What it is that I do to fakers claiming to be heroes; like you?! Who the fuck are you to get in my way?!"

"... It doesn't matter."

What came out of Iida's mouth came directly from the heart. Perhaps it was something he was too naive to see for the longest time. What he once considered to be important and his sole motivation was just gilding for what it was he felt was the real reason he should have been doing this for. A truth he finally felt he understood after being disillusioned for so long. Stain demanded Iida to repeat himself and tell him what it was he meant to say.

"I said that it doesn't matter who I am or who you are! All that matters right now is that I am a hero and you're a villain! There's someone who needs my help and I will save them! My name is Tenya Iida; and I will be the hero that save them!"

He was scared. Both arms and legs were shaking and the air felt like he was at an elevation above the clouds. Only one thing was keeping him there and in between Stain and the injured hero behind him. Something that he remembered Izuku saying a few days ago when they all began choosing their hero titles. Iida was here because he chose to be here. Defending those who needed his help. Protecting the innocent from evil like Stain. His place was right here; in between the world's evils and those who couldn't defend themselves from that very same evil.

Had Stain been in a better mood; he would have actually come to respect Iida a little. That time was long past and now all that remained was for him to take down the obstruction that was holding him back from his own mission. The jagged sword was raised and poised to cut down the naive boy and liberate Stain from another petty annoyance.