As Izuku and co squared off against Stain, Vivi moved to make sure Tenya was still alright.
"How are you holding up?"
"A little numb in some places, but I'll manage..." Tenya sighed. "It's funny, when I first learned that Stain had attacked and hospitalized my brother I felt a sense of anger. But after learning Stain's motives first-hand... That anger just... Deflated. For how dangerous the Hero Killer is, he's nothing more than a child that never grew up, still living in the old fantasies of superhero comics."
Stain, meanwhile was flaying and bursting out Conqueror's Haki as he tried to land a blow of ANY kind on his foes. A sight that filled Tenya with some more anger; this was who had cut his brother's career short? The unimpressed looks on Izuku and the Seraphirm's faces also didn't help.
"What a waste." Chikara sighed.
"It's fine to be angry, you were wronged, and anger is an appropriate emotion to such injustice. The important thing is how you channel that anger." N said. "But right now, this is a good opportunity to channel some of that anger."
Tenya nodded as he thought back to his childhood talking with Tensei.
"My brother once said he thought the coolest people in the world were those who did things for others. It's the reason he chose to become a hero, beyond the expectations of family. He always felt that me looking up to him made him better. Tensei... Thank you."
As they were talking, Stain had made a beeline straight for Shoto.
"Hasn't anyone told you that you rely on your Quirk too much? Makes you a careless fighter."
"RECIPRO BURST!"
The hero killer was sent flying back as Tenya landed next to Izuku and Hilda.
"And just what was that Iida?" Hilda asked excitedly.
"That was my Recipro Burst. It's my strongest special move. I force my torque and engines into overdrive to attack." Tenya explained. "Unfortunately this only lasts 10 seconds before I have to give my Quirk a rest."
Stain picked himself up, shocked at the speed Tenya had displayed.
"I must have been a good five meters away from him, yet he closed the distance in just under a second. Even his brother wasn't that fast."
He dashed forward to strike, only for Tenya to catch the blade under his knee. With a quick twist, Ingenium had Stain's blade snapped in two.
"Damn, he managed to break through Stain's Haki!" Yaato whistled.
"Not bad, kid. I honestly wish more heroes were like you, then society wouldn't be so screwed up." Stain praised. "You aimed specifically to disarm me when you could have easily broken my actual arm."
"Believe me, I'm still sorely tempted to do so." Tenya glared.
"Koro can smell the fear coming off you. You're nervous, Stain." Seryu noted as Koro growled in agreement.
"My Quirk is unreliable in a straight fight, but you all probably already guessed that. The fact that it doesn't last forever and is variable depending on blood type is an obvious weakness." Stain admitted. "I've trained myself to not rely on it in a fight, but even then I'm only used to fighting one-on-one."
"And yet you're so dedicated to your pointless cause of culling 'Fakes'...or rather, people who aren't All-Might." Yaato taunted.
"BECAUSE ALL MIGHT IS THE ONLY TRUE HERO!" Stain screamed, uinleashing Conqueror's Haki willy nilly as he ranted, the kids standing firm but standing at the will. "THE TITLE OF HERO HAS LOST ALL MEANING; WHERE IT ONCE STOOD FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING AND OUT OF ALTRUISM, THIS AGE HAS PRODUCED NOTHING BUT GLORY HOUNDS AND SHEEP! FOR EVERY FAKE I'VE CUT DOWN, I'VE STOPPED OTHERS FROM TAKING THEIR…!"
CLANG!
"Shut up."
Izuku, blade drawn and haki pumping, cut Stain off and pushed him back.
"Even fakes can inspire true heroes!" Yatto roared as he swung his nunchuk, hitting one of Stain's legs and breaking it. "By killing heroes, you let evil and apathy rise!"
"FOX'S DEN!"
Yaato started waving his three-section staff around at incredible speeds in an atomic circle.
"Sorry Stain, but as long as this move is up...You'll never be able to even touch us, let alone kill us."
Shoto made the first move, sending a barrage of ice at Stain, which he dodged. However, when he went in to strike the boys down, his knives collided with the air barrier that Yaato was creating and shattered on impact. He cursed and quickly lept back before drawing two more knives.
"Vivi! I need you to cool my engines!"
"Right!"
Creating cool water, Vivi used it to cool down Tenya's radiator. The Brother of Ingenium nodded as he felt his engines roaring back to life as Yaato looked over his shoulder as Stain prepared to make another move.
"GO FOR IT, IIDA!"
"RECIPRO BURST!"
Before Stain could realize what was happening, he found Tenya right in front of him. His instincts kicked in, causing him to backpedal to clear some distance. Lacking his main swords, he only had throwing knives to rely on.
Suddenly, black tendrils surrounded him, coming up from behind. He had just enough time to realize that it was Hilda's doing before the tendrils completely tied him up, Hilda using her own weight to keep Stain pinned.
"See? I told you getting fat would work!" The big girl beamed.
DEVIL
Meanwhile, back in the city proper, Superalloy Darkshine was able to take out one of the Nomus still attacking. Its attempt to cut him had fallen short due to his Quirk Shiny Skin, which not only made his dark skin glossy and shiny but also unbreakable.
"Multiple Quirks...that ain't normal."
"It's similar to the Nomu that attacked the USJ. I was under the impression that there was only one." Shouji said, having been interning with Rose Vista.
"And that's not even counting the skeletons!" Sero noted, having also been interning with Vista as he used his tape to slam two skeletons together, reducing them to dust.
"We know someone is creating these unpleasant creatures. We just need to find the source and we will win!" Vista himself said, cutting up several skeletons with his rapiers.
Suddenly, a massive shockwave sent several skeletons flying away. Everyone looked up to see Ben descending like an angel, complete with wings made of black lightning as Rosa, Marco, and Koby jumped down beside him.
"Then it's a good thing you've got firepower on your side."
"Hey, don't leave us out!" Togaru called as he and Jurota came in, the latter having grown into his giant beast form with a snarl.
Vista grinned. "Splendid! Well then, children...follow the leader!"
DEVIL
Both Native and Yui were finally starting to be able to move on their own. Native looked over to where Stain was still tied up, Regenizard making sure he was chained up properly.
"He seemed so dangerous up close. Yet a bunch of kids, barely sixteen years old, were able to take him on and win. The new generation has so much potential."
"A large part of this is because we were able to help nurture that potential," Regenizard clarified as he laid out all of Stain's weapons.
"We won't be having to do a cavity search, will we?" Hilda asked in slight disgust.
"Somehow, I doubt that," N said. "He doesn't seem to be putting up much of a fight."
"I've had my entire philosophy slapped right back in my face..." Stain admitted. "Here I am, ranting at how the word 'Hero' has lost all meaning...only to be taken down by a bunch of young hopefuls."
"Just goes to show that for all that drivel you spat about improving society, you only made things worse." Regenizard scowled. "You made families suffer, all because the heroes you hunted down and butchered weren't All-Might."
"I've already gotten my justice for Tensei," Tenya said. "But you...you still have to answer to all those families...especially Star Plasma's."
"So I only made martyrs...that's the worst thing in the world to make for someone trying to prove their cause."
"Whatever you may think of heroes, you need to remember that they do provide a vital service. Even those that really are what you think they are take their jobs seriously." Izuku said. "You can't become popular or rich if people think you're incompetent, after all."
"The world isn't so black and white as you've made it out to be. Even All-Might has his dark moments." N added.
This took Stain for a spin before he recalled one press conference; wherein All Might hadn't been smiling; having been forced back from trying to find a little boiy lost….at…sea…
It was then that the Hero-Killer realized who Izuku was: That very same boy, who had been thought lost saving another child during a shipwreck.
A sad smile crossed Stain's face as the group waited for other heroes to show up and help haul him away. He may have lost sight of his goals and fallen…but at least he was stopped by a real hero.
He could go to and live in Tartarus with that.
"Um…Midoriya?"
Izuku turned to see Yui fidgeting and avoiding look at him.
"Yes, Kodai?" Izuku asked, only to be taken aback when she hugged him.
"Thank you. And not just for tonight."
This caused Izuku to raise an eyebrow in confusion. What else could she be…?
A sad smile appeared on Yui's face and she, trembling as she kept the hug going, quickly said:
"That little girl you saved on the cruise? That was me."
A hush fell over the crowd. You could hear a pin drop.
Yui?
SHE was the girl Izuku had…?
The green haired boy started to tear up himself. All these years, he'd wondered what had become of that little girl; Pilar, Dorothy and Matael had been trying to find her when they could, but had come up empty…
To think he'd been so close to her this whole time. And that she was training to become a hero herself.
"…I'm glad to see you got home okay." Izuku smiled as he gently returned the hug, his friends admiring the scene from afar.
DEVIL
"Man, this is one hell of a party!" Togaru grinned wildly.
"Yes, truly an interesting night, but if I'm being honest the most interesting thing I've seen is them," Vista said as he nodded his head in the direction of where Ben, Koby, and Marco were fighting.
Jurota's heightened senses suddenly allowed him to sniff the air after clearing out a wave of skeletons. He then narrowed his eyes as he turned to everyone else.
"I think I've found the one responsible for this travesty. Everyone on me!"
Everyone rushed forward through the tunnel they had found themselves in and soon found a giant hole leading to a nearby building.
"Going up!" Rosa said as she absorbed the rubber from a stray tire and used it to bounce herself up, the others following quickly after.
When they reached the building, they saw none other than Rudbornn sitting there in a meditative stance, a hand holding the sword strapped to his waist and multiple branches coming out of his back that was spawning the skeletons.
"It seems I have been discovered...Oh well, it seems the message has finished being delivered."
Rudbornn stood up, the branches retracting back into his back as he drew his sword and readied it.
"But know this...I will not go down without a fight!"
Rudbornn rushed forward and clashed his sword with Vista, who crossed both his rapiers together with a grin as he held the villain back.
"You forget one thing...I am a member of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Suddenly, with a flourish, Vista dashed past Rudborrn, who suddenly collapsed to his knees as his head rolled off his shoulders. Before he expired, the villain had one last thing to say.
"For...the League..."
With those words, Rudbornn's head and body erupted into bright blue flames, crumbling into ash and dust, leaving nothing behind as the hero students watched in shock as Vista fixed his top hat.
"Hell of a night, isn't it kids?"
"You could say that again..." Marco sighed. "Come on, let's help with rescue!"
DEVIL
"We've lost Rudbornn..." Lafitte noted.
"And all three Nomus were captured...I doubt we'll be able to dispose of them like you did with the one at the USJ." Kurogiri worriedly noted.
"We only wanted them to rampage to let people know we weren't a one-time deal. I like to think we accomplished that quite nicely." Tomura said dismissively. "And what's this? The Hero Killer captured?"
"A shame about Rudbornn, Tobi. I heard he was just like you." Burgess noted to the masked man.
"Ah, it's cool. We never really got along anyway so I'm not really heartbroken or anything." Tobi replied, casually holding his arms behind the back of his head.
"Still, we have achieved our true mission. Let us head home." Auger said.
Tobi nodded and in a distortion of space, the League of Villains disappeared...
DEVIL
It was the morning after the Hosu Incident and everyone was getting checked out at the hospital. Hilda, of course, didn't have any noticeable injuries so she stayed in a hotel with Regenizard.
"How are you holding up, Iida?" Marco asked.
"I'll leave. There's only a small scar on my chest where Stain slashed me. The doctors did good work."
Vivi smiled. "Still can't believe we pulled that off. Who would have thought a bunch of young students would be the ones to take down the Hero Killer?"
"Though I doubt we'll be allowed to get credit for it since we're underage." Shoto frowned.
"I wouldn't worry about that," Swift Sculpt said as he came in. "Me, Regenizard, Garp, and the other heroes you were interning with finished our talk with the police officials."
A large man with the head of a beagle dog entered behind Swift Sculpt.
"My name is Kenji Tsuragamae, Hosu Chief of Police-woof."
"Awww, he's kinda like Tsu!" Rosa giggled.
"On behalf of the city of Hosu, I would like to express my thanks for your part in bringing down the Hero Killer, I was very impressed with how you handled it. Stain has a few bruises and other minor injuries from the fight, but nothing life-threatening." Kenji said. "Your supervisors made it clear that you had full permission to engage, including authorized usage of Quirks, and I'm glad to see that you didn't take advantage of that, aiming to secure and capture Stain rather than outright attacking him."
"I was sorely tempted, believe me..." Tenya admitted with a sigh. "But it would only shame my brother's memory and the mantle I have made for myself to honor it."
"I'd also like to thank you for your efforts in stopping the mysterious undead horde. Vista has given us the rundown on the one behind it and how he had helped take care of him."
"Yeah, that creepy guy with the bull skull helmet." Marco shuddered. "He just burst into flames and disintegrated after Vista cut off his head."
Koby put a finger to his chin. "The last thing we heard him say was 'For the League'. Something tells me he was with the League of Villains."
"As if the Nomu weren't much of a clue already?" Ben sarcastically asked.
"Of course, the official record will have to be that your supervisors were the ones who captured Stain and defeated the mysterious skeleton master, but given the circumstances, I see no reason why you can't be given partial credit," Kenji said. "Helping to capture a notorious villain, especially if it was part of training, would certainly look good on your future resumes when it comes time to apply for your provisional licenses as heroes."
"Speaking of that, did Stain give anything up during his interrogation?" Seryu asked.
"For the most part, he just repeated what he had told you during his capture, a breakdown of his motives, which are understandable even if his actions in accomplishing them are horrible, and confirmation that he has nothing to do with the League of Villains. We will be coordinating with precincts in other districts to find the bar he was brought to, based on his description of the interior. Hopefully, we can find it and set up a sting operation to capture the ones behind those monsters who attacked last night."
DEVIL
"We may need to vacate soon. If they were able to interrogate the Hero Killer, then he'll tell them enough for the police to zero in on our bar." Shiki said as he watched the news.
"We were caught on security camera. Obviously, they might recognize us, especially since I was a former member of the police." Laffitte noted.
"The good news is, we're sharing a news slot with Stain. Guess it was alright letting him go after all." Tomura said.
"I've been bringing in a few more members to join our merry crew in the meantime," Shiki said. "Ol' All For One has also been bringing in some of his own picks."
"Cool. Can't wait to meet the new players." Tomura smirked, taking a sip of his drink.
"From what I've gathered, there are quite a few high-caliber villains coming our way," Auger noted. "Some are even villains on the SCP Foundation's Most Wanted, like Sliming Sadist, Stranglehold, Banananasher, and Heart Piercer."
"Sweet, we're getting some Legendary Tier characters now." Tomura chuckled. "This is gonna be the start of a brand new crew...one that will blow Midoriya's own group out of the water!"
DEVIL
Meanwhile, in a nearby bar, two men were sharing a drink. One looked like an anthropomorphic gecko while the other wore a black balaclava and magician's clothes.
"So in the end Stain's ideals fell flat when he was struck with reality from three young teens. I kinda feel bad for him." The gecko man said.
"Hero Killer Stain, real name Chizome Akaguro. He like many others was inspired by All-Might's heroics and went to a private hero high school, but found the educational system to have a gross misunderstanding of what it meant to be a hero." Noted the masked man. "He tried to revamp the system through words but found they weren't enough. So he tried turning to action, only for his actions to be dissected and proven counter-intuitive to his cause."
"Secret villain forums are talking about recruitment for the League of Villains. Think about joining up?" The gecko man, Shuichi Iguichi, asked.
"Well, from what I've heard, they've got quite the stage being set up. I think it may just be in our best interest to sign up for a leading role." The masked man, Atsuhiro Sako, chuckled.
The two paid for their drinks and left silently into the night, their destination already in mind...
Knightmare Lord A/N:
We've defeated Stain and Rudbornn, ending off the Hosu Incident! However, we will take a moment to show how some of the other young aspiring heroes are handling their internships before we head back to UA!
But on that note, what new members will the League of Villains be getting for their crew? You'll just have to wait and see!
Anything you'd like to say, Mrotrax?
Mrotrax A/N:
One of my biggest concerns was never learning WHO the girl saved was, so I am delighted and proud to learn it was Yui. Originally there was going to be a bit of a talk between the two of them, but I thought juust leaving it with the relief and Izuku happy his being lost at sea wasn't in vain was enough.
If enough people request, I will happily show that scene in either another chapter of a DA post.
Until then? Read and review and see ya when we see ya!