Well, things were a bit of a departure for this chapter, but I think it's not an alarming shift in things, you know? However, it's taking longer to get this done as I had been preoccupied yesterday, and because of that, this chapter is shorter than usual.

Chapter 42: Second Attack

"Challenger, you should hit the showers." Midoriya looked away from the shield he had been crafting towards Crust, who walked back into the training area. He had been at this since the previous day, working on trying to layer his constructs in a short time frame, but he was finding it not as easy as Crust made it look. Even his fastest time to make a triple-layer construct as simple as a shield took 20 seconds.

"Now, it's only 1 p.m. I thought I would be at this until 3 before we went on a patrol," Midoriya replied. He walked over to the side and grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat away from his face. He had been looking forward to the patrol, too, as they were supposed to head for the seedier parts of town.

Crust nodded, but their plans had been changed. "That was the plan, but I was on the phone with the commission just now. They asked me to head over to Hosu."

"Hosu? Wait, they want you to hunt the hero killer?" Midoriya paused as he wiped his face, looking at his mentor in surprise.

"The very same. Unfortunately, the vile fiend has already cut down 17 heroes and injured 23 gravely enough that they had to retire, with Ingenium being the 24th such." Crust clenched his fist at the reminder of such tragic losses to the hero community. "Even now, my blood still boils in rage at the news! I've had the privilege to work with Ingenium in the past and can say that he was not one of the best of us. A true hero in his heart and his deeds."

Midoriya lowered his towel with a frown, as he didn't know a lot about the Turbo hero. Still, he knew enough about his record to fully agree with Crust. Ingenium might have never broken the top 20, but he was the shining example of what a hero should be. Not to mention that his attack was why Kendo and Iida were having a rough patch, as the younger Iida was dead-set on it and, even now, ignored Kendo in the group chat despite her efforts to keep him from doing something stupid.

But there was a question he wanted to ask. "Forgive me, but why didn't you leave sooner if you respected him so much?"

Crust didn't take offense to the question; it was a good one and showed that his student had a good head on his shoulders. Hosu isn't in my typical area, and while I wouldn't mind being the one to take that villain down so he may pay for his crimes, not all of us can be like Mirko and go wherever we please."

Most heroes established themselves in an area and remained there, which could be the size of a minor ward or even an entire city, but that rule generally applied. It was practical as when you knew the area and the locals, you could better support the community and fight crime. Of course, there were exceptions like Mirko and All Might back in the day. Still, the former didn't have an agency and was a free agent, while the latter was so fast that he was based in Tokyo; he could go from there to Kyushu and then towards Hokkaido in an hour on a slow day.

"But the commission can tell you to?"

Crust laughed at the question, walking over and slapping the boy on the back. "Come no, my boy, you make it sound like they can make me jump if they only ask. They offered the chance and will have some other heroes come by to fill in for me." He leaned in, his jovial energy suppressed for the moment. "Although, between you and me, they asked me because they want a top hero to take this villain down for the PR."

"That sounds…" Midoriya frowned, same as Crust at the implication.

"Shady? Shifty? Underhanded? That's because it's that and more, my boy." Crust sighed as he stood to his full height. "The commission does good work, I won't deny that, but sometimes, they forget that being a hero is more than just approval ratings and stability."

Shaking off the tense mood, Crust adopted his typical jovialness like it was nothing. "Silly me, talking about such things with a first year, but then again, I'm bringing you along for a hunt of a dangerous criminal, so maybe I'm a little crazy!" He laughed, with Midoriya wondering if he was doing it for his sake, but he could inquire about this later.

"But in all seriousness, Challenger," Crust gave him a look. "You're to act as much support; I don't want to get into a fight with this man. You have your entire life ahead of you, and I can't stomach the idea that you'll be forced to transfer out of the hero course…if you're lucky."

"Understood." Midoriya bowed to the man before grabbing his staff and walking toward the men's showers at the side of the gym. He was just lucky that his costume didn't get dirty from his training, as he only had one.

"Uwabani, when will that fashion show hit the news?" Yaoyorozu asked, the group walking down the main street close to the train station. Kendo watched her, wondering what had happened. Not even 24 hours ago, the heiress was a bundle of nervous nerves that hardly spoke unless directly spoken to. But since they had woken up, it had been like she was before the sports festival.

They all picked up on the change, but only Yaoyorozu and Uwabani knew the details. "It already did; you just didn't notice, " she told them as the three girls stopped.

"What, for real?" Kendo asked as Uwabani laughed.

"Search it. There were plenty of reporters on the scene." She told them as all of them pulled their phones out and went into the news. As Kendo didn't follow fashion, she had to search it as it didn't appear in her feed.

Once she did, she saw that it was one of the first results as she tapped the article and skipped through most of the flowery language about the performance and outfits on display; she already knew they were good. When she got to the pictures, she saw herself on stage, her face red as she wondered how she managed to keep a straight face through it all, how any of them had as they walked on that catwalk like they belonged on it.

"I look good," Kodai noted as she looked at the pictures of herself wearing the latest spring collection. Maybe she could ask for a discount.

"I think we all do…" Yaoyorozu blushed a little, though she had a smile on her face as she read through the article. She noticed that they had some mentions, people noticed them, and they had nothing but praise for them.

"Oh dammit, when my folks see this, they'll gonna freak!" She and Kodai turned to Kendo, who looked like she just realized she was about to die.

"Is there something the matter, Battle Fist? It's not as if we were modeling swimwear or anything risqué." Yaoyorozu asked as those pictures were of the adult models present.

Kendo groaned as she knew this would be a problem for her. "Tell that to my dad. He doesn't know I picked Uwabani, and when he sees this, he's going to think I gave up martial arts for modeling." Her family ran a dojo and has done so since her great-grandmother. She had most of her best memories of that place, and her father fiercely protected it and its legacy. He hadn't been the biggest fan of her wanting to be a hero but was placated by the fact she was using the skills their family nurtured and refined to help people. He wasn't going to like this if he saw it.

Uwabani cracked a smile at that before she noticed two people walking towards the train station, one of whom was very familiar to her. "Well, it looks like you'll have a chance to correct that little falsehood, " she stated as she called out to them. Crust, I was expecting to run into you sooner or later!"

The hero turned in their direction and, upon seeing them, let out a hearty laugh as he jogged over, grabbing up the woman in a bear hug. "Uwabani, it's been too long! What are you doing in my neck of the woods?" He placed her down, more than happy to see his old classmate.

"Fashion shoot. We finished last night, but I wanted to get a few patrols done before heading back, " she explained before looking towards the smaller of the two. And who is this little kitty?" She smiled towards Midoriya, Crust touching his shoulder as he introduced them.

"That would be my intern, Senju Hero: Challenger. I'll keep an eye on this one because he's got a burning, passionate heart." Crust stated, Midoriya preening at the praise Uwabani caught, finding it adorable that he was so feline-like.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Uwabani." Midoriya nevertheless showed proper respect as he bowed to her right, and the three girls walked up to them.

"Likewise, the ladies with me would also be my interns, Rule, Creati, and Battle First, though if I recall things currently, you'll already be familiar with them." Uwabani introduced them, though her eyes were on Midoriya.

"That I am as one is my classmate, " he replied before turning towards his mentor, as they had a schedule to keep. "Are we going to be going together then?"

"And where is that?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"My intern and I are heading towards Hosu. Stain hasn't been sighted in another city yet, and the commission wants him caught before he can move on and claim more victims." Crust explained that the group did not need to worry about privacy too much as the people around them gave them space.

Uwabani narrowed her eyes in thought, bringing her hand to her chin. "Your experience in capturing cases is one of the best, but is it wise to bring a student along?"

Crust didn't seem as eager as normal. "You're not wrong to be concerned. I would be lying if I didn't say I agree. But he's coming with to act as my support, and besides, I can't just leave him here."

Uwabani knew that he could have, as the man had plenty of sidekicks that could handle the boy's internship, but she also knew the kind of person Crust was. He wouldn't be doing this if he didn't think it would benefit Midoriya, and she would only waste her breath if she tried to tell him otherwise.

"Just be sure to remember his limits. Not everyone can be as determined as you." She warned him nonetheless as she recalled how much he loved to train in their high school days, often much more than required and leaving the rest of them sweaty and exhausted in his dust.

"Oh, you say that like it's a bad thing!" Crust laughed.

"Uwabani," The two heroes looked toward Kendo. The girl looked a little nervous, but she steeled her resolve before she continued. "Could I go with them as well?"

"You were models?" Midoriya laughed as he got off the train with Kendo at his side and Crust up ahead. The afternoon sun had already set, leaving the city covered in a chilled darkness lit by the many thousands of lights.

"It's not like we were wasting time! It's important for marketing our images when we graduate." Kendo yelled back as she finally broke to his questions about what she had been up to those first 2 days.

"I'm not saying that; it's not a bad idea," Midoriya waved his hands in surrender, getting himself under control. He figured that he could also use some time to train in media skills. "I just can't picture you in a dress, is all, Ms. First Place." He tried, and all he got was his image of her since the festival, a being cloaked in lightning.

Kendo took his words as an insult as she dug out her phone and opened the gallery before shoving it into his face, her pics from the fashion shoot being the latest. "I have you know that I made that piece look great." Looking at the pictures, Midoriya had to admit that she looked great. No doubt he'll be hearing about it from his classmates when they return next week.

"Did you learn anything new?" Kendo switched the topic to him as they walked out of the train station. Looking around, she saw that even though it was evening, the streets were still busy with people.

Midoriya raised his hand, holding a seed in his palm. He closed his fist for a few seconds, and Kendo saw faint whisps of green and red before he opened his hand, revealing a tiny shield. Taking it from him, she examined it as he explained, "I've just been focusing on this. Crust believes that I can make my wood much stronger if I lay it, but it takes a hell of a lot longer than just creating single blocks."

Kendo noted that it was made from 3 different layers before she handed it back to him. Midoriya tossed it into some bushes. "You and I know stuff like this always takes time, or were you one of those prodigies?" She asked him, only for Midoriya to laugh it off.

"Not even close." He might have gotten this far, but that was less because he was destined and more because he was stubborn where it counted. But being stubborn wasn't the play here. He looked towards his mentor. "Crust, sir, what's the game plan?"

Crust turned to them, the man having been engaged in a conversation with a local hero. "It's pretty simple. Stain doesn't have a set time for attacks. Some victims were attacked in the morning, others in the middle of the day, and others late into the evening. However, we do have one clue to his hunting pattern, that being the fact that he avoids large open spaces and sticks to the shadows, deserted streets, and alleys."

Kendo could see the logic there, as after she heard about Iida's brother, she researched what was available about Stain, which, for a man with over 20 victims still breathing, was little, but maybe that was because the authorities were keeping the details a guarded secret.

"Couldn't he have fled the city by now? I wouldn't want to remain around when there are so many heroes after me." Midoriya asked, as even with it being night, plenty of heroes were around. One would need to be either bold or reckless to attempt something new. If anything, it made perfect sense to leave and strike elsewhere; the heroes in other cities wouldn't be on as high an alert.

Crust crossed his arms, nodding, but there was a flaw in Midoriya's logic. "He wouldn't be Stain if he followed such logic. He always attacks at least 4 pros before he moves on; his last attack was his 3rd, so he has at least one more in him before he leaves for another city." Crust didn't know why it was always 4 or more. Was it a compulsive desire Stain couldn't help, or was there a deeper meaning? He didn't know, and neither did the police.

"So we…you'll be patrolling those spots?" Kendo corrected, as she had already been told that they weren't going to be fighting Stain by Crust and Uwabani when she gave permission. The woman had been clear that she should run if given the chance.

"That's the plan. We'll link up with some other local heroes, wear earpieces, and stay relatively close to one another. If one of us is attacked, the others can quickly move in to box the hero killer, and bam!" Crust punched his palm. We captured him."

"Wouldn't Stain be suspicious about something like that?" Midoriya asked as the group continued to move. Crust needed to meet with the other heroes at the local police station. There, they'll get any new info as well as those com links.

"If we were close, maybe, but for this to work, we'll be separated. To compensate for this, we will be placed in a certain area so that even with distance, the others can cut off Stain's escape route." Crust didn't like the plan, as Stain would still have time to injure or, heavens forbid, kill someone, but that just came with the job.

"And us?" Kendo asked, looking around some more for any trouble, but it seemed like things were quiet.

"You'll be my backup. Just because Stain has avoided populated areas doesn't mean he will continue, especially if he's cornered. It will be your job to act as the rear guard and keep people away and safe." Midoriya could see that, though the time would make that more challenging as he wouldn't be able to rely on his eyes as much as he did his ears and 6th sense.

"It's already late." He stated.

"That means more work for you two, as more crime happens when the sun goes down. Can't have any opportunists taking advantage of the innocent." Crust replied with a chuckle, not worried as they were on the job, along with many other heroes. Any criminals that tried something were going to have a rude awakening. They fell into silence for a moment, but Midoriya saw Kendo looking at something on her phone for the 3rd time in the last 5 minutes; her frown grew each time.

"Something up?" he asked her, which sent Kendo jolting. She nearly missed a step as she caught herself. Midoriya gave her an apologetic look, but she waved it off. She was the one daydreaming.

"Just checking to see if Iida's replied yet." She replied, putting her phone away. Again, all she saw in the group chat was that Iida had read their messages, but he hadn't responded.

"Didn't you say that he's been ignoring you?" Midoriya asked.

"Yeah, just me. But for a day now, he's even ignoring Uraraka and Tsu." She was worried about him. She had thought he would cool down, but maybe he didn't; perhaps he got into trouble. Would the school even tell them if he was sent home early?

Midoriya didn't want her to get too worried about this, especially since there wasn't much she could do for him. "Maybe he's just busy with his internship. He could be trying to distract himself with work."

"Maybe, but if he was patrolling or training earlier, he should be back at the agency by now," Kendo replied as Iida wasn't normally like this, but he hadn't been normal for a while now and she didn't know what to do! She made sure he didn't do something stupid, then he started to ignore her which hurt, but she could take, but now he seemed to be cutting everyone off and she couldn't even look him in the eye and ask him why.

Midoriya could see she was spiraling, so he tried to get her to focus more on the present and what she could do. "Where did he go anyway?"

She took a few breaths to collect herself, controlling her concerns. "Someone called Slidin' Go. Not much about him. He has a good record but is a bit low on the charts, but he's not anywhere near Hosu, so I'm happy." Midoriya nodded, but then a thought occurred to him as he turned.

"Crust, you wouldn't have-!" Whatever he wished to say went unvoiced as an explosion went off in the distance, followed by others and screams as people started fleeing. Not even 5 seconds later, something crashed into the storefront before them, tables and chairs turning to shattered wood and metal.

"What the hell was that?" Kendo yelled just to be heard.

"Stay here!" Crust was already on the move, rushing towards the destroyed storefront; he was proven correct in his instincts as he saw that it was a hero that had been thrown into it, with the man looking beat up and bloody as he tried to get up.

"Dammit, what in the hell are yo-!" His face was slammed into the ground by a villain with grey skin, no shirt, an exposed brain, and vacant eyes. Crust grit his teeth as he suspected that whoever this was got their hands on the trigger.

"Let him go, villain!" If that was the case, there was no point talking as he jumped into the fray, shields forming on his hands. One the size of a regular shied one would think a Viking would have, the other pointed and sharpened as he thrust it towards the villain, piecing into their side as his strength sent them packing, crashing into the sidewalk barrier, it bent as they tumbled over it. Crust didn't lower his guard, a good decision as the villain was back on his feet like that was nothing, before letting out an ear-wrenching screech and charging.

As the hero met the villain's charge, the two students sprang into action, trying to get the people from the fighting, even as the sounds of if only grew louder in the distance, smoke visible in the air as fires seemed to spread.

"Everyone, keep moving, but don't panic! Crust is on the scene! I repeat, don't panic!" Midoriya used tenet to amplify his voice so that he would be heard over the screaming. He made two batons to guide the people away from the fighting towards where he hoped things were safe.

"I can help carry people that need it. Let's move it, people!" Kendo did just that with some people who had fallen, using her quirk to carry people and keep them away from someone who tripped so that they didn't get trampled. As they worked, she looked at the villain that Crust was fighting, and while it was different, it still reminded her of another, which made her curse.

"Crust, be careful! It looks like the monster from the USJ!" she called out to him, the hero in a power struggle with the villain who was trying to tear at his shield, which he enlarged to protect his entire body.

Crust replied through ground teeth from keeping the beast at bay. "I thought it looked familiar, but I thought those things had blackened skin and bulker frames…" If this wasn't a man, he didn't need to worry as he weakened his defense and stepped back, letting the monster's momentum carry it forward and trip it. Seizing the moment, he lengthened his other shield. He made its edge sharper before bringing it down onto the Nomu's back, piercing through to the ground beneath, severing its spine.

Still, the man was disgusted with how, even with such a grievous injury, even if its legs fell limp. Pulling his shield sword free, he noted that, unlike the reports of the USJ version, this creature didn't seem to have any regenerative abilities.

"Are the people safe?" Keeping an eye on the villain, he turned to his two interns.

"Just about!" Midoriya replied, his mind recalling a similar incident to this. One that didn't have monsters, at least not ones like one Crust had defeated, but one that had plenty of fire, screams, and pain. And just like then, he had entered business mode.

Hearing another explosion go off, Crust turned to see the flames in the distance. This wasn't what he thought would happen, or what any of the heroes thought would happen. If this was the League, and they were carrying out a similar attack to the USJ, they needed to handle things quickly.

Returning his gaze to the students, he reminded them that this man was a seasoned veteran and someone who had earned his way onto the top ten billboard. Even with the mask, he had an aura of strength and safety. "As your mentor and licensed hero, I, Crust, deputize you for the night! Focus on saving people, understand?"

"Got it." Both nodded, having to stop themselves from bowing as they understood what that meant. It was temporary, but it granted them the same rights and authority as a licensed hero. But they learned in class that pros only ever used such a device in a real crisis where manpower and time were limited.

Hearing screams in the distance, they could say this was one of those times. Crust didn't say more as he turned and ran towards the trouble, the two students behind him as Kendo powered up One for All. Orange lightning bursting to life around her, Midoriya shifted his wooden batons into a war hammer and shield, respectively.

"Battle First, you said that thing was like the monster from the USJ. You don't think that this is…"

Kendo cut him off, her lips tightening in worry and anger. "I don't know, but this is far too loud to be Stain's doing. Either way, we have a job to do. Let's go to where the fires are strongest. We can assist people on the way." She replied, though Midoriya had something else to say.

"Hey, this time, I'll be watching you beat up other people." She looked his way, wondering if he was serious, but when she saw his smile, she couldn't help but snort before matching it.

"Just try and keep up, you wooden cat." She replied as they turned a corner and saw a massive melee between several heroes and 3 more Nomu monsters, including a tall, skinny, blackened, skinned version that just sent someone flying into a car.

Crust let out a war cry as he charged in, and the two students followed his example. Midoriya went for the yellow-skinned one, and Kendo went to aid some heroes trying to subdue another grey-skinned Nomu.

The next chapter will be out on Novermber 1st.

Special thanks to my Patrons(s):

Jacob Crispin Rincon

Francesco Alayza

LastCranel27

Oz Vesalius

Killerking

Frostcore

High Simp of Mephala

Malik Johnson

Broden Hammel

truenoble

Killerking

Alexei Barrett

rlp31-

ShelDrake

Yvetal247

Uknown Grimoire

p a t reon . com (slash) Ducksmakegreatminers