Tenya was once again out on patrol with Manual. The more he stayed with him, the more he began to feel bad for using him like this. However, as he had said to himself before, he would apologize to him for deceiving him like this after his vengeance was had—assuming he lived through it.

Tenya was no fool. He knew very well that there was a good chance that might end up like Tensei. He knew, and yet, he could not find it in himself to care. The only thing that he cared about at this particular moment was vengeance.

The only thing he wanted was to see Stain dead at his feet.

Right now, Tenya and Manual were following the same patrol route they had been following over the last few days. They passed by the same buildings, waved to the same people, and saw the same sights as they usually did. Tenya knew that it was all to establish a routine and to familiarize himself with the area, but in the same breath, it was starting to get repetitive.

He knew that this was Manual's route and that it was assigned to him. He also knew that they couldn't go beyond it per internship orders. Even so, Tenya wanted to scope out more of the city. To see more of the areas in which Stain could be hiding. It was getting to the point where he was genuinely considering running off on his own.

He knew that it was wrong. That what he was doing, focusing solely on his want for vengeance, was not very heroic and nor was it something Ingenium would do. But Tenya was not Ingenium. He was Tenya. He was his own hero. He would be that way until Stain was out of the picture.

He refused to have anyone go through the same pain as him. The pain of losing a loved one. The pain of watching someone you looked up to slowly die in front of you. He couldn't bear the idea of having that happen to someone else.

Stain was a heartless, demented serial killer who deserved nothing but what was coming to him. Maybe he was being a bit extreme, and there was a part of him that wanted someone to try and soothe his soul so that he didn't make what that part of him deemed to be a mistake.

On his multiple patrols with Manual, he met quite a few people who recognized his suit. He received apology after apology for what happened to Tensei, mothers who offered their condolences, and fathers who even patted him on the back. It was nice, and it warmed his heart just a little bit every time.

However, instead of soothing him, it gave him more credence to hunt down the bastard even more. Some of the parents were victims of the Hero Killer through the way of their children. Some even told him as such, saying that they could relate to his suffering. Which only added more fuel to the fire that burned brighter.

What was once a normal stove fire now blossomed into a raging inferno! His deep, fiery vengeance told him that he had to make sure that the rat bastard Stain was put six feet into the ground. And then, and only then, would the victims of the Hero Killer be able to rest properly, knowing that their killer was dead and that the families could finally stop grieving and waiting for Justice to be upheld. They could rest easy, knowing that the person who killed the ones they loved was gone and could never hurt anyone else ever again.

"For everyone he's injured… for everyone he's killed… for all the families he separated… He will know repentance!"

Tenya was broken out of his thoughts by Manual speaking after a long moment of silence. "Just another day of patrolling. Sorry, it isn't more exciting," Manual said, looking from left to right; all the while, Tenya glanced over to yet another alleyway. He noted that nothing was there and looked straight ahead, a tinge of annoyance creeping up on him.

"No… It's actually… better that way," Tenya replied, keeping pace with Manual. For another few moments, there was more silence until, once again, Manual spoke up.

"Hey… I really hate to ask, but…." Manual paused, as Tenya looked at him. Manual sighed, then finished his question. "You're after The Hero Killer, right?"

Ida felt a chill waft up his spine, clenching his right hand into a fist. "I—"

"I can't just think of another reason why you'd choose my agency. I mean, I'm thrilled that you did! Don't get me wrong! It's just…" Manual interrupted before gaining a rather serious expression. His eyes gleamed with something dark and intimidating, like that of an authority figure when reprimanding someone.

"Don't let yourself be motivated by personal grudges. We heroes don't have the authority to make arrests or dole out punishment. It's only because of advances in Quirk regulation that we can use our Quirks at all. But vigilantism, regardless of the reason why you're doing it, is strictly against the rules. And if you're caught going off on your own, that's considered a major crime."

Ida did not respond to this. As far as he was concerned, what Manual said did not matter to him. But he pretended to go along with it and nodded. Manual's eyes widened as his serious expression dropped before turning into a more concerned one.

"Look… that doesn't mean he should be let off scot-free. What he did to your brother…. It was wrong, and it does deserve punishment. But, at the same time… the last thing I want is to be the one responsible for calling your family to tell them that something bad happened to you. Stain's bad… really bad. He's an S-rank villain for a reason. Many heroes and heroes-in-training have sought him out to take him to justice. They usually end up crippled or worse. So please, don't do anything reckless, Tenya."

Tenya looked at the ground, stewing on the words that Manual had spoken. It was true that many heroes and heroes-in-training were going after him for the spectacle of being the one who caught the hero killer. More often than not, Stain won and ruined them, either crippling them or killing them for being "fakes."

He couldn't lie to himself. He feared death—most sane people did. He had woken up many a time in a cold sweat over the last few days of dying at the hands of Stain for trying to seek vengeance.

He was well aware of the possibility that he would die. He didn't need Manual to tell him the bloody obvious. "I… Appreciate the warning…." Tenya replied before looking away from Manual. He gave Tenya a lopsided frown, shook his head, and then continued forward.

"Just remember, Tenya… getting revenge might be good at the moment, but it's what you do with that feeling afterward that might cause ripples. That's to say, if you don't change your mindset by tomorrow I'm ending the internship. It's clear that you're too emotional and that you need to step away for a bit and recollect your thoughts. However, I'm willing to give you one more day to turn around… don't make me regret that." With that, Manual left, continuing his patrol, leaving Tenya behind to stand amongst the ever-growing crowd that had been eves dropping on the conversation.

Tenya stood there, staring at Manual's back, as his fist squeezed tighter, the leather creaking as his fingers dug into his palm. "You… don't understand…. This feeling…. This rage… I cannot let it fester. I'm sorry, Manual, but I feel like this matter supersedes everything right now. I refuse to let Stain get away with this. For my family… for those he's killed… I will bring him to justice, even if it means I break the law. This… is my justice."

And for a split second, something washed over Tenya's body. That same chill wafted up his spine before he shook his head. Tenya looked over his shoulder, watching as the winds changed directions from north to south. Leaves blew off of trees as the crowd began to disperse. "The winds are changing… I've never been superstitious, but that's usually a sign. But… what for?"

Shaking his head and letting out a sigh of annoyance, he caught up with Manual and continued his patrol with him.

[XXXX]

A dark, swirling portal opened up atop the water tower within Hosu City. The view was unlike any other, which Shigaraki had to admit was the only nice thing about Hosu—at least in his lingering memories of it.

The pollution in the air was almost as thick as a blanket, what with all the cars that drove along the streets. The smell of other rotten garbage and the far-too-often-for-comfort city rats that he'd spotted during his occasional walks around the place.

Granted, that was before The League hit it off big during the USJ invasion, but it was a little disheartening to see that the HPSC hadn't at least tried to do any kind of cleanup. One would think that those in power would've at least attempted to do something for such a backwater city. He supposed that he put too much faith into them.

Then again, those stupid fucking bureaucrats only gave a damn about the heroes that were under their control, as his Sensei had been so keen to point out. Funnily enough, however, one thing he did remember that was different from his last visit here a handful of years ago, was just how lively it had been in comparison.

Evidently, the population of Hosu has exploded over the last five years. It was either because poverty was once again on the rise or people genuinely believed that Hosu was a nice place. Either way, he couldn't help but point out the obvious.

"Huh…. Hosu's livelier than before…. interesting…." Shigaraki noted, stepping out of Kurogiri's portal, as Stain followed soon after, standing at the edge of the water tower, overlooking the city. "I hate it…."

All Stain did in response to Shigaraki was grunt, rolling his shoulder. That Blackwell fellow did quite the number on him, breaking his arm and busting his shoulder up pretty good. If it hadn't been for Blackwell to use that vile of blood to heal him, he probably would've been worse for wear.

Four days had passed since Blackwell had shown up to "aid" him in his attempt at recruiting Stain. It worked, if only slightly. Although he was glad that he had been there, otherwise, he would've ended up being stabbed in the shoulder and in the same place he had gotten shot. His Stand, from what he knew, had some kind of bullshit ability. What it was, Shigaraki didn't know.

Whatever it was, though, Sensei respected it. It was why he let Blackwell stay. When Shigaraki first met Blackwell, he didn't think he was anything special. Just another corrupt hero looking for a quick paycheque. But now? After being partnered with him for a few months…. Well, it had become increasingly obvious that there was more to him than meets the eye.

Blackwell was interesting. There was just something about him that made Shigaraki intrigued. Primarily, it was the way he held himself. The way he spoke and radiated pure power was something that he had only seen in Sensei before. He was both mesmerized and terrified of him. He also noted how the man looked eerily similar to All Might. Obviously, Blackwell wasn't All Might. That was a given. The powers were different. But still, it was food for thought.

Shigaraki wondered what the connection was. Cousins, perhaps? Distant relatives? Brothers? Whatever the case was, Shigaraki didn't really care all that much. All that meant was that it would be all the better to watch that pious bastard die, especially considering his cousin, brother, whatever the fuck Blackwell was to All Might, didn't seem to care about his motive to merc his only family, supposedly.

Then, abruptly, Stain spoke, cutting through his thoughts like a hot knife through butter. "I will reform this city. But for that, more sacrifices must be made!" Stain's voice was low, gravelly, and filled with some sort of twisted determination.

If there was one thing that Shigaraki had to commend, it was that Stain's conviction in his goals was strong—not as strong as Blackwell's, mind you. That much was made crystal clear to him four days ago, but he digressed. Stain looked over his shoulder, staring at Shigaraki with a bemused expression. "The necessary task that you mentioned, perhaps… now you're someone I can actually get through to."

A scowl appeared on his face for just a moment before scoffing. "That fake Blackwell… what a walking contradiction. Though, still… that information he told me… It's quite interesting…. Maybe… maybe All Might is like him too…." As Stain said that, Shigaraki raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Shigaraki asked, only to earn a scoff from Stain.

"Never mind that. It doesn't matter. No matter what Blackwell might say, my point still stands. "Hero" is a title reserved for those who perform truly great feats!" Stain began as he faced Hosu at large, his arms spread out wide, encompassing the whole city. "Too many are undeserving of that title! Far too many of them are just money worshippers playing hero!"

Jumping down from the water tower, both swords in his hands, he made one final decree before he was lost to the streets of Hosu. "Until society wakes up and corrects itself… I will continue my work." And with that, Stain vanished, leaving Shigaraki and Kurogiri, who had formed out of his own warpgate. Alone on the water tower. Once he left, Shigaraki felt a burst of annoyance fill his chest.

"Hmph... All that high-and-mighty talk, but he's not even past the small potatoes stage…" Shigaraki grumbled, scratching at his neck. "It's almost precious how hard he's trying."

Kurogiri tilted his head to the side, his yellow eyes gleaming slightly in the reflection of the sun. "You shouldn't criticize him too much. Actually, the cities he's appeared in have all seen across-the-board drops in crime rates. Some theorize that it's tied to an increase in hero awareness," Kurogiri noted as Shigaraki frowned deeply underneath his hand mask, ceasing the scratching at his neck.

"Well, that's great! So much for putting a stop to heroism! Hero killer? More like Hero breeder! Well… at least indirectly…." Shigaraki said, sighing. "I have to admit… that was a shitty pun…." Shigaraki muttered to himself before cupping his chin in thought.

Over the last few days, the words of that Blackwell fellow had been dancing around in his head. At first, he planned to dismiss them as nothing more than the ramblings of an old man who wasn't even his Sensei.

But… the more he thought about it, the more it started to make a modicum of sense. If there was something he knew well, it was video games, specifically stuff like RPGs. Most of the time, the characters would have one goal they'd work towards, even without knowing it. It started small but gradually became bigger and bigger until it turned into "saving the world" or some boring bland shit like that.

So, the more he looked at his plans like that, viewing them more as a branching off point rather than an end-all-be-all scenario, Shigaraki started to ponder whether destroying things he didn't like was something he should keep as his main goal or if he should branch out to something more… suiting for his liking.

"Kurogiri…." Shigaraki muttered, earning a hum in response from the mist man. "I want to ask you a question…."

"Ask away, Shigaraki," Kurogiri replied as Shigaraki crossed his arms, overlooking the city of Hosu. He watched as people walked on the streets, probably happier with the knowledge that a hero would help them at any moment, not knowing of the hell that he had planned to unleash on this place in just a few moments.

Those people. It was those people he would be hurting. Somewhere, something screamed within his soul to stop, but he ignored it. To hell with those people, all blissfully ignorant of the world at large. It was because of Heroes that they got to live the way they wanted, often ignoring the struggling and the suffering.

Often ignoring people like him.

An itching feeling crept just underneath his skin as he began to scratch at the bottom of his neck. A small sneer took up his visage as he soothed the itch. Collecting himself, he let his arms hang uselessly at these sides, staring out into the city of Hosu.

"Do you think my current quest… my quest to destroy everything I hate… is too simplistic?" Shigaraki questioned. "I want to become the Symbol of Fear… that would mean I need to make people fear me. People fear destruction. That means that the more I destroy, the more people will fear me…. But, compared to people like Stain and Blackwell, both of whom want vastly different things…. I feel like my goal is meagre compared to theirs…." Shigaraki continued before narrowing his eyes through his hand mask.

"Stain wants to purge fake heroes… Blackwell wants to remind the world that Yakuza is still something to be feared…. And what do I want? I want to cause fear. Fear through destruction. That's my goal. So… in that respect... is my goal meagre compared to theirs?" There was a dangerous glint in Shigaraki's eyes.

Conviction danced in his eyes, and saying the name of his goal out loud filled him with confidence, something that he had been lacking for the last few days. And then came Kurogiri's answer.

"I do not think that you can compare the three goals, Shigaraki Tomura," Kurogiri began, adjusting his shoulders as Shigaraki gestured for him to continue. "Stain wishes to clear out the fake heroes to restore Hero Society. He's less of a villain and more of a vigilante who has been branded a villain because he kills heroes. His views are twisted and disturbed based on his psychology and the mental illnesses that he retains. Blackwell's goal is also of that same calibre. However, the way he goes about things is more calculated, pulling strings behind the shadows and having others do his dirty work for him. He's more of a leader figure rather than a single deadly force to be reckoned with. And while I can't say much about what his abilities are, from the brief demonstration he showed us when we met Stain, it's clear that he has a strong conviction toward his goal."

Shigaraki raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Kurogiri. "I don't get it… what does that mean?" Shigaraki asked as Kurogiri hummed.

"Think about it like this, Shigaraki Tomura. What do those two goals have in common? Once you figure that out, then you'll start to realize just how much more grandiose your goal is compared to their own," Kurogiri replied cryptically, earning an annoyed sigh from Shigaraki.

"Hmph… whatever. Bring out the Nomu…." Shigaraki said as Kurogiri nodded, warping away to fetch the monstrous abominations. When he returned, he brought three of them, all of which had nearly the same destructive capabilities as the one that he brought to the USJ.

One looked nearly similar to the one from the USJ, only with its brain making up a majority of its head. Another had lanky limbs and four eyes, while the final one had what appeared to be a mask attached to its face and a pair of wings. All of them shared one thing in common, though: Their brains were exposed.

Shigaraki began to scratch at his neck, a smile plastered on his face as he overlooked Hosu. This had been a long time coming. He had planned to make Hosu the first of many places where he'd sew chaos and spread fear and distrust. And now that Stain was there…. Now that Stain had begun his rampage within the city of Hosu…. He would take advantage of that. "It's time… to start the game… for real this time!"

[XXXX]

Izuku had a lot on his mind. Rightfully so, especially with the new information he had garnered from Yoshihara. It was… sudden, and it had caused him to be distracted for the last few days. So many thoughts bouncing around in his head. So many questions he wanted to ask. So many things he wanted to say yet couldn't find the courage to do so.

This, on top of his training with Gran Torino, had made his mind cluttered. He had been getting next to zero rest, and as a result, his training with Gran Torino had been dragged down. Gran Torino wasn't stupid, either. He knew something was bugging him, but Izuku didn't want to tell him what it was, mostly out of respect for Yoshihara, and so that he didn't start filling his head with stupid ideas.

However, aside from that, there was also the curious case of Tenya Ida. While he had that idea in the back of his head, he also had to worry about Tenya. The last time he interacted with Ida was over the phone and through text messages. Tenya had been less talkative, which made sense since this was an internship, after all, but that wasn't the point that he was trying to get across.

Ever since Tensei's passing, Tenya had become distant—worryingly so. He had practically stopped talking to any and all of them at a certain point. Even Shoto was starting to get concerned. However, he did manage to get him to respond and talk with him last night over text. He seemed to have been distracted with something, at least from what Izuku could garner, and it wasn't too hard to know what exactly had been distracting him.

Izuku wasn't a fool. Everyone else might've had it go over their heads because they didn't pay attention to that kind of news, and while Izuku in the past would've never wanted to know anything about that kind of stuff due to his involvement with the Stand Bullets, he's had to keep tabs open on every possible news source, sketchy or otherwise, for whatever information he could gather on the subject.

One thing, however, caught his attention, and it was when he finally understood why Tenya picked Manual's agency. At first, Izuku thought he was trying to branch out to other heroes because from what he knew about the Ingenium's of old, they all interned with their older variants.

Of course, that wasn't possible for Tenya due to what happened to Tensei, but there were still other people who ran the Ingenium agency. Hell, Tenya's father retook up the mantle of Ingenium to keep the agency alive, which meant he still could've gone to the Idaten Agency.

Instead, he went to Manual's Agency, located in Hosu.

Which was where the Hero Killer was located.

Izuku felt a sense of dread when he made that connection yesterday. It was clear that Tenya wanted revenge against Stain. Hell, if he was in his situation, he'd want that retribution as well. But he also knew when to not fight a losing battle. With his introduction to the world of Stands, Izuku knew that he couldn't underestimate his enemies.

Tenya would be smart enough to recognize that as well. He, too, had to deal with a Stand. It happened during the USJ, and Tenya should've realized that going after Stain was a bad idea. Then again, emotions tended to get in the way of logical thinking, especially if that emotional way of thinking was linked to a grudge or, worse, vengeance linked to the death of a loved one.

Glancing down at his phone, when he had shot Tenya a text, a frown developed on his face. The text was a simple "Hey, I'm in the area, just thought I'd let you know" kind of deal. What made things a little bit more worrisome was that Ida always, without fail, responded to a text three minutes after it was sent or less. And Izuku had sent that text ten minutes ago. "He read the text… but he hasn't replied. Damnit, Ida, you're starting to worry me…"

As he exited his chat log with Ida, his eyes drifted to his chat log with Yoshihara. He had also texted Yoshihara, letting her know that he was going to be on patrol so that she didn't call him for any reason for the next few hours. She had sent him a thumbs-up emoji back, which was all the confirmation he needed.

Putting his phone back into his pocket, he let out a small sigh. Right now, Izuku was with Gran Torino, riding down on a train toward Hosu. It was for a nightly patrol, which Izuku wasn't too fond of doing.

Not that he wasn't ready for it, but it was just something that he was a little anxious about doing. For all of his newfound confidence, Izuku would still admit that he was nervous. This was his first patrol, and it was with All Might's teacher, no less!

Looking out the window of the train, Izuku felt a tinge of worry swell in his heart. He felt a sinister presence lurking within Hosu. It was the same feeling he had felt during the USJ. "Is it possible…?" Izuku thought, narrowing his eyes before blinking to turn to Gran Torino. "Do you really think that this is a good idea, doing a patrol at night? Don't get me wrong, Torino-sensei, but… something feels off about this whole situation…." Izuku said, earning a raised eyebrow from Gran Torino.

"What'd you mean by that, lad? I don't see any issues with patrolling at night. Do you?" Gran Torino questioned as Izuku hummed.

"No. If anything it'd get me more experience due to the amount of criminals who are out at night. That being said, though… I don't know if it's just me, but… do you feel that?" Izuku questioned, earning yet another puzzled expression from the senior hero. Izuku sighed before continuing. "Ever since the USJ, and by extension the attack by that one man who claimed to have been friends with my mother, I've been able to… I guess you can say… detect the negative flow of energy in the air. Like… for instance, as we get closer to Hosu, I've been getting a pretty bad feeling that something horrible is going to happen… I don't know what, but it has something to do with Hosu…."

As Izuku explained that, Gran Tornio hummed, reclining in his seat next to Izuku. "That's… ominous to hear, Dekiru. But… I have to ask, was it really during the time of the USJ that you could do that?" Gran Torino asked, earning a confused look from Izuku. Gran Torino scoffed, clearing his throat.

"Don't get me wrong, Dekiru, I don't know much about you. All I know is that Yagi chose you. I also know about what happened that day with the sludge villain. I think you've always had some sort of talent for weeding out danger. Quirk or no Quirk, that's the sign of a true hero. Being able to know when something is dangerous and when it's not is a good sign of when you should do something as a hero. It's why most of the newbies end up incredibly injured or worse. They can't tell if the situation is truly bad or not, as stupid as that sounds," Gran Torino explained before looking up at the ceiling of the train.

Izuku felt a buzz in his pocket. Quickly taking his phone out of his pocket, Izuku opened his messaging app and saw that it was from Yoshihara.

From Yoshihara at 9:15 PM: Hey Izuku. Sorry to bug you. I know you're busy right now patrolling with whoever you interned with, so I'll keep this brief. There's something that's been on my mind for a while now, and I wanted to ask you about it. I've been holding off on asking because whenever I do, it always seems like a bad time. Call me when you can. Love you, bye.

Izuku didn't know how to respond to that, so he sent a quick thumbs-up back. "Got yourself a girlfriend, do ya now?" Gran Torino asked, making Izuku jump a little to the side as Gran Torino smirked. "Ha! Not even Yagi had any sort of romantic partners at your age! You should consider that a one-up against All Might! Hahahahaha!"

Izuku felt his face flush red with embarrassment. This only caused Gran Torino to laugh harder, which only made Izuku feel more embarrassed about the whole thing. Eventually, Gran Torino sighed, calming himself. "You know, lad. That actually might've been a smart thing for you to do. Having someone you love and care about other than your parents might give you some common sense when you apply yourself to dangerous situations…. If there was one thing Yagi lacked, it was someone to anchor him down to prevent him from doing something reckless."

Izuku raised an eyebrow, looking at Gran Torino with a confused gleam in his eyes. He didn't know how to process those words. He had something that All Might lacked. That made no sense! All Might was the best hero in all of Japan! Sure, he was human, and humans made mistakes, and All Might wasn't the exception to the rule, but how could he have something that All Might didn't? Was having a romantic relationship with someone really enough to give him an up on the greatest hero in all of Japan?

"I don't understand… how does my having a Girlfriend make me better than All Might?" Izuku asked, only to earn a scoff from Gran Torino.

"No, you fool. Not better. But grounded," Gran Torino clarified. "All Might is, at least right now, the superior of you two, even with his declining ability and strength—although, thanks to that doctor, he seems to be on the up-and-up, so who knows? But, motivationally speaking, All Might does not have that type of bond with someone. His driving motivation for years was bloodlust. He wanted nothing more than to track down and kill the man who ruined his life. Sure, he did what he did out of altruism, but in the background, something dark was brewing within Yagi."

It was then that Gran Torino frowned, and a bitter feeling swelled in his eyes. Something Izuku had yet to see in the old man before. "Someone was feeding him ideas… someone who we all trusted. I'm willing to bet that the doctor who healed him was that person, only slightly older. Yagi never met him in person, but I did. He's bad news."

Izuku raised an eyebrow, confusion filling his eyes. "Huh? But how? If he healed All Might, then how could he be bad news?" Izuku asked as Gran Torino grumbled something under his breath before continuing.

"I could feel it. That man… he's like a parasite, that one. He's always rubbed me the wrong way. Back when I was younger, when I first met him, I never paid him any mind. He and All Might's master, Nana, were close. A bit too close. It wasn't that I had a problem with, but something else. He reeked of an ulterior motive. He also seemingly knew about how One For All functioned, but never quite to a complete extent. Regardless, none of that matters," Gran Torino said as Izuku furrowed his eyebrows but didn't press further.

"Look… I'll be honest. I don't approve of you bringing someone else into this, regardless of if they know or not. But it's not my choice as to what you do in your free time," Gran Torino said as Izuku blinked. … honestly, he hadn't been expecting that. "But if you think you can keep her safe from All For One, then know this: You're going to have to tell her about One For All." As Gran Torino spoke, he turned to look ahead, not making eye contact with Izuku anymore.

"When do you think I should?" Izuku asked as Gran Torino smirked.

"That's for you to decide. If you were smart, it would be after your Internship is up. You still have a lot to learn, Dekiru, so don't distract yourself. Focus on our upcoming patrol. Remember, stick close, and don't get ahead of yourself."

Izuku glanced back out the window, staring at the city beyond. The shadow of the night cascaded over Hosu as various advertisements lit up the surrounding area, bringing life to what would typically be considered a rather drab city.

Izuku hadn't been to Hosu before. He always stayed within the city limits of Musutafu in his early years. Even now, he really had no desire to explore Hosu. Although, now, he supposed that seeing as he was a hero-in-training that meant he would be going all around Japan to help people. He'd have to get used to travelling a lot.

As Izuku stared out the window, he couldn't help but think back to the text that Yoshihara had sent him. "I wonder what Yoshihara wants to talk to me about?" Izuku thought, a concerned gleam flashing in his eyes. "I hope she's doing okay…"

Ever since she told him that she was pregnant, he couldn't stop worrying about her, and he also couldn't stop thinking about what it was he was going to do. Well, no, he knew what he was going to do.

Obviously, neither of them were ready for this. He didn't want to be a father. Not yet, anyway. He certainly wasn't going to subject Yoshihara to that, either. He reached back into his costume's pocket and pulled out his phone. He tapped the call app and hovered over Yoshihara's contact.

"It's just one call. I'm sure Gran Torino wouldn't be mad…" Izuku thought, his finger hovering over the dial button, mere seconds away from calling Yoshihara, until he heard an explosion off in the distance. A rather big one. At that moment, he felt that same sense of dread and concern washed over him like a tsunami, causing his posture to stiffen and his fists to clench as he quickly put his phone back in his pocket.

"Passengers. Please remain seated. We're making an emergency stop." The AI voice of the train spoke out, earning a few confused murmurs and whispers from the passengers. Gran Torino heard that explosion as well, seeing as he had sat up straight, his eyes narrowed as he prepared to get up to investigate when suddenly, the entire right wall of the train busted open with a loud screech, sparks flying from the metal being torn off, and for what appeared to be a pro hero to be launched through the wall like it was made of paper mache.

Several loud, confused shouts rippled throughout the train as the pro hero clutched his head in confusion, blinking rapidly at the newfound entrance to the train. "Who… is this guy?" The Pro Hero muttered as the smoke and debris cleared, revealing a massive creature with lanky limbs, four eyes, and, key of all… an exposed brain.

Izuku's mind blanked at seeing the creature. It looked familiar. Too familiar. "Is that… Nomu? From the USJ?!" Izuku thought, eyes wide. Upon taking a closer look, though, there were some key differences between the one at the USJ and this one. "No…. Nomu had a bird's beak, and… and he had darker skin and two eyes, not four. So… so if it's not Nomu, then… then who is it?" Izuku thought as the creature made a loud shrieking sound, something more fitting for a movie monster rather than a person.

Immediately, acting without warning, Gran Torino shot toward the creature and hit it square in the chest with a powerful Jet kick. The creature spat up saliva, seemingly winded by the blow; all the while, Gran Torino shouted, "STAY THERE, KID!" in a loud, booming voice. Izuku shot up from his seat on the train and ran toward the opening, watching as Gran Torino and the creature disappeared into the city streets below.

He looked around the city, eyes scanning the surrounding area, as bellows of smoke rose from a few buildings off in the distance. Chaos. Pure, unadulterated chaos. It was something that Izuku hadn't been expecting, but even so, it was a hero's duty to react to innocent people's suffering, even if it was at a detriment to their own well-being.

But, the innocent people of Hosu were not who he was thinking about. No… rather, he was thinking about someone else. Someone who was also in Hosu and someone who had come there for the sole purpose of tracking down The Hero Killer Stain.

"Ida!"

[XXXX]

"He's here…!" Tenya thought, staring down an alleyway, with two shadowy individuals lingering, one pushed up against the wall by the face and the other holding a blade, drawn and ready to kill. He had spent countless days patrolling the streets to find Stain, and now, here he was, faced with the chance to put down the bastard who had killed his brother.

He vaguely heard what Manual had said when he called out to him before he ran off to go help others…. And while any rationally thinking person would've helped Manual…. Tenya wasn't thinking rationally. He knew it, and Manual probably knew it too, but Tenya didn't quite care what Manual thought. No. What Manual thought at this time was hardly worth considering.

Why would he give up the chance to kill the bastard who took away his brother from him just to save some random civilian?

And so, Tenya ran into the alleyway, using his Engine to its fullest potential, charging in the direction of Stain. Stain's eyes gleamed in the darkness, narrowing. In the blink of an eye, something whooshed in the air and went to slash at Tenya's head. Tenya had been quicker on the draw, seeing it coming from a mile away.

He had to admit that while it was a long time ago, that encounter with that ghost thing, Stand, as Josefumi called it, gave him a chance to hone his analytical skills and reaction time and to know when something was coming toward him or not.

He used that information to stick up his right arm, blocking the sword that Stain had planned to use to cut him in half. Thankfully, his armour was durable enough to halt it from doing any unjust harm. Stain, obviously not predicting this to happen, drew his sword back and planned a different approach…. Not that Tenya gave him a chance.

In one fluid movement, Tenya slammed his right leg, roundhouse kick style, into Stain's abdomen, forcing him to let go of the pro hero he had gripped in his hand and sending him skidding backwards. Tenya came to a stop, standing face to face with the Stain, who had a shocked expression on his face for about two seconds before it became replaced with an annoyed and angered one.

"Impressive…. You were able to react to my blade. Not many heroes can attest to that, Ingenium. Tell me, how did you recover so quickly? Have you not learned your lesson the first time?" Stain taunted as Tenya glowered under his mask.

"Wrong." Ida spat, glaring daggers at Stain, who now tilted his head ever-so-slightly. "I'm not Ingenium. Ingenium… no… Tensei Ida is dead. You killed him, Stain." Ida continued, clenching his fist. He looked down at the pro hero and narrowed his eyes. "Can you move?" Ida asked as the hero grunted.

"N-No… his Quirk… Don't let him slice you… He can paralyze you if he licks your blood!" The pro hero said as Ida nodded.

"Understood… then there's nothing that can be done about it at the moment…." Ida said, looking back to where Stain was… only to find him gone. In a gust of wind, he felt something come close to the back of his neck, which Ida reacted to immediately, spinning around and putting up a block, blocking the blade yet again. What he didn't expect was for the blade to slash across the knuckles of his gloves, cutting them and making his hands bleed.

Ida's eyes widened before moving to act… but before he could, he felt a wave of pain wash through him as he landed on the floor, completely motionless, though still very much alive. Stain then grabbed Ida's helmet and yanked it off of his head. The Hero Killer looked down at him, a hint of an amused smirk on his face before it quickly switched to a scathing frown.

"I've got to admit, kid… you've got guts…. You got distracted to make sure the other guy was okay… that would have been admirable had you not thought about yourself first. You could've escaped with him and rescued him. But now, you doomed both him and yourself," Stain's raspy voice spoke out as Tenya tried to move but couldn't.

And that was when he realized that he had been paralyzed. Much like he had been against the villain at the USJ. "Those eyes…." Stain murmured, his frown turning to a sneer, lowering the tip of his blade to just in front of Ida's forehead. "They're filled with nothing but the lust for revenge. Hmph… and here I thought I had high hopes for you, brat. Seems like you're just like your predecessor. Let me take a wild guess: You came after me to take me down, to arrest me so that you could get the fame of capturing me, right?" Stain spat, glaring at Ida, who glared back.

"Wrong… again," Ida replied, Stain's expression unchanging. "I came here… to put an end to what you're doing, yes… but… I didn't come here to capture you. Scum like you don't deserve to be captured. Scum like you aren't worth the air you breathe…. Scum like you… deserve nothing… but death!" Tenya roared as Stain's eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Ah… so you wish to kill me, then? At such a young age, too… such hatred… it honestly reminds me of myself when I was younger," Stain replied, scoffing and gaining a furious glare from Ida. "Unfortunatly for you, the only one who's allowed to kill me is All Might," Stain said flatly, drawing his sword away. "Now stay there, like a good little kid. I'll spare you this time, but if we ever meet again in this kind of confrontation… your age won't be enough to save you from me, got it?"

As Stain turned his back, Tenya felt his rage hit its peak. Tenya watched as Stain walked over to the limp Pro Hero, raised his sword, and stabbed the man through the chest. The Pro hero spat blood from his mouth, his eyes widening, his right hand clenching, before then going limp, along with his head lagging to the side, his dead, cold eyes staring at Ida.

Stain turned his head to look at Ida, frowning. "You see, kid…. If you didn't focus on me, and me alone. That man might have lived. But you thought with your revenge first and your logic last. Heroes these days lack that kind of thing. But you're a kid. I killed your predecessor, right? I don't know what that means to you, not that I care, so it must have impacted you greatly. Kids act on their emotions, not their logic. You're not a hero. You're a child who has the aspiration to become a hero. But if this how you're going to approach something like this, then maybe you shouldn't be one."

Stain paused before sighing. "Also, kid. Some advice for you, even though I know my words most likely mean nothing to you, but don't be stupid. Don't walk the path of vengeance. Look where it got me. I know I'm too far gone to stop myself. I dedicated my life to this, so if you have any kind of brain cells left in that empty head of yours, cease this madness and go back to the family that loves and cares for you." As Stain said that, he began to walk away, his form gradually disappearing from Tenya's view.

Even still, Tenya kept up his furious glare, staring at Stain with hatred and fury so deep, so powerful, that he felt something in him ripple. His heart was beating fast. He could feel it. Blood from the wounds on his knuckles started to pool around his palms. "You… have no right to say that to me…!" It was then that Stain stopped, turned around, and looked at him, a hint of shock in his eyes as he faced Tenya.

"You separate families! You kill daughters, mothers, fathers, and sons! You're a monster! A monster that I have every right to hate! So what if I'm fueled by my emotions!? So what if I want revenge for what you've done?! You killed my brother, Stain! And for that… I will kill you!"

And at that moment, Tenya felt something in him change. Stain glowered down at him with nothing but contempt as he raised his sword to linger above Ida's head. "You've disappointed me twice, kid…. How sad. I guess you and your brother are the same then. Don't fret, though… you'll soon be joining him."

And if that had been the last thing that Tenya Ida heard that night. He would've regretted every single action he took to get to where he was now. He wanted to apologize to Manual for disobeying him and for turning his back on the pro hero when a crisis was happening. He wanted to apologize to his parents for making them lose another son. And most of all… he wanted to apologize to his classmates for failing them as their class president and getting himself killed.

But that wasn't the last thing that he heard. Because he refused to go down like this. He refused to become another one of Stain's victims. He refused to die a pathetic death, grovelling at the feet of The Hero Killer Stain. And most of all… He refused to let anyone down, not Manual, not his family, nor his friends!

He saw Stain's eyes widen as he heard something thump against the ground. A dark blue aura surrounded Tenya like a burning fire as a dark blue metallic hand gripped Stain's blade, snapping the blade in two. Tenya's eyes widened as a figure formed out of nothingness, a figure that looked familiar to Tenya for a simple reason. Because to him… it was almost like he was staring at himself.

The figure was humanoid, appearing to be around the same height as Ida himself. It looked to be wearing his hero costume, the only difference being that it was leaner and not as bulky—almost as if the figure itself was a suit of armour. It had dark, red, glowing eyes that pierced the darkness of the alleyway. Instead of having a mouth guard like Ida's hero costume had, the lower half of the face of the figure was exposed, revealing blue skin and a mouth.

Tenya didn't know what he was looking at, but that didn't matter to him as the figure punched Stain across the lower half of his face, knocking him back a fair distance as he stumbled across the floor before hitting a wall. Stain slowly stood up, grunting in the process, as the effect of Stain's Quirk wore off.

Stain stared at the boy, eyes narrowed in confusion, as he spoke. "Your engines… the ones in your legs… they fell off… What did you do?" Stain snarled, reaching for one of his other blades. Tenya looked behind him, and sure enough, his engines were on the floor, although strangely enough, he felt no pain from it happening. For a split second, he felt alarmed, but he quickly composed himself. Whatever happened, Tenya didn't quite care. He would seek out answers later from someone who knew more about what was happening.

What he did know, however, was that he was still in a fight for his life against The Hero Killer Stain. And to that end, his confusion and alarm would have to be put to the wayside. "I don't know, Stain… but even if I did, I wouldn't give you a clear answer. Because scum like you don't deserve that," Tenya spat, glaring at Stain as hatred burned deep in his eyes. Slowly, he began to stand up from the ground, the figure hovering behind him with an equal amount of hatred in its eyes.

And then, with a bold, unwavering tone of voice, he spoke.

"LISTEN WELL, STAIN! MY NAME IS TENYA IDA! YOU KILLED MY BROTHER, TENSEI IDA! ON BEHALF OF ALL OF THOSE YOU KILLED AND ON BEHALF OF MY BROTHER, I WILL SEE TO IT THAT YOU DIE! YOUR REIGN OF TERROR IS OVER!" Ida declared, his voice bombastic, filled with vitriol and anger, as Stain smirked.

"Very well then, Tenya Ida… Prepare to die!"

And then, the two lunged toward one another.

-To Be Continued-