Chapter 33: (Episode 29: Hero Killer: Stain vs. U.A. Students)
"Come on, come on, come on, come-" Ochaco snapped her mouth shut when the episode finally began to air, her hand squeezing against her friend's, while it showed Izuku back on the train.
'We'll pass Hosu City…' Midoriya thought, as he placed his phone down, looking out the window, while he worried about his friend, 'I wonder how Iida-kun's doing…'
"I'd like to know that too, so please move through this quicker…!" Hanta crossed his fingers in hope, with Eijiro mimicking him, while Denki hesitated to place his hand on Shoto's leg.
The Nomu, after shoving the hero down, moved back the broken metal of the train walls, causing the passengers to scream in alarm.
"Nomu…?!"
"Kid, sit down!" Gran Torino backed, as he zoomed over to the Nomu to knock him out of the train car.
"Gran Torino?!"
The opening theme commences.
"GAH- Not again!"
"I don't wanna skip another song…" Kyoka bit her nails, before sighing, as she raised her voice to be heard, "But I can't wait another minute- Voice, can we skip the song again?!"
"YEAH-"
"That is acceptable, yes. Does anyone-"
"NO!"
A moment later, they were back to where they had left off with Izuku, which caused a few groans to be heard, but they were at least grateful it was something new. While they wanted to make sure Tenya was okay, there was importance in watching their green-haired peer first.
"Everyone, please calm down! Please return to your seats for now! The villain is not here anymore! Please wait calmly for the heroes-"
"Excuse me!"
The train conductor, who was propping up the unconscious hero, paused in his announcement when he heard Midoriya, who stood at the opening in the train, his back facing the other.
"I'm getting out!"
"Hey, you- Wait, it's dangerous!" the man tried to disencourage him, but the boy knew he couldn't sit around doing nothing.
As a hero-in-training, Midoriya wouldn't run away when others were in danger, analyzing the situation, as he ran, 'They look different, but there can't be that many with their brains spilling out like that. Could it be Nomu's brother? Why here…?'
Izuku wished that could be the case. Aware of the real truth about the creature known as Nomu, he really wished that they were siblings. Shuddering at the remainder, he and the other viewers hoped that Gran Torino could survive against the villain, as they feared the quirks this new creation might possess.
Meanwhile, Tomura found the naive boy's thinking humorous.
'I don't have time for any detours. I need to show the fruits of my training…' Midoriya gritted his teeth, as his quirk coursed through his body, calling onto his power, 'One for All- Full Cowling!'
Leaping off the train tracks, he flew through the night sky, grinning at his success, while he boosted his confidence, 'It's okay, I can do it!'
"You fucking better…" Katsuki huffed under his breath, not wanting to watch him go through another failure. This was the real deal now, and if he hesitated, it could only end in his death. Not that he cared if Izuku died or not.
"Why didn't he stay on the train…?!" Shota, even though he asked the question, already knew the answer, pinching his nose, as he grumbled about the same thing happening during the USJ attack.
"Yeah- Gran Torino, stay alive- You better…!" Hitoshi stopped talking when the title screen appeared.
Title screen 'Episode 29. Hero Killer: Stain vs. U.A. Students'
"Oh… God, no…" Shota couldn't handle this, while Toshinori's eyes widened in utter fear.
"'U.A. Students'- Not- Not like… stu dent, or- a-all stu dents get away safely-" Denki twitched, while glancing between his three friends, looking for their reactions, and seeing them with a similar horror to their expression. Not knowing what to do with his emotions, the blond threw himself at Izuku, who was startled, cringing from the boy practically yelling in his ear, "Don't do this, Midoriya…! You have so much to live for- You and Iida both!"
Overhearing, Ochaco tightened her grip on her friend's hand, thinning her lip, as she eyed Tenya. His gaping mouth and wide eyes told her that he hadn't wanted Izuku to get involved in his dilemma - if that happened to become the case. They could only wait and see, which was the worst.
"How many years has it been since I've fought in earnest? I've gotten mixed up in something crazy!" Gran Torino huffed, using hit-and-run tactics on his opponent, Nomu, who turned to face the hero once he landed back on the ground, with the senior pro proclaiming, "I won't let you do whatever you want!"
"Nice try, Gramps, that's the whole point of a Nomu…!" Tomura cackled, watching Sorahiko dodge the creature's attack, commenting on its speed.
'-can handle!' Gran Torino knew the villain wouldn't be able to hit him, as his quirk was made for speed, but he gaped when the Nomu suddenly turned to attack a couple nearby.
"Hey-"
'He's attacking indiscriminately, huh?' Gran Torino put a boost into his jets, reaching with his arms out to stop the mindless criminal, as he shouted, "Stop it, you little-"
The Nomu caught fire, taking Gran Torino by surprise, as he cut his distance short in order not to get burned. Landing back on the ground, and listening to the villain's hellish screams, the pro hero wondered where the flames came from, until he was answered by a familiar, deep voice.
"I was looking for the hero killer, but this guy's timing was bad…"
"Oh great, not this guy…" Denki groaned under his breath, with Izuku silently patting the boy's hand.
"-elder…" Endeavor called out to Gran Torino, who turned his head in the direction of his voice, while the number two hero continued to say, "...but leave the rest to me."
"You're…"
"Seriously…?!"
"Why are you here?"
At the couple's confusion, Endeavor smirked, as he stated, "Isn't it obvious? It's because I'm a hero."
"Yeah, you wish…!"
"Kaminari, tone it down."
"OH- sorry guys…"
'The center of the commotion is where it started.' Midoriya, running in the opposite direction of the crowd, gritted his teeth, as he shoved his way between civilians, thinking to himself about the situation, 'But what's with this guy that looks like Nomu? If he's got crazy power like the one at USJ… It won't be just Gran Torino that'll be in trouble… the whole city will be!'
"The Nomu that Gran Torino's fighting is a different skin color than the one from USJ. Also, it has a smaller build, and is more lanky than the one from USJ." Tsuyu pointed out, which got Izuku to write those details down, while Ochaco hummed in thought.
"When Shigaraki released the three Nomu's, were the other two also that sickly green color?"
"I believe one had dark skin…"
"One of them could also fly- I remember that much…!"
"Which one of them could fly?"
"It was the other Nomu…" Izuku muttered, noting the different features of the three Nomu, with Denki overlooking their research.
"So, at least one of them is defeated, right…?"
"Unless they're fire resistant…" Hitoshi gripped his biceps, staring ahead at the TV when it showed what the other two Nomu were up to.
Midoriya gaped in horror at the scene before him, watching not one, but two Nomu fighting against a group of heroes, who appeared to be losing greatly. One of the Nomu could fly, and they were holding one of the hero's hostage in the air, while the other villain had thrown a bus, causing a fire to break out around them.
"Guess that gives us our answer…" Kyoka huffed, breathing out shakingly, as she pulled her legs up to hold onto them.
'What is this…?' Midoriya couldn't believe what was happening before him.
Breaking open a fire hydrant, a hero with horns called out to another, "Manual! Put out the fire!"
"R-Right!" Manual, the hero in charge of Normal Hero Agency and Iida's internship for the week, ran over to the water gushing out, obeying the orders given to him.
'The voice from earlier! Normal Hero? Where Iida-kun went for his internship!' Midoriya closed in on this particular hero, recognizing him as the person who was calling Iida's name before he arrived.
"Why did you choose a time like this to go off somewhere, Tenya-kun!"
He bowed his head in shame, as the consequences for his actions were starting to come to light. Tenya knew that his other self hadn't considered civilian lives being endangered - quite honestly, he himself had not thought about it after watching his counterpart disappear, and the guilt he felt only weighed him down more. He didn't know how much he could have helped the other heroes in this predicament, but he knew it would have made a difference somehow.
"I'm sorry…"
Ochaco blinked at the soft apology from Tenya's lips, furrowing her brows, as her worry increased.
'He went off somewhere? At a time like this? That diligent Iida-kun did?' Midoriya couldn't wrap his head around what Manual said, watching the hero control the water to put out the fires.
"Hey, you're in the way! Get back!"
As another hero appeared, shielding him from the scene, Midoriya stuttered out an apology, "I-I'm sorry!"
"We'll hold him back here! Follow the police's evacuation instructions!" the woman ordered, protecting him from the Nomu, while also watching the other heroes closely, in case they needed her assistance.
"Where's Tenya-kun…?!" Manual groaned once more, continuing to put out the flames, while also gaining Midoriya's attention again.
'It's weird for Iida-kun to go off with such a major incident in front of him…' Midoriya knew his friend, and this wasn't at all how he would act in a crisis like this.
Or was it?
Parting his mouth, everything slowly started to come to him, piecing them together, as he thought, 'Hosu City… Guys that look like Nomu… Iida-kun… Hosu… Hero Killer. Don't tell me…!'
He knew why Iida had run off. And it wasn't anything good.
Turning away, and running back where he had come from, Midoriya left the scene to the other heroes to find Iida, and prayed that his friend hadn't found the Hero Killer yet. There was no way he would make it out alive if he came face-to-face with that criminal.
'I'd hate for this to happen, but please… Please, Midoriya- Find Iida, and get him out of there…!' Shota prayed, trying to forget what they saw earlier with the title of the episode.
"Dammit, what's with these guys?!"
"Wh-What's with that power?" the hero with horns trembled, holding off one of the Nomus, before he was tossed to the side, as if he was weightless to the beast.
A downed hero held his shoulder, gritting his teeth in pain, until a noise caused him to look up in time to watch a bus fly toward him, bursting into flames.
The students choked at the death of a hero right before their eyes. This wasn't like Tensei's situation where they hope could for him to be all right - no hero could avoid an explosion like that, even if fire resistant. Among the heroes, the three closed their eyes to mourn his life, despite not knowing who the man was.
Tomura yawned, bored with watching this segment.
"Hey, what's the situation?"
"What are these monsters after?"
Observing the smoke rising in the distance from the water tower, the fire illuminating the destruction, Shigaraki giggled to himself, "Nomus really are great…"
"You will not participate in the combat?"
"Are you stupid? I'm injured. That's why I brought those guys." Shigaraki scoffed in response to the warp's idiotic question, recalling the exchange he had with his Sensei earlier to stage this incident.
Back in the bar, Shigaraki sat in one of the stool's, hunched over, as he spoke to the TV, "Sensei, how many Nomus have you finished?"
"They're not as strong as the one from the USJ attack, but I've finished verifying the behavior of six."
Knowing that the six Nomus weren't as strong as the other wasn't too reassuring when numbers could suffix that disadvantage.
"Give them to me."
"Why?"
"Because I don't like the Hero Killer. I can destroy the things I don't like, right, Sensei?"
Taking Shigaraki's concern into consideration, a humming sound came over the speaker, before giving his approval, "Very well. However, you may only have three. You should use this as a learning experience."
"Dammit, I could have had more, and wiped the city clean… And kill not just that stupid Hero Killer, but the little brats, too…!" Tomura, even though he trusted his teacher, couldn't believe he was only allowed a few, wanting all of them. He should have made that clearer to Sensei.
Meanwhile, as the scenario changed to a different perspective, Tenya almost lurched when it showed Chizome, with the other students going dead quiet to watch.
"A child wearing a suit… Who is he…?"
"I am the younger brother of a hero you attacked. The younger brother of a most excellent older brother…! I have come to stop you in his place!"
'Will you take this name for me?'
"Remember this name for the short time you have left!" Iida glared at the villain responsible for his brother's pain and agony, proclaiming with all his might, "Ingenium! It is the name of the hero who will defeat you!"
"I see." Stain realized what this young man was saying, his red eyes widening slightly with resolve, as he said, "Die."
"LIKE I WOULD!" Iida shouted, throwing insult at him, with his engines roaring to life, as he swung his leg to take down the Hero Killer.
"Ingenium's brother, huh?" Stain hummed, gracefully leaping out of range of the attack, as he commented on the boy's statement, "In order to let news of me spread… I let him live."
Using the spikes on the tip of his shoe, he drove them into Iida's shoulder, making the kid wince, before he slammed his head into the ground with his other foot.
"IIDA-" Ochaco buried her face into Tenya's chest, unable to watch, while Izuku was on the verge of tears again.
"You're weak." Stain decreed, maneuvering his weapon to plunge it into the boy's other shoulder, bringing forth an agonizing cry from Iida. Watching him squirm, the Hero Killer declared for both heroes, "You and your brother are both weak. Because you're fakes."
"Don't you-"
"Shut up, villain." Iida choked, inhaling deeply to keep the pain down, as he informed the man about to kill him, "He's paralyzed from the waist down due to spinal cord damage. He can't work as a hero anymore…! My brother… is an excellent hero who saved many people… and led them until now… There's no reason for you to crush him…!"
Recalling what made him want to become a hero in the first place, remembering how his father spoke to his brother about his accomplishments, "Tensei, I am very proud of you. You have become independent at a young age, with many sidekicks who follow you. That is not an easy feat."
"It's not that they follow me, Dad. It's the opposite. I can't do anything by myself yet, so they're supporting me. I need to work hard to return the favor, too. I'm not that talented or anything, but I have to live up to the name of hero. I'm glad that my work helps many people."
Tenya has always looked up to his brother, but this moment in particular was one that he remembered as if it had happened yesterday - as if he were a little boy again. Knowing the fate of his hero didn't make this recollection easy to watch, removing his hand from Ochaco's grip to cover his eyes.
Tensei didn't deserve to suffer like this. Why should Chizome be the one to decide his - or any hero's - fate?
"He's my hero… He is an excellent hero who gave me a dream…!" Iida clenched his hand, shaking from the pain and the overwhelming hatred he felt toward Stain, as he threatened the villain, "I won't forgive you…! I'll kill you!"
'What a bold statement…' Tomura knew the kid wouldn't be able to do it, even if he had the chance, but it would still be interesting to see how this confrontation went down.
"Save that guy first." Stain pointed to the downed hero behind him, trembling, as he couldn't move, while he went on to tell Iida, "Reflect on yourself and save others. Don't use your power for yourself. Being taken in by your hatred before you and trying to fulfill your own desires… That is the furthest from what a hero should be."
Removing the katana from the boy's shoulder, with Iida grunting, Stain turned his weapon to his lips, narrowing his eyes, as he declared, "That's why you'll die."
Watching the criminal lick his blood off the blade, most of the attendees winced, looking away, as they gagged upon witnessing something horrendous. However, some kept their eyes on the screen, noticing that when Chizome ingested his blood, a special effect showed Tenya as if he were paralyzed. Recalling the rumors on how the villain's quirk might work, and what Kurogiri had stated an episode ago, the heroes made their guesses on why that might be.
Meanwhile, Tenya slowly began to realize the situation he was in, and he wouldn't be able to get out of it alive.
'M-My body won't move…' Iida panicked, feeling helpless, as he became the prey, with Stain swiping his sword at his side, getting rid of the blood.
Raising his weapon above Iida's heart, Stain bid his condolences to the young man, "Goodbye. You're an offering to a more just world."
"Shut up… Shut up…"
In his final moments of life, his older brother came to memory, someone he admired and looked up to so much, telling him, "If you admire me, Tenya, then I might become an amazing hero."
"No matter what you say, you are the criminal who hurt my brother!"
Because Stain listened to Iida's final words, it created a small window of opportunity for someone to slip in, and change the trajectory of the situation.
Glancing to his left, Stain turned his attention to the sudden green light that entered the alleyway, watching how Midoriya rebounded off the walls, before slamming his fist into the villain's face.
'SMAAAAAASH!'
"MIDORIYA?!"
"Deku-kun!" Ochaco scrambled out of her seat, sobbing, as she rushed over the couch to give Izuku a bone-crushing hug, causing him to gap at her grip, while she cried into his shoulder, "Tha-Thank you- Thank you, thank you- THANK you…!"
'Thank you… God, I… I'm so sorry to wish you into this situation, Midoriya…' Shota squeezed his hands together, while he shut his eyes to get rid of the tears building up. Beside him, Toshinori had fallen into his cushions, a hand over his heart, as he hoarsely exhaled from holding his breath in fear.
"YES- Ye-ha-es, get rekt, fucker!" Tomura exclaimed with glee, despite it being Izuku who had punched Chizome.
"I came to save you, Iida-kun!"
"Great, now get out of there…!"
'Nah, he won't do that just yet…' Katsuki bit his lip after hearing what Minoru called, cursing under his breath, because he knew Izuku would stay to help the other hero.
'-might be overthinking it… I have absolutely no proof, either… But that doesn't mean I can do nothing.' Midoriya, after leaving the heroes to find Iida, ran through the dark alleys of Hosu City, hoping to track down his friend and the villain he was pursuing.
While he and the others wanted to continue where they left off, Izuku was glad that the episode went back to show how exactly he found Tenya, because he had been wondering the same thing. Of course, he had his own guesses before of how he might stumble upon them, but this confirmation was better.
'I won't bother to lecture them now - that can wait until after we see the conclusion to this…' Shota, despite telling himself that, squeezed his hands together to keep himself grounded, trying not to think about the worst outcome.
'Please be careful, Young Midoriya, and while I hate for this burden to fall on you, do keep Young Iida safe, as well…' Toshinori worried for the other hero, but that didn't compare to the two students sitting with them currently, who could witness their death.
Being a hero meant that you were prepared to die in any line of action you come across. But they were still children.
'In the city where the hero killer appeared, guys like Nomu are running wild. In this city, there's probably an unease that only I can imagine… The League of Villains and the hero killer… could they be working together…?!'
"As if!" Tomura spat at the greenet's way of thinking, despite Izuku already knowing they weren't.
'Does this mean the hero killer is also in this city right now? Since Iida-kun wasn't at the fight earlier, that means he probably found the hero killer!' Midoriya feared the worst, desperate to find his friend. Approaching an opening, and quickly checking the inside, his green eyes widened at what he found, before blinking that horror into resolve, as he jumped into action, sending Stain back, while exclaiming in triumph, "BINGO!"
'That kid… He's the one from Shigaraki's picture…' Stain recognized the boy immediately, narrowing his eyes on Midoriya.
"Yeah, I'm still debating whether or not I want you to kill him, or if I want to do it myself…" Tomura scoffed, wanting the satisfaction, but also just wanting the kid to be gone for good now. Tough decisions.
"That sixty percent of the hero killer's victims were found in places without many people. That's why I searched away from the center of the commotion in the alleyways near Normal Hero Agency. I searched them all one by one - looking for you!"
Tenya gaped at that declaration, tears welling up in his eyes once more, before he squeezed his eyelids shut, shaking due to bringing Izuku into this needless fight. He only hoped he made it out alive.
'He may be intelligent, however, this boy had no thought to drag any pro hero along with him…' Enji huffed, both from the child's stupidity, and that he had yet to be brought into the picture.
"Can you move?" Midoriya didn't glance back to ask, keeping his eye on Stain, while he continued to check on his friend, "Let's get to a bigger street. We need help from the pros."
"I can't… move my body…" Iida stated, trembling, as he tried to get up. Turning his eyes on him in shock, Midoriya listened to his classmate explain, "Ever since he cut me… I think it's his quirk…"
"It's just as the commentators on TV guessed…!" Midoriya proclaimed, turning back to face Stain, as he muttered under his breath, "So cutting is how he activates his quirk?"
Noticing someone else in the crossfire, Midoriya gasped when he caught sight of the wounded pro hero, slightly panicking, as he realized, 'There's someone else here…! If it'd just been Iida-kun, I could've carried him away on my shoulder…'
"Midoriya-kun… Don't… get involved…!" Iida couldn't have his friend protecting him from a fight that wasn't meant for him, gritting his teeth, as he tried to get through to Midoriya, "This has nothing to do with you!"
"What are you saying…?"
"Your friend came to save you." Stain hummed, catching the boys' attention, as he praised the one still standing, "That's a great line, isn't it? But I have a duty to kill him. If we clash, of course, the weaker will be culled. Now, what will you do?"
'Midoriya-kun, do not fight on my mistake- Please, run and get somewhere safe…!' Tenya was content with watching himself die on screen upon his decision. He would never forgive himself if anyone else met that same fate.
Izuku stiffened where he sat, terrified of the bloodlust in Chizome's gaze. It was different from Tomura's, different from any kind of threat that the pale villain has thrown their way.
"Deku-kun, you can't fight him- He-He's a hero… He's… He's killed professional heroes- You can't… You can't beat him…!"
"Midoriya, please, my dude, just run- Run with Iida, and get out of there-"
"Are you using your fucking phone right now?!" Katsuki couldn't believe it, however, he blinked, as they watched Izuku send his location to those he had contacts with. Spitting, he plopped down in his seat, frustrated by his outburst, before another thought came to mind, 'Wait a damn minute- How'd he know what to press? And the fabric of his gloves - Were they made to access phone screens…?'
'Even without any proof, even if it was just a guess, I should've done whatever I could to get a pro to come with me.'
Hearing that from Izuku's thoughts, Shota had to hold himself back not to yell at the child for his fatal mistake, because now he knew what the kid was planning to do. And it was practically the same thing Tenya was trying to do, but without murderous intent.
'God, you two are going to hear it from me…'
'I'll protect the two who can't move and stall for time by myself. I'll try to drive the hero killer away if I can!' Midoriya slipped his phone back into his pocket, before resuming his stance to combat Stain, something Iida noticed immediately.
"Stop it! Run away! I told you, didn't I? It has nothing to do with you!"
"What's a hero supposed to do when you say crap like that…?!" Midoriya challenged his friend's words, making him pause and think for a moment. Raising his fists up, shakingly, the greenet told Iida for now, while putting on a smile for Stain, "Th-There are a lot of things I'd like to say, but I'll say them later. It's like what All Might said: Meddling when you don't need to… is the essence of being a hero…!"
'Not in this situation- Why would you listen to that piece of advice now?!' Toshinori and Katsuki thought similarly, mentally hitting themselves; one because of Izuku's stupidity, and the other for giving him that advice in the first place.
Meanwhile, Shoto felt something burn inside of him from hearing those words again.
"He's not seriously going to-"
"Yes… he is…"
"Midoriya-kun- Don't…!"
"He's going to whether you tell him to or not." Tsuyu stated the obvious, turning her gaze to Tenya, who glanced down at her, as he listened to her say next, "It comes down to if you can stop him from being killed, too, kero."
Despite feeling his eyes on him, Tenya couldn't find the courage to look back and face Izuku. Not after intentionally putting him in danger for his own selfish desires.
With Stain's katana in a quick action to cut him, Midoriya used his power to maneuver through that attack, gritting his teeth, as he thought, 'Get close to him in one movement…!'
'To shorten the distance between him and an opponent with a long reach… It was a good decision.' Stain approved of the boy's tactic, however, that didn't mean he was going to go easy on him, using his other hand to reach for a short knife at his side.
"NO- If you get cut-"
'Now then…' Midoriya managed to duck under his first weapon, before quickly zipping underneath the man to avoid his other blade, with Stain responding, as he maneuvered his katana to strike where he was.
Only to find that Midoriya wasn't there anymore, stunned, as Stain wondered, 'He disappeared? No…'
Glancing up to find the boy just above his head, with Stain grinning at his course of action, Midoriya yelled out, as he slammed his opponent into the ground, "Five percent Detroit… SMAAAAAAASH!"
'What's with that movement? He's moving like Bakugo-kun…' Iida recalled the battle training match they had on their second day of classes, remembering the video he watched of Midoriya fighting his partner, witnessing that same attack just now.
Katsuki didn't need to hear it be said - he could already see that for himself - and he was pissed that Izuku was copying his fighting style.
"Shitty nerd… You're doing the fucking opposite of making it your damn power, Deku…"
However, all hell broke loose after watching Chizome lick blood off his knife, paralyzing Izuku.
"NO-"
"DEKU-KUN- I-IIDA-KUN!"
"Shit…"
"Iida-kun… No…!" Izuku failed, he failed to protect Tenya because he wasn't fast enough.
'God… dammit…' Shota bowed his head to pray, to pray that those kids made it out alive by some miracle. Toshinori, seeing this, bent down to do the same, while trying to hold back his tears.
As he moved out of his hold, Denki released his arms from around Izuku, despite not wanting to let go, as he feared for his friends' lives. Ochaco took his place, however, which he was content with for now.
'-can't even feel is somehow enough…?' Midoriya shook, paralyzed to the ground, from a small cut that Stain was able to inflict on him. Now completely helpless, his green eyes widened on the criminal standing up beside him, but he gasped when he got a look at the man's blade, recognizing the true nature of his quirk, 'No… I see… It's blood…!'
"You lack power. It's not that you saw through my movements. You left my field of vision and maneuvered so that you would definitely be able to bring me down… That was what your movements were like." Stain huffed, criticizing his actions in their short battle. As he began to walk back toward Iida, the villain gave Midoriya some reassurance, "People who are all talk are a dime a dozen, but you are worth letting live."
Despite who it was coming from, Tenya couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief to know that at least one of them would be okay. However, it wasn't something Izuku wanted to hear.
"STOP- Don't hurt him!"
"Iida-kun…!"
"Please… somebody… anybody…" Hitoshi wished he had his cat right now, but he didn't think Yuki would want to be anywhere near all this yelling.
Flames caused Stain to jump away from Iida, who winced from the heat, while Midoriya gasped at the person who was responsible for the sneak attack.
"One after another…"
"To… TODOROKI?!"
Enji's grin fell immediately upon seeing his son there, while Shoto was just as surprised as everyone else.
"Midoriya. You need to give more details in times like this. You made me late."
"To-Todoroki-kun, you too?"
"Why are you here…?"
"You sent your location- Did you not want me to be there?"
"NO- Oh my gosh, no, I-"
"If you didn't show up at that moment, Shoto-kun, Iida-kun would have been killed- Oh my gosh- ohmygosh-" Ochaco gasped, covering her mouth, as tears silently rolled down her cheeks, choking out through her hiccups, "Thank you… so, so much…! For making it in time…!"
Listening to her sobs, and paying attention to what he was saying on screen, Shoto realized the ignorance of his question. From what he had been saying to answer Izuku, he spoke as if he already knew the greenet well enough, while here, he had thought the boy didn't want him there.
Distracted by this concerning thoughts, Shoto hadn't noticed him using the fire side to his quirk.
"-really one to send that for no reason." Todoroki, using his right foot to create an icy floor to catch Stain off guard, also lifted everyone else up, while stating that Midoriya's message was more than what it seemed, "You meant to say that you were in trouble and to call for help, right? Don't worry. The pros will also get here in a few minutes."
"Not in time enough judging by the title of the episode, kero."
"Three brats versus one hero killer, huh…? Oh, this will be fun…!" Tomura grinned from ear to ear, while the other side of the theater took up Chizome's comment about time.
'He said someone's time will be up soon… It's a time limit…!' Izuku quickly scribbled this new information down, while Shota and Toshinori prayed it would be the pro hero.
With his left arm engulfed in flames, and the three behind him, Todoroki stood tall, as he declared to his opponent, "I won't let you kill these guys, Hero Killer."
"Todoroki-kun, you can't let this guy see your blood…! Pretty sure he paralyzes opponents by ingesting their blood. That's how he got us!" Midoriya warned his classmate, as he was now their only hope at saving Iida until backup showed up.
"He sucks blood to keep people from moving… That's why he uses blades, huh?" Todoroki, assuming stance, glanced back, as he replied to Midoriya, "I can keep my distance and-"
With a flash of light gaining his attention, Todoroki grunted when a dagger zipped by his cheek, slicing across his skin, and deep enough across his scar to cause bleeding. Without hesitation afterward, Stain immediately leapt toward his new opponent.
"You have good friends, Ingenium!"
When he saw Shoto appear, then take over the situation, Tenya had been unable to say anything. When he heard his name said from Ochaco, crying to the two-toned boy in gratitude, he found himself bowing his head in shame, causing someone else to get caught in the crossfire of his actions. Now, after hearing what Chizome said, he was beyond ashamed of his future - and the thoughts he had yesterday right before going to bed.
He was content with dying, but not at the cost of someone else's life.
"I'm sorry… Midoriya-kun, Todoroki-kun, I'm so, so sorry…!"
"You should tell them that when you can."
"Yes- Yes, I…"
Tsuyu rubbed her friend's back when his voice fell short.
"Close one…!" Todoroki huffed, using his flames to keep Stain from licking the blood off his cheek, sending the villain back. When he tried to capture the man in a wave of ice, he jumped up high, out of reach, with the teen thinking to himself, 'He's strong…'
As he watched the two fight, with a trembling voice, Iida wondered out loud, "Why are you two… Why… Please, stop…! I've inherited my brother's name. I have to do it… He's mine to…!"
"You inherited it? That's strange." Todoroki hummed, listening to his classmate's pleas, as he went on to say, "The Ingenium I saw before didn't have that look on his face, though. You've got a lot going on behind the scenes in your family, too, huh?"
"Todoroki-kun…!" Midoriya gritted his teeth, his fingers twitching in an effort to get feeling back in his body. Then he realized, wiggling his fingers again, that he could move slightly.
Slicing away the ice blocking him from his opponent, Stain called out once he could see the kid again, "To block your own view against an opponent faster than you… What a foolish plan."
"I wonder about that." Todoroki spat, calling upon his fire side, before two knives Stain threw landed deep into his arm.
"SHOTO!"
"You're not bad, either." Stain grinned, his katana drawn, as he had his eyes set on a different target.
"ABOVE!" Todoroki yelled when he realized he was going for the only pro hero, and could do nothing to stop him. Dashing across the walls, Midoriya managed to make it in time to drag Stain back across the alleyway, the others witnessing this, as the dual-quirk boy yelled out, "MIDORIYA!"
"I can move normally for some reason now!"
Hearing his distant response, Todoroki's eyes widened in thought, as he spoke out loud, "A time limit…?"
"No, that kid should've been the last one he got. I can't move yet."
'This kid… he must be type O.' Stain realized, before he jammed his elbow into Midoriya's back.
"Blood type- It's blood type! Depending on a person's blood type, Stain's quirk can paralyze a person for a period of time…!" Izuku exclaimed, vigorously jotting it down in his notebook, before he called out next, "Iida-kun, what's your blood type…?!"
"Uhum, A-A…?"
"A… I can't think of Native's blood type off the top of my head…"
"Shoto, what's your blood type?"
"O."
"'O', then you should be fine, like Midoriya…!"
"Wait, 'O'…?" Izuku paused, turning around to look at Shoto, as he questioned, "But your father's blood type is AB?"
"How are you aware of that information?" Enji glared down at the greenet threateningly.
"It's on the wiki page- But, wait, pause- If Endeavor is type AB, and your type O… That doesn't make any sense." Izuku turned his body to face his peers behind him, raising an eyebrow to Shoto, who wasn't sure what to reply with, while Hanta brought a hand to his chin.
"How…? What if his mom is O?"
"Well, if that's the case, then it would be possible…"
"Shoto, not to intrude, but what's your mom's blood type?"
"Why the hell do any of you care?!" Tomura groaned with irritation, interrupting their conversation, as he shouted out next, "Ask about all that boring shit later- Just get back to the fucking story already!"
"S-Sorry-"
"Don't apologize to him- You don't owe him that." Hitoshi murmured after hearing his freckled friend's apology, while everyone else got situated back in their seats, with Shoto thinking about the question he was asked.
He didn't actually know what his mother's blood type was. Then again, he also wasn't aware of his siblings blood type, or anything else about them for that matter, aside from their names and appearance - though that was also a bit vague in his memories.
'Should I… know this information about them…?'
"Mine is B…"
"There's your answer, then, Midori-kun." Mina hummed after listening to Native reveal his blood type.
"Blood type?" Stain smirked, impressed that an opponent was able to figure it out, as he praised, "That's correct."
"Hero Killer: Stain. Quirk: Bloodcurdle!"
"Oh, been a while since we've seen one of these…"
"-stop their movements for up to eight minutes. Type O, A, AB, and B. The amount of time he can stop them goes in that order from least to most. Stain's blood type happens to be B!"
"So that would unfortunately have Native inactive for a while…" Toshinori hated the sound of that - and while he hated this thought even more - that could mean the quirk might wear off of Tenya soon.
'Too bad it didn't reveal his real name, either…' Shota guessed that the villains must be the exception.
"I wanted to hurry up and carry those two out of here, but he can react so fast, he can avoid ice and fire. I can't leave myself that open. I think our best option is to hold on by avoiding close combat until the pros get here."
Midoriya grunted in agreement, powering One for All, while instructing his classmate in return, "Todoroki-kun, you've already shed too much blood. I'll distract him, so you support me from behind."
"That's a pretty big risk, but yeah… The two of us will protect them…!"
"Two against one, huh? It won't be easy." Stain noted, but neither needed to be told that.
While Todoroki steeled his expression, prepared to fight, his mind was elsewhere in thought, 'Iida, I've been worried about you since your older brother was attacked… Because I know well the face of someone who would act on pent-up resentment. I also know just how narrow the field of vision can get for someone like that.'
As Midoriya jumped across the alleyway to keep Stain on his heels, Todoroki used his ice for support, keeping their enemy at bay. Gritting his teeth, the reunion he had with his mother came to mind, remembering how hesitant he was to see her because he didn' want to frighten her.
'That day, I told her everything about what had happened and about who I am now. Mother cried and apologized, forgiving me with a smile surprisingly quickly. She said that for me to move forward without anything holding me back would make her happy and be her salvation. The old me would definitely not have been able to choose my old man's agency for the internship. It's not that I've forgiven him, and I have no intention of doing so. No matter what a scumbag he is, I had to appreciate the judgment and instincts of the man called the number two hero.'
Throwing out his flames at Stain, Todoroki tried to hide the pain in his eyes, as he realized what had changed his own judgment, 'Everything was so simple…! But even though it was simple, I didn't see it.'
'It's your power… ISN'T IT?!'
'Just a few words…! Those few words…' Todoroki would forever be grateful for Midoriya, the fight where his eyes truly opened for the first time. Now, he only wished for Iida to do the same.
'Save that guy first.'
'I came to save you, Iida-kun!'
'The two of us will protect them…!'
'I'll kill you!'
In a single moment, the fight suddenly turned in Stain's favor so quickly, as he managed to nick Midoriya again, leaving him paralyzed against a wall. Before the villain could do more damage, Todoroki shot his fire in their general direction, warding him away from the greenet.
"Midoriya!"
"Please… stop…" Iida couldn't handle watching them fight this battle for him, widening his eyes in fear, as he shakingly cried out, "I can't… take it…"
"If you want us to stop, then STAND UP!" Todoroki yelled back at him, while Stain was now heading towards him in a vengeful rage. Gritting his teeth, as Stain evaded his pillars of ice, he thought of what he could say to Iida right now, 'Because I've just got one thing to say to you…'
With Stain upon him, Todoroki let the fire he rejected for so long creep up his arm, burning brightly, as he exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "Never forget who you want to BECOME!"
As tears slipped down his nose, and onto the concrete floor, Iida remembered the foolish thing he had said when confronting Stain.
'Ingenium! It is the name of the hero who will defeat you!'
His fingers curled into a fist in shame.
The ending song commences.
No one had any words for what they had witnessed, even Tomura, who was only interested now to see how this fight would be resolved. However, as the cheery music echoed throughout the room, some feeling it wasn't appropriate, it did help a few relax slightly, breathing steadier now.
"Gosh… That was…"
"Yeah… I don't know what to say."
"I do." Shoto, with eyes on him, stood up, passing by Denki, and made his way down to stand on the left side of the front row, right where Tenya sat with Tsuyu. While her blank stare was on the boy standing beside them, the person he wanted to speak with still had his head down, but even if he wasn't listening, he spoke, "Iida, when I got here, I had no desire to get close to any of you, and I only agreed to watch the episodes because there was no other way to get back home. I didn't care for anything, or anyone. While all of you were slowly starting to trust each other and make friends, I wanted nothing to do with it. And when my father showed up, I only held onto that anger more."
A few bold students glanced in Enji's direction, with a certain blond glaring at the number two hero - aka, the worst dad in history - but turned back to Shoto when he went on.
"I had no control over what was shown, or what was revealed, or who got to see what. I wanted to be mad at someone, but there was no one to be angry at. I lashed out at the smallest things because of that."
Yuga remembered when he asked about his peer's scar, and how frightened he was when he saw how upset that made him. Kyoka remembered when she wanted to share lyrical importance to him yesterday, and how he yelled at her to stay away from him. Both of them should have listened.
"There's no excuse for the things that I did, and there's nothing I can do to take back the words that I said. Even though this is the future, there's still things that can't be undone. Just from watching this one episode, I have learned so much… So much that I didn't understand before."
When he saw his mother on screen, and hearing what she had apparently said to him, Shoto cried once more, letting all his emotions crash into the wall that he had been building up. Hearing how she forgave him, and wanted nothing more than to watch him succeed, knowing that using his fire quirk would no longer have any affect on him - it felt freeing. He had been so unsure last night, so many thoughts and feelings running through his mind, but that one reassurance. The thought of knowing he could be a hero without being weighed down anymore.
"I thought I would always be haunted by my past… That even as a hero, I could never escape it, or move on- I didn't even know if I wanted to become a hero anymore…!"
Enji huffed at hearing that, uncrossing his arms to march down there and give his son a lesson. But before he could move, Shoto's next words made him pause.
"Every single time I thought of Mom, I thought she would hate me- I thought she would resent me for continuing to try and become a hero. Because a hero is what hurt her." Shoto had to take a breath to keep his emotions down, slowly releasing his clenched fists, as he steadied his voice, "My father is the worst person in the world. He used my mother for his personal gain, and put her in a hospital when he didn't need her anymore. I know our situations are different, but the hero killer did the same to your brother. I know it's not my place, but it also wasn't Midoriya's place to meddle in my life. I was so angry- Not only at him, but also at myself for even speaking about my home life to him. And it only got worse when he wouldn't stop during our fight- I hated him for what he was doing."
"Todoroki-kun, I am so-"
"But it's because he meddled in my life- That I was finally able to see my mother again…! It was because he didn't back down that I can become a proper hero, not just for my father's selfish wishes, but for me…!" Shoto didn't know why he was getting so worked up, but he didn't back down either, as he continued to raise his voice, "Iida, your brother wouldn't want this- Your family wouldn't want this. Don't let your anger consume you anymore, Iida- Think about the people who want you to succeed, and never-"
A hand shot out, and gripped his shirt, stopping Shoto, while the other students gasped, with Shota standing up to intervene if needed. However, when Tenya slowly raised his head for him to see his expression, his heterochromatic eyes relaxed at the tears running down his cheeks.
"I am so- so sorry…! I have… no excuse- I endangered you both because… because of… me- Because I was… I was blinded by my rage… I was able to accept my death- I was prepared for it to happen…! But not you… Not you… and not Midoriya-kun…!" Tenya slowly began to loosen his hold on Shoto, while he brought his other hand to wipe at his eyes.
The song was long over, but everyone allowed him to have this cry. No one spoke for a moment, while Ochaco walked over to gently hug Tenya in the first few seconds, with her extending a hand for Izuku to join. At first, the boy was hesitant, but he realized that maybe his friend needed it right now.
"The fight's not over…" Shoto muttered when the underground hero approached from behind.
"Yes, but you shouldn't have to be fighting it…" Shota knew how useless his words were, since they couldn't change the future they were watching. But he hoped that it wouldn't have to happen once they returned.
Eventually, the three separated, and Tenya accepted their comfort, and promised to talk later once the next break came around. For now, they sat on the front row together, including Shoto, who agreed, while Shota stood his ground nearby.
Once they moved on to the next episode, Tomura had his eyes set to someone new on the hero's side of the theater. When the kid first started speaking, even though he wanted to tell him to shut up, he couldn't find it in him, letting him say his piece, and listened. Something about Shoto interested the villain.