Chapter 32: (Episode 28: Midoriya and Shigaraki)
"Up until now, I've insisted on 'using' One for All."
"OH- Deku-kun, pay attention…!" Ochaco, in order to make sure that he saw it this time, cupped her hands over Izuku's cheeks, turning his head to face up front. While she thought this worked, the only thing going through the greenet's mind was how close her fingers were to his lips.
Izuku soon came back to his senses once Hitoshi softly elbowed his arm.
"I should've turned the switch on throughout from the beginning!" Midoriya brought forth One for All throughout his entire body, straining himself just from the measly five percent of power he could assess, holding onto that feeling as he thought, 'Imagining the heat that used to be in one place… spreading throughout my whole body!'
"Wanna give it a try?" Gran Torino grinned at the energy that exploded from his student.
"Yes. Please…!"
The opening theme commences.
"Okay, so, it was definitely cooler last episode, but that's what you get for missing out on it before, Deku-kun…!" Ochaco released her hold on her friend, which Izuku was thankful for, though he still found the scene to be intriguing. As he went back to his notes, the short-haired female straightened herself up, looking over to Hitoshi, as she called, "And Shinso-kun, I feel bad that you're not in either of the visuals…"
"Ah, well, it's not that big of a deal… I'm not really in the hero course… yet- So, it's understandable." Hitoshi didn't want to make a fuss about it, even if he had been fussing about it previously when carefully watching the opening and ending visuals for himself.
"Oh, Shinso, by the way, where's your cat? I forgot its name, but I haven't seen it all morning, and I really want to see him…!" Mina pouted in the boy's direction, leaning over Ochaco to catch his eye, while Hitoshi blinked down to the pink-haired girl.
"Oh, uh, her name is Yuki - for one - and she's still in my room. She was sleeping when I left for breakfast, so I didn't disturb her, but I left the door cracked open so that she could get some food if she wanted some."
"Oh, did you leave a dish out for her?" Ochaco inquired about the new topic, while Hitoshi nodded.
"Yeah, but she's also a little scared of loud noises, so I doubt she'll come out unless she's really hungry."
While the three above her talked more about the feline, tuning them out, Tsuyu turned back to look at Tenya, whose hair fell over his gaze, making his expression unreadable to her. Although she had always had a bit of difficulty reading other's emotions, she still cared for her friend, and something deep inside told her that he was really considering the words that Shota had told him previously.
"Iida-chan-" Tsuyu watched him flinch slightly at the call of his name, before his eyes landed on her, as she began to say, "-I wanted to tell you earlier that you would die if you went after the Hero Killer, but I think you know that now, kero. So, I'll say instead that we're here for you, and you're not alone in what you are feeling."
He blinked in shock at what she said, as the possibility of death had never once crossed his mind. However, now that Tenya heard her say it, and thinking about it possibly showing himself getting killed on screen slowly made him realize what a mistake he was about to make. He didn't want to die - he couldn't do that to his family, so soon after Tensei lost.
"I… I understand… Asui-kun…"
"Kero, and call me 'Tsuyu-chan', please. It's what my friends call me."
Tenya's lip quivered, holding back tears, as he tried to reply back without letting his voice crack, "Tsu… yu-chan… I appreciate your words- Truly, I… I do…"
He didn't want to die. He didn't want to watch himself die - he couldn't put everyone through that torment. But depending on what the future would reveal, there was nothing that could be changed. Not until they got back home.
"To keep One for All going throughout your whole body. If you can move while maintaining that, then you'll be completely different from how you were at the Sports Festival. Now, what will you do?" Gran Torino wondered, breaking out into a grin, as he placed a gloved hand to his chin. Pulling out a pocket watch, as he observed his new student struggle with his new power, he clicked a button on the clock, calling out, "We'll start with three minutes."
"Three… minutes…?" Midoriya glanced at his teacher, continuing to hold the energy, while watching Gran Torino stretch.
"Try getting a hit on me in that time."
"He's gonna use the same method as before…? Is that wise?"
"I-"
"To show how Midoriya has improved - if what Gran Torino says is true - then performing the same exercise can demonstrate exactly where Midoriya has changed in performance, along with the areas he either still needs to improve on, or simply showing Gran Torino how Midoriya handles this new form of One for All." Shoto cut off Hanta in order to answer the question, as this was a teaching method that he was all too familiar with when it came to his training.
"Woah, what a quick response. It's like you know this stuff just off the top of your head." Denki blinked, smirking, as he took in what his friend said. However, when catching how Shoto's expression darkened by what he said, the blond jumped to conclusions, as he glared back at Enji, while sneering, "Shit, don't tell me that asshole is the reason you know that…"
"Come on, Kaminari, settle down… Let's just watch how Midoriya has improved."
'It'll take time to get it going through my whole body again… A single hit doesn't pack much punch, but he's too fast to follow with my eyes!' Midoriya fell to the ground after he was knocked down to his knees, gritting his teeth, before he started quickly crawling away, while thinking, 'Then, I just need a little time!'
"COME ON!"
"Don't be stupid! I can see you!" Gran Torino gruffed, observing how the boy dove under one of his sofas, before quickly hiding his arms underneath, as if he didn't just watch it happen. Grinning from ear to ear, the older male called down to his student, knowing what Midoriya was thinking, "You won't be able to buy time like that!"
Jumping from the wall to the ceiling, Gran Torino zoomed straight down to where the kid was under his couch, until he suddenly had to dodge out of the way when the sofa was heading straight for him. Charging his quirk into just one arm, and blasting the furniture away to make him dodge, it gave Midoriya just enough time to power One for All throughout his entire body again.
'You were trying to get me to stop moving, huh?' Gran Torino realized what the young man was thinking after that hit, swiftly recovering himself, as he paid his sights back to Midoriya, whilst praising, "You got me…"
Throwing himself into the air to meet his opponent, Midoriya reared his fist back, clenching his buttcheeks, as he screamed in his heart, 'One for All… Full Cowling!'
Reaching for Gran Torino, who narrowly dodged the boy's attempt, shifting to the side, as Midoriya's attack blasted away a few tin cans when he smirked, "Almost."
As Midoriya landed back on the floor, Gran Torino went on the offensive, as he zipped toward the wall behind the student. However, that was exactly what his opponent had predicted him to do.
'From behind!' Midoriya thought at the same time that Gran Torino leaped toward him.
"That's the same as last time, kid!" Gran Torino cheekily believed, but was baffled when he reached out to tap the boy, and there was nothing but air.
Now above him, Midoriya laid his back against the ceiling, building up his speed, before he threw his body down toward Gran Torino, yelling out with his arm outstretched to get him, "SMAAAAAASH-"
Gran Torino swiftly dodged out of the way, which left his student confused.
'He can dodge this?!' Midoriya's jaw dropped at this phenomenon, but he didn't have long to think, as Gran Torino quickly landed on the opposite wall, punched him in the gut, and sent him flying to the other wall, with One for All fizzing out once he crashed onto the floor in a daze.
"Three minutes."
"THERE'S NO WAY-"
"That was a minute at best!"
"Gosh, that has to be frustrating…!" Ochaco grinded her teeth in her own feeling of defeat just from watching it play out.
While Izuku did feel the same, just like his friends did, it wasn't to the same degree, and he honestly learned a lot just from observing how he fought Sorahiko. Along with what the gray-haired hero said before the start of their fight, he truly felt that this new development of his quirk had definitely made him different from how he was at the Sports Festival.
'One for All: Full Cowling… I like the name, too…'
"No, you were able to attack me when I was unguarded through analysis and prediction. You seem like the type who's always thinking ahead, kid…" Gran Torino argued when he heard how the boy thought he had yet to improve, when it was so clearly the opposite, remembering, 'Just since yesterday, you've already changed a lot with just one attempt…'
Wiping a scratch that was beginning to leak blood from his cheek, Gran Torino grinned, while he thought to himself, 'You made me dodge seriously for the first time in a while. This kid might become a monster.'
"Now how can that be? Ain't no way."
"I don't-"
"HA! I'd like to fucking see how that can happen!" Tomura broke out into a fit of laughter, which interrupted what Eijiro was about to say in reply to Denki's rhetorical question, though, his input frightened quite a few students.
"Anyway, as you were saying."
"Ah, ra-right…" Eijiro didn't think either of his friends had been listening, but he continued, "I don't thinkGran Torino means Midoriya's gonna be a… monster…just probably like a really difficult opponent later down the line once he masters One for All. Probably."
"I'd like to see him fucking try!"
"Gosh, does everyone in this theater hate Midoriya's guts right now?" Hanta rolled his eyes at the not-very-nice-words of Katsuki, who huffed in response, while this only furthered Tomura's amusement.
Ignoring the conversation behind them, Toshinori shifted over to sit next to Hitoshi, calling out to his successor with a smile, "Young Midoriya, you held up wonderfully against Gran Torino. While he is one to not give praise, do take his words to heart, as he is also someone who does not lie."
It was clearly written on the young man's face that he was taking Toshinori's words to heart, smiling from ear to ear, along with Ochaco cheering for her friend. While Izuku received yet another hug from the brunette, leaning back in his seat, the number one hero wondered what would come from this episode in his successor's journey of mastering One for All.
However, he soon got his answer when looking upon the TV screen, and seeing the title to be read as 'Midoriya and Shigaraki', which didn't sit well with anyone.
"Stupid brat…" Tomura, in particular, wasn't very fond of this, while Izuku began to shake in the girl's arms, his fear spreading to the other students.
With how ominous the titles of each episode were, it was anyone's guess on what could potentially happen. The only thing they did - or felt they could do - was sit uncomfortably in anticipation for what might entail.
Back at Uraraka's internship, the pro hero in charge had her, and a few of his sidekicks, perform martial arts, as they punched the air, while Gunhead reminded them all, "Don't do it aimlessly. Make sure you focus on each section, see? Because what counts the most in the end is your basic physical strength."
"Yes, sir!"
'He acts cute, too!' Uraraka would forever thank the Gods that she had been given the opportunity to intern here.
Slamming his cup of green tea on his desk, Fourth Kind yelled out to his two interns in annoyance, "It's lukewarm! You two can't even make a decent cup of tea?! Clients come to the office, you know!"
To take out some of his frustrations, with two of his fists raised, Fourth Kind banged them against Kirishima and Tetsutetsu's foreheads, their quirks activated to lessen the pain.
"Okay, that can't be legal: To abuse your interns like that."
"Is it really abusing them, though…?" Kyoka wasn't really sure, and she didn't want to use that word lightly, especially after the events they had been forced to witness yesterday.
"I mean, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu aren't really hurt, and Fourth Kind kind of… I guess, likes hitting ya with your quirks on, so… Iffy situation… Best to leave it alone." Hanta narrowed his eyes after blurting out that last sentence, turning them onto Denki, who was glaring at a certain someone behind them, coughing into his hand, as he hissed out, "Right,Kaminari?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Sero, heard and understood…" Denki waved his hand out, but thankfully, he sat in his seat properly, slumping into the cushions so he could turn his glare to the TV instead.
"Do you understand? In other words…"
While those that were talking over Tsunagu were confused on what was going on, that feeling only lasted for a split second. As the very next scene presented Katsuki in a hairstyle that some would believe was impossible to accomplish with hair as wild as his.
"Oh…" Izuku had no words for what they were seeing, not really finding it laughable like his other peers, but he actually found it to be impressive. He remembered how his mother and Mitsuki would always complain about having to comb their hair, so with Tsunagu being able to maintain Katsuki's hair, the freckled greenet's respect for the number four hero grew.
"You shitty extras- FUCKING CUT IT OUT!" Katsuki yelled over those that were laughing, the loudest being Denki and Hanta, as they didn't care about what the blond did. Their humorous cries only got louder upon watching his hair poof back to its original state, which only fueled the blond's anger, as he exclaimed next when one particular voice caught his attention, "SAME GOES TO YOU, TOO, FUCKFACE- You wanna fight?!"
"Come over here, and maybe we can…!" Tomura instagaited the child, which caught the heroes' attention, with Shota spinning around, grabbing a hold of his weapon, as he waited for Katsuki's reaction.
Luckily, the boy understood that the villain was trying to rile him up, as Katsuki scoffed back in retaliation, before plopping down into his seat again. The spotlight thankfully shifted onto Momo, who shrunk into her seat, as it presented them with multiple shots of Uwabami getting her picture taken.
'Please move quickly through this segment…!'
"After this photoshoot, she'll be a guest on a radio show and a magazine interview, right?"
"We're basically just her entourage…"
"Her reason for choosing both of you was because of your looks, kero, so she probably has something in mind for you two. Maybe not what you want, though."
"I swear that I will not allow this to be foreseen…! This is certainly one thing I shall change about my future…!" Momo covered her face in embarrassment, while Kyoka sympathetically ran her hand down her friend's shoulder.
"U.A….? Shinso-kun…?!" Ochaco grinned with excitement at the chance for him to get his moment. Her and Hitoshi's disappointment soon came at the sound of Naomasa's voice, however, this heightened Toshinori's interest.
"Sorry to intrude so suddenly, All Might."
"It's all right, Tsukauchi-kun." All Might assured, placing down two cups of tea, before getting into their urgent meeting, "Well, what did you find out?"
Letting his friendly smile fall, Tsukauchi did as he was asked, beginning the conversation with, "Among those who attacked USJ, there was the villain Nomu that you drove back, right?"
"That strong guy, huh…?"
At the mention of the incident, while the students cowarded away, the heroes immediately straightened in their postures, waiting for the detective to continue. Tomura, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes, because even though he was not aware of the creation of Nomu's yet, this information was about to be revealed to the pros. However, there was nothing he could physically do about it, so he listened closely, in order to warn All for One when he got back to the bar.
"We did some tests on Nomu's DNA." Tsukauchi revealed to the number one hero, with All Might's expressing his confusion.
"DNA tests?"
"Yeah. We're not asking for your help in this investigation, so I'd be leaking information, but I felt like I just had to tell you. It's a clue to lead us to the mastermind." Tsukauchi revealed, which got a quick reaction out of All Might, before he went on, "After investigating Nomu at a specialized institution, we realized that it wasn't that Nomu can't talk. There's no reaction no matter what we do. He is literally unable to think for himself."
Sliding a mugshot photo of a man, who appeared to be in his late twenties, across the table, Tsukauchi added darkly, "And regarding his identity… We found out that he was just a thug with a criminal record of assault and extortion."
"How is that-"
"Shush…" Shoto interrupted, moving his hand to quiet Denki, who was a little surprised by this action, before he realized how important this information was, covering his mouth to keep himself from saying anything else.
"-to the mastermind?"
With All Might wondering how this could lead them to the League's brain, Tsukauchi leaned forward, and advised his friend, "Listen carefully. According to the report, there's DNA from at least four completely different people intermingled inside the thug's body."
"DNA from at least four people intermingled… Is he even human?"
"His whole body appears to have been tampered with using drugs and other methods. To oversimplify a bit, he's been modified so his body can hold multiple quirks. The huge drop in his brain's processing power probably comes from the burden that causes, but well, what we're more concerned about is his DNA… and how he has multiple quirks." Tsukauchi watched his old friend raise his head at that observation, knowing they realized the same thing, while he continued to summarize, "Even if different DNA is introduced, unless there is some way it can be completely integrated, the bearer would not have multiple quirks. You must understand, since you have One for All. It's very likely that there is someone with a quirk that can give others quirks."
Izuku blinked the tears from his eyes at the mention of their shared power, before catching Toshinori's horrifying expression on the TV. Looking up to the man here, the greenet was faintly surprised that he didn't have the same look, but instead, one that was angry, and in thought. He must have already come to the same realization his future self did just now. Though, since it appeared to concern One for All, why didn't he tell him?
"Don't tell me…!" All Might jumped out of his seat when he realized what was being said, while Tsukauchi straightened up, with a nod to confirm.
"Looking at the circumstances, it would be reasonable to assume such. That's why I thought I had to let you know."
Stepping over to the window, All Might began to transform into his muscular form, with steam hissing off his back, as he sullenly spoke, "Has that man… started to move again…?"
"Can… can you even-"
"Goodness gracious- PAUSE!" Toshinori panicked when he heard Hitoshi's voice, completely forgetting that the students were still present.
"H-Hey, what a… what-what's going on…?!" Minoru hiccuped, while Shota walked over to where Toshinori sat.
"What, not fucking explained enough for you? It's obvious that Sensei and Doctor took the body of that NPC, and used a couple of other's DNA to create the Nomu that All Might fucking destroyed!" Tomura, while still angry about that incident, yelled, so he would hear him, but his exclamation horrified the two teachers, as they could tell this simplified explanation would scare the students more than they already were.
"Wa-Wait… You're… You're saying that… that- that this… Sensei…! Did… THAT?!"
"Hey- Hey! Let's settle-"
"If he comes here, we're DOOMED!"
"Oh gee, it'd be a real treat if Sensei turned up in this place…!"
"Students-"
"I WANT MY MOMMY…!"
"I don't want to be here anymore- TAKE ME BACK HOME!"
"I don't want to hear anymore of this…!"
"STUDENTS-"
"FUCKING SHUT UP ALREADY!" Katsuki shouted over everyone else's screams, slowly causing them to go quiet, as they looked up to the blond, who only scoffed at their sights on him. He didn't say anything more after that.
Silently thanking Katsuki for this golden opportunity, Shota quickly spoke before they started crying again, "Students, please listen to me. What was just explained is of no concern to you. Now, I'm not saying you need to completely ignore what was said, but it is of no concern to you, remember."
"But… That… that villain is… is tied to… to Shigaraki… Me-Meaning that… that… that he could… comehere…!"
"I promise you, with all of my heart, that this villain will not appear-"
"And how can you know that for certain, All Might, huh…?!" Tomura cackled, sitting up, as he glared down at the number one hero with a grin, exclaiming, "Sensei hasn't shown up yet, has he, cause you thought you killed him for good…! So he could show up… And then what will you do…?"
"I'm scared…"
"Kero…"
Clenching his fists, as he tried not to let his cruel words get under his skin, Toshinori shut his eyes for a moment in thought, before carefully saying next, "If it satisfies you young heroes, I will answer a couple, short questions, of your choice."
"All Might, what are you doing…?!" Shota hissed through his teeth, worried that they could potentially ask the right questions. It was already revealed that Tomura knew the villain who did this, so that theory was already out of the way.
"Aizawa-kun, I feel this is the right thing to do… I promise to not reveal too much. I won't start the day like this." Toshinori nodded to who he respected most right now, as he worried for the young people of the future just as much as he did.
Understanding this, Shota backed off the other, but rephrased his question, as he stated, "One question. You all get one question."
"What is this villain's name?" Katsuki asked before anyone else could, which soon angered the students around him.
"Bakugo, you idiot…!"
"That's one question for all of us- Do you not realize that…?!"
"When getting information on a villain, you have to start with the basics, and work your way up. So far, we know his quirk can possibly pass quirks around - sounds like a less complicated version of One of All - he's connected to Shigrarki, and this villain was someone All Might thought he defeated. What we don't know is his name, and where he's located - though, that could probably be where Shigaraki is, but we don't know that for sure." Katsuki explained to no one in particular, but everyone heard him out, listening, before the blond narrowed his eyes back onto Toshinori and Shota, asking again, "So, what is his name?"
"Every day you continue to amaze me, Bakugo…"Tomura whispered under his breath, as he really liked this kid.
'Asking if we know his name could have been their one question use… But Bakugo phrased his question logically to get the right answer, because this way, if we know - which we do - it doesn't need to be answered as a 'yes or no' question first, we get straight to the point.' Shota liked how the boy thought as well.
While Toshinori feared how much the boy had gathered on information, he couldn't show it, as Shota had told him earlier, so he answered Katsuki's question in a monotone voice, with a blank expression, "He goes by All for One."
"That's the name Shigaraki used yesterday!"
"Wait a moment, could he possibly be related to Onefor All…?!"
"One question, that was our deal." Shota stopped the girl in her tracks, halting Momo's internal thoughts, while her question hung in the air.
Even though Tomura had declared loudly moments ago that All for One and One of All weren't related, for some reason, the young man began to reconsider. Hearing the question from her made it seem possible, given the similar names, but the villain knew his Sensei would have informed him about this power. He knew All for One would have.
"Two quirks that can be passed on. I never would have thought that was real, so I'd say they have to be related in some way, kero."
"Perhaps… However, All Might promised to answer any other questions I might have during our upcoming break, so I will simply confirm it then." Momo was fine with not knowing right now, as she would soon get her findings, only once they finished the first half of their viewing session for today.
As the episode started up again, moving to a new location that was all too familiar, Toshinori bit his lip upon hearing what Momo said. He really didn't want to answer the questions she had.
"So, you want to add me to your numbers? No matter what you want to accomplish, it is necessary to have conviction and desire. Those without it and those who are weak will be weeded out."
"What did I say- I have convictions, Stain…! I'm not explaining them again, and I'm not dying by the likes of you, Hero Killer…" Tomura sneered, his hands twitching, until he reached up to itch at his neck, irritated by the sight of the man.
As if the previous scene wasn't bad enough, they were back to viewing the meeting from last episode, causing other students to grow fearful. However, some thought about the words that were said by the infamous killer, along with the situation Tomura had put himself in. The only question was if Chizome would go through with his threat.
"Kurogiri, take this guy back."
"I-I can't move my body…" Kurogiri, from where he trembled from behind the bar, held onto the counter for dear life, as he explained to Shigaraki, "It must be the Hero Killer's quirk…"
'A paralyzing quirk…? That could explain the crime scenes…' Shota bit his lip, as he glanced down at Tenya, worried for what the student was thinking.
Meanwhile, Izuku was preparing a page in his notebook for Chizome, noting the possibility of his quirk, and other important annotations.
"This society overgrown with fake heroes, where the word itself has lost its true meaning, and the criminals who wave their power around idly should all be purged." Stain declared his clear conviction to his foe underneath him, narrowing his eyes at the villain he planned to kill next.
Bringing the knife closer to his neck, Shigaraki quickly stopped the blade with his hand, warning the Hero Killer, "Hey, wait a sec… Not this palm… I'll kill you."
As Stain widened his gaze at the bloodlust in those red eyes, his weapon was slowly beginning to crack under the use of Shigaraki's quirk, rusting away, before it would soon be nothing but ash. He began to think that maybe killing this villain wouldn't be so easy.
"You sure talk a lot. Conviction? I don't have anything grand like that."
"So much for backing me up…" Tomura spat under his breath, but he was curious to know what his future counterpart had to say.
"-it'd be All Might. I feel like I really want to completely crush this society, where trash like that gets worshiped." Shigaraki's words frightened Stain, putting him on edge, while his opponent attempted to kill him. The Hero Killer was able to jump back, luckily, as the light-haired villain slowly stood back up, beginning to scratch his neck, while he complained, "My last injury was finally about to finish healing… We don't have a healer in our party, you know. Will you take responsibility for this?"
"So that's who you are…?"
"Huh?"
"It seems our goals oppose each other." Stain decreed, but it appeared that wasn't completely true, as his lips broke into a savage grin, stating, "However, we do agree on one thing - to destroy the present."
"Stop messing around. Go home. Die. I'm the kind of person you hate the most, right?"
"I was testing your motives. People show their true colors when they're on the verge of death." Stain explained, while he secured his other knife back into its holster, adding on to what he had said previously, "It's different, but there is 'desire' - a warped sprout of conviction living inside you. How will you bud? It might not be too late to wait until after I've seen that to dispose of you…"
"Creepy… I don't like this guy anymore- He's not welcome into my party anymore…" Tomura scoffed, turning his head away from the TV up front. Then a thought struck him, grinning, as he glanced to the other side of the room to glare at a certain blond, "Although…"
"-as a party member."
"Shigaraki Tomura, he will be a great asset if he joins us. The negotiations were successful." Kurogiri tried to change his leader's mind, but it seemed neither wanted to listen to what he had to say.
"My business is done. Now, return me back to Hosu."
"No- No, no, not Hosu City- Anything but Hosu…!"
"Any where, Kaminari…"
At the mention of the city name, Toru shrieked, as she moved to clung onto Tsuyu, whose eyes were once more on the boy at the end of their row. Seeing Tenya all by himself, and suffering alone in his silence, she didn't like that.
"I'm going to sit with Iida-chan."
"Oh- Okay…" Toru softly replied, slowly releasing her friend from her arms, while watching Tsuyu move across the couch to reach the boy.
Upon noticing her arrival, Tenya looked over to the girl, as she got situated beside him, before Tsuyu turned up to him, stating, "I don't like seeing you suffer alone, kero."
Hearing the froggy greenette say this to her friend, Ochaco had to fight the urge to join the two up front, almost getting up at one point, until Hitoshi placed his hand on her arm. Glancing into his eyes, she already knew what the lavender-haired teen was going to say to her, but fortunately, he didn't say what he was thinking out loud. As he figured by the brunette's foul expression that she already knew what he wanted to tell her.
"-can't come out, huh?"
"I wonder." Iida replied to the hero taking him as an intern for the week, watching him walk out of the office room, before removing his glasses, closing his eyes, as he thought , 'Hero Killer: Stain. I knew immediately after I collected the information. In the seven places he has appeared so far, he always injured at least four heroes. I don't know if there is a purpose behind that, or if it's just a superstition, but that's what always happens. In Hosu, Tensei's still the only one who was attacked.'
'Tenya… I'm sorry…'
'It's very likely that he will appear in this city again.' Iida declared to himself, slowly opening his eyes, as he held onto his brother's regrets. And as predicted, somewhere else in the city alleys, Stain exited one of Kurogiri's warp gates. With his lip quivering, and hate in his heart, the younger brother of Ingenium made a decision, as he vowed, 'Come! I will dispose of you with these hands.'
Tenya didn't want to watch this anymore. He knew exactly where this was going, and to have his peers witness this beside him felt like torture. Because knowing how it will happen doesn't mean anything to anyone else.
"Iida-chan-"
"I know, Asui-kun, I…" Tenya glanced away from her blank stare, not bearing to look at her, but also not knowing what to say to reassure her. As what he thought was going to happen was not going to be morally good, however, there was only one thing on his mind that he could muster up the courage to say, "Whatever is about to happen… I can not take responsibility for…"
"That's it…!" Ochaco hissed under her breath, standing up, despite Hitoshi's whispers, as she moved to sit with Tenya, who had been right in front of her the whole time, squeezing in between him and Tsuyu, while she huffed, "I know I said we'd give you space, but you've had plenty of space…! I'm not talking, but I am staying here until you're ready! You hear me, Iida-kun…?!"
Despite requesting to be alone, and wanting to push Ochaco and Tsuyu away, a small part of him appreciated their company, with Tenya nodding to his friend, who wrapped her arms around him, before paying attention back to the show.
"If you fight against my tactics more than this, you might fall into weird habits."
"He's not wrong." Shoto agreed with the older pro hero, going back to Izuku's internship, while the other students stayed silent due to what was shown previously with Tenya.
"I'm barely used to this at all. Let's keep going!"
"No, that's enough." Gran Torino declared, grinning, as he thought of something perfect for his nose-bleeding intern, "Change into your costume. Let's move on to Phase 2!"
"Huh?"
In a few short minutes, with his hero costume acquired, Midoriya stood outside with his mentor, as Gran Torino held his cane up in the air, proclaiming, "In other words- Let's go fight some villains!"
"What? All of a sudden…?!"
"If you only fight against me, then you'll have trouble when you come across a completely different type!" Gran Torino explained, beginning to walk down the street, with Midoriya following behind, listening, "The next phase is to let you experience different types and situations. In the first place, this is an internship. Of course you'll be fighting villains."
"I get what you're saying, but I don't think my heart's quite ready for this…"
"Midoriya, from what I've heard- You've already fought against real villains before."
"Ye-Yeah, but-"
"And if you can survive a villain who can decay a freaking knife with his bare hands, I think you can handle whatever's gonna be thrown at you… Besides, you have a pro hero to help you, so it shouldn't be all too bad." Hitoshi pointed out, however, upon catching sight of Shota, who raised his brow at what he was saying, which reminded the boy about what happened to him, turning on Izuku again, as he hissed, "If Gran Torino gets hurt-"
While the greenet cowered away, before the other could apologize, Mina stepped in, "Huh, I didn't take you for liking the elderly, Shinso."
"Well, everyone else around my age is scared to talk to me because of my quirk. Old people don't care about that kind of thing, surprisingly. Though, they are still stuck up and set in their ways."
"Really? I thought they would be mean to quirkless people since it's not 'normal'- No offense, Midori-kun…" Mina nervously smiled over to the curly-haired teen, but Izuku had no opinion on the matter.
"Try to remember, Young Ashido, when I was a teenager, there were still an abundance of quirkless fellows. So, having a quirk or not does not entirely matter to the older folks." Toshinori, if anything, would imagine that some of the elders could possibly despise the quirked individuals.
'We'll pass Hosu City… I wonder how Iida-kun's doing…'
"Why are we going to Hosu…?" Mina whispered to Hitoshi, who had been trying to figure out the same after it was said. But, not wanting to bother anyone for the answer, he quietly told the girl to wait and listen.
'I guess I should have kept my mouth shut… Didn't really need to emphasize my point.'
"We'll be patrolling Kyoto today, too. Sorry it's so monotonous."
"It's fine." Iida reassured the hero, scanning the streets as told, while he noted, "It is actually better this way."
His response put the older man on edge, causing him to cautiously ask Iida, "Hey. This is kind of hard to ask, but you're chasing after the hero killer, aren't you?"
Tenya could feel several eyes pin on him after that question, but he kept his lips shut, already knowing what his future self was going to say.
"That's…" Iida could only say after they stopped.
"I couldn't think of any other reason why you'd come to my agency… Oh, but I'm really glad you came…! It's just…" he tried to collect his thoughts first, before looking back to Iida, as he stated, "You shouldn't act on a personal grudge. We heroes do not have the authority to arrest or punish. The use of quirks has been allowed through their regulation. That's why vigilantism is strictly against the rules. If anyone used their quirk for their own selfish desires, it would be a very serious crime."
As Iida bowed his head, this made the other backtrack, waving his gloved hands in front of them, as he forced out, "Oh, it's not that I'm saying the hero killer isn't guilty! It's just because you seem so earnest, like you'd focus on one thing and ignore everything else, so I was worried…!"
"Thank you for the warning." Iida bowed his upper body, showing appreciation for his words.
"Oh, it's fine as long as you understand. Now, shall we go?"
Before following, Iida clenched his fists at his side, knowing he couldn't let what Stain did without consequences, 'But…'
"Iida-kun-"
"I know- I know… Uraraka-kun…" Tenya squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from falling, while also turning his face away from his friends, choking out, while his lip quivered, "Whatever you are about to say, I know. But I cannot stop what is about to happen…"
"You don't know what I'm about to say… Iida- Iida-kun, there- there could be a possibility that you don't find the hero killer, though…!"
"Do you believe that, kero? Iida-chan won't stop until he does find him." Tsuyu countered the brunette's valid point, and while the students nearby wanted to deny it, from the few days they knew each other, it was clear that Tenya could prove to be stubborn.
'These next episodes… I have a feeling they won't go well…' Shota clenched his fists together, closing his eyes in order to pray for Tenya's safety.
That was all he could do for now. He hated that it was all he could do for him.
"-what are you gonna do?"
"I will reform this city." Stain replied to the person who decided to accompany him on the water tower, Shigaraki standing behind him with Kurogiri, as they listened to his answer, "In order to do so, I require more victims."
"Is this what you meant the other day when you said you had business to take care of?" Kurogiri wondered, while the infamous hero killer rose from his crouched position.
"I see you're someone who understands."
"Hey, what're you trying to say about me?" Shigaraki huffed at the man's response to his only party member, placing a hand on his injured shoulder, still in the same shirt from when he got it.
"Does he only have one shirt or something…?" Mashirao hummed under his breath, side-eyeing Koji and Rikido, who shrugged his shoulders, before glancing over to see if Tomura heard them. The villain on the other side of the theater was currently glaring at the TV screen, so it was anyone's guess.
"-a title given only to those who have accomplished great deeds! There are too many…! Too many who act like heroes, but are really money-worshippers! Until this world realizes its mistake…! I will continue to appear." Stain declared to the city of Hosu, before grabbing his katana, and jumping down from the building, leaving the two behind, as he went to hunt down his next victim.
"He talks all high and mighty like that, but basically he's trying to start a grassroots movement, huh? He's so noble I could cry."
"You can't make fun of him too much."
"Oh, what does a warp gate like you know, Kurogiri…?! Just do your commands, and get us outta there- I don't want to hear or see anymore of the hero killer." Tomura, who had previously been laughing at his own words, crossed his arms in retaliation to what the other was saying.
"-this to a rise in heroes' consciousness and shoot him down, though." Kurogiri informed his leader of the statistics in where the hero killer has appeared, the crime has gone down, but this only soured off Shigaraki's mood further, scratching at his neck until it started to bleed.
"That's wonderful! Heroes are working hard to bring down the cost of food, huh? So the 'hero killer' is also a 'hero breeder'!"
"Better choice of words, dude."
"It's too roundabout. We can't agree at a basic level. And he annoys me…" Shigaraki scoffed, folding his arms over his chest, before he ordered, "Kurogiri, bring out the Nomus."
"Oh…? We have more?" Tomura grinned, while the students cowered in fear, now with the information that a Nomu was once a normal human being.
"Three… Nomu…"
"What kind of DNA is entangled in each of them…?" Yuga ducked under Mezo's arms for cover, the gray-haired boy not having a problem with this, offering the same to Fumikage, who refused.
"It'll be a wild contest…!" Shigaraki chuckled with glee, releasing three Nomu on the city of Hosu in order to rid the world of the hero killer once and for all, giggling under his father's hand, as he declared, "I'll crush your honor and dignity, Stain."
"Hopefully he'll kill that obnoxious glasses brat first… Can't fucking stand him." Tomura spat under his breath, before grinning at the thought of destroying Chizome by the touch of his hand, chuckling, "Maybe I'll order one of the Nomu to bring me Stain…"
"-why it's good! There'll be more skirmishes then, so it'll be more fun."
"I don't think 'fun' is the word for that…" Hanta hissed through his teeth, while Eijiro and Denki nodded in agreement, while Shoto narrowed his eyes at seeing that the greenet was near Hosu City.
Enji had mentioned earlier in the last episode that they would be going after Chizome, so if they were in Hosu City now - with it being the third day of their internships - Shoto wondered if that was of importance. Because something told him that with the focus so closely on that specific city now, this could potentially be where the hero killer's reign ends.
"Using his smartphone with someone next to him! Kids these days!"
While Gran Torin had some words for his student, Midoriya on the other hand ignored the older gentlemen, as he checked on his message to Iida. Seeing how he had been left on read, this didn't sit right for the boy, knowing that his friend wouldn't normally do this.
'He read the message but didn't reply… Iida usually responds within three minutes of reading the message…' Midoriya noted, before setting his phone back into his lap, casting his eyes to the darkened city.
"Really…? That's so specific…" Ochaco hummed, pressing herself closely to Tenya, who felt enormous guilt after hearing Izuku's thoughts.
He wanted to apologize to his friend, he really did, but it wasn't the right time.
'-almost to Hosu City, huh?' Midoriya sighed, before he reminded himself of what he told Iida the last time they saw one another.
'If you ever feel hopeless, make sure you let us know. We're friends, right?'
'I really should have phrased that better…' Izuku wished he could have said more, or at least something better, but it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway. Because Tenya didn't listen then, if his ominous words after that said anything, grumbling to himself, "Why couldn't I just say what happened…?!"
"What happened what…?"
Izuku opened his mouth to reply to Mina, but someone's exclamation over the speaker's caught their attention.
"-look at that…! That building just exploded…!"
"Where? Where?"
"You're right! There's smoke…!"
Turning in their seats, with his intern standing up to catch sight of what everyone else was seeing, Gran Torino mumbled, "What's going on?"
"Could it be a fire?" Midoriya replied, just as there was a distant ring from the train speakers.
"Passengers, please hold onto your seats."
Right after that message, the bullet train came to a startling halt, sending many of its riders forward. While getting back on their feet, something shook the train, as a hero crashed through the walls of the vehicle, causing the few people on to scream in fright.
With blood running down from a head wound, trying to stay conscious, the hero rose to his knees, as he growled, "What's with that-"
Something grabbed his face, shutting him up, before pressing him into the floor, causing the crowd's fear to heighten. Pulling back the broken metal, the intruder revealed itself as one of the Nomu that Shigaraki released earlier, which Midoriya immediately recognized.
"Nomu…?!"
"Kid, sit down!" Gran Torino ordered, before zipping across the ceiling, as he made his way to the villain.
"Gran Torino…?!" Midoriya called, but his mentor was already gone, kicking the creature in the face, before he crashed into the Nomu, causing them to fall out of the train, and into the city below. Running towards the opened wall, the green-haired boy paused when he got a look at the burning city, gasping, as he uttered, "What is that…?! What's going on?!"
Meanwhile, civilians ran from the licking flames, where the other Nomu had laid waste, causing havoc and destruction. Which Shigaraki wanted to see, as he maliciously laughed from the water tower.
"This is good. Let's make it flashy!"
"Took them long enough- Now all I need is a certain hero killer's head on a spike…!" Tomura cackled further, his words frightened the nearby students, and if it wasn't his words, it was definitely his actions.
"Please… Iida-kun… Don't do this…!" Ochaco gripped his shirt, fighting back tears, as she tried to dispel her fear, not only for herself, but for Tenya.
Being called to the scene to assist with the raging fires, running through the streets of Hosu City closely following behind the hero that was in charge of him, Iida had other thoughts on the current attack happening.
'Don't tell me… No, this is different. That guy wouldn't be so flashy…' Iida, while he continued on ahead to provide help to the other heroes, promptly came to a halt at the entrance of an alleyway, casting his eyes to the darkness within, while the pro hero carried on.
When he identified something in that darkness, his eyes began to widen. As he had finally found what had been looking for. So, without hesitation and delay, Iida changed his trajectory to pursue his personal goal.
The ending theme commences.
"IIDA?!"
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no…! NO!"
"Please, can we skip this song…?!"
"Honestly, I'm not protesting that- VOICE, CAN WE SKIP THE SONG, PLEASE?!"
"That is acceptable, yes. Does anyone disagree?"
Absolutely no one objected to the question, some having nodded earlier to Mina's exclamation, and the music cut off, to be replaced with Chizome's voice. Now some were unsure if this was a better outcome, as nothing good came from the post-ending scenes.
Ochaco squeezed her friend's hand tightly, reaching out for it earlier as a means of comfort. Even if Tenya had an idea of what was about to happen, she only hoped that this other him would realize his mistake, as he had here.
"So noisy… The idiots have come out, huh? I'll dispose of them later." Stain spat, glaring at the illuminating fire from the narrow dark alleyway he resided in. However, currently, he had found a lone hero, hoping to kill him first, as he scoffed, "Right now… I will do what I should be doing."
With blood staining his brown suit, and being pinned to the wall by his head, there was nothing the hero could bring himself to do to get himself out of the killer's grip. It wasn't simply due to Stain's strength, as there was another factor involved.
"My body… won't move… You bastard…! Die!"
"If you call yourself a hero, you should choose your last words carefully." Stain challenged, with intensity in his eyes, as he moved his katana in order to rid the world of this fake hero. However, he caught something in the corner of his eye, turning his head in time to find Iida about to kick him head on. Swinging his weapon up, he blocked the boy's attempt, knocking his helmet off, and sending him to the ground, giving the hero killer time to analyze the attacker, "A child wearing a suit… Who is he? Go away. This is not a place for children."
'He…' Tenya's fury began to boil over some, squeezing the girl's hand he held, causing Ochaco to squirm in pain, as he glared at the man who ruined his brother's life, 'He doesn't even recognize who I am…?!'
"Oh good, he doesn't want to hurt Iida…!"
"That still doesn't mean he won't if Iida doesn't leave." Shoto murmured in response to what Denki said, which horrified the blond, and the other two he sat with.
"You must be the Hero Killer: Stain! You are, aren't you?!" Iida shouted, recognizing the man who ended his elder brother's hero career, glaring with anger, as he sneered, "I have been chasing you. I did not think I would find you so soon…! I am…"
He only paused when Stain swung his katana, stopping inches away from his nose.
"Your eyes… Are you here for vengeance…? Be careful of what you say. Or your age won't be enough to save you."
Iida clenched his fist after hearing those words, infuriated, as he challenged, "To save me…? So you did not even consider me a threat? Then listen, criminal. 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?'
As his brother would have wanted, and allowed him to do, Iida announced with pride and resolve to his enemy, "Remember this name for the short time you have left - Ingenium! It is the name of the hero who will defeat you!"
"I see." Stain finally realized the situation of the matter, taking up this boy's tantrum, before telling Iida simply, "Die."
"NO!"
"Would you like to continue to the next episode?"
"YES!"
Nothing changed after their response, with the students turning on the one person who they knew would prevent their progress, "SHIGARAKI!"
"All right- fine…!" Tomura could only laugh at the childrens' attempt to intimidate him.