Chapter 47: Battle of Hosu (1)
Stain was perched on the rooftop, silently stalking his prey: the hero Native. Not only is he guilty of cultural appropriation, borrowing his look and style from an ancient American culture, but he was inconsistent in his ideals, often letting lesser crimes go overlooked in a search for high-profile cases. A true hero would help everyone, and not just chase glory.
This made him the perfect choice as Stain's final target in Hosu.
As the day stretched into evening, Stain finally made his move. He already knew the hero's patrol routes, and it didn't take long for him to find the hero, silently tailing him from the rooftops. When the opportunity came, he dropped into an alleyway and intentionally kicked a trash can, spilling its contents and causing a commotion. An amateur mistake, one that he would never make, but if he was right, the false hero wouldn't realize that.
"You! You're the hero killer!" Stain smiled with satisfaction as he heard the hero behind him.
Spinning around, Stain drew a sword. "And you are a false hero who is asking to be cleansed."
"No! I am the one who is going to take you down!"
Stain flashed a predatory grin, "See if you can catch me then."
Turning around, Stain began running. He didn't need to look to know the hero was following him - his steps were loud and messy. As he expected from such a hero, he thought he was the predator, when he was really the prey.
And Stain had already chosen the perfect place to show him how wrong he was.
Tenya was out for an evening patrol with Manual. Despite his less than noble reasons for choosing the Normal Hero for his internship, he had been pleasantly surprised by the hero's knowledge. He had assumed that because his ranking was in the upper 200s, he wouldn't have much to learn from the hero.
He was wrong. The hero had a solid head on his shoulders and was connected to his local community in a way that Tenya never saw with his older brother. Sure, Team Idaten was popular and loved by the community, but Manual was willing to stop and talk with people on the street, often calling shop owners by their first name as he asked how their day went.
It was a side of heroics that Tenya had never thought about before, simply due to his family's position. However, now that he was seeing it, he was thankful for the opportunity.
As their patrol wound down, an alarm went off on Manual's phone. Looking concerned, he held up his hand, telling Tenya to stop as he pulled out his phone. Whatever he was reading must have been bad, Tenya noted, when he saw Manual pale slightly at the news, before turning his phone screen towards his intern.
"Three monsters have just appeared in the shopping district, and the heroes on scene are having trouble containing them."
Tenya felt his stomach churn as he saw the image on the screen. "N-Nomu!"
"You've encountered these monsters before?" Manual asked in surprise.
Tenya adjusted his glasses and nodded. "Yes. During the USJ incident. The details were kept out of the news, but the villains had a Nomu among them. It took the combined efforts of several of my classmates to merely incapacitate one."
"And there's three of them," Manual had his thumb on his chin as he thought about the implications, "this is bad. I'm not sure how much help we can provide, but we need to join them." He looked at Tenya with determination on his face, before he turned around. "Follow me!"
Tenya watched as Manual started running down the street, but hesitated as he remembered the original reason he had signed onto this internship: Stain. According to the Hero Killer's pattern, tonight he would strike again.
Tenya put his hand on his chin as he thought. "Does this mean that Stain has thrown his lot in with this so-called League of Villains? Are they using the Nomu as cover to allow him to strike at his target without worry?"
He looked to the sky. "Tensei… what would you do in this situation?"
In the past month, thanks to Izuku, Tenya has found himself asking the question more often than he would care to admit. Sometimes the answers came easily, other times they were much harder to find.
However, in this case, the answer came immediately.
Looking at the retreating form of Manual, Tenya couldn't help but bow deeply. "I am sorry Manual, but I hope you can handle these Nomu without me. Another hero's life is in danger, and I must try saving them."
Remembering his research, Tenya knew that if the Hero Killer was working with the league, then he prefers to work in lonely alleyways away from the action. Turning in the direction opposite Manual, Tenya powered his thrusters and took off at full speed.
Away from the action, two figures stood on top of a lonely water tower, their presence overlooked by the heroes and media whose attention was focused on the rampaging Nomus.
"Perfect, perfect!" Tomura exclaimed as he watched the action through a pair of binoculars before he threw his head back and laughed. "See Hero Killer. This! This is how you send a message!"
As he looked through the binoculars again, Tomura watched as one of the Nomu proceeded to use a fire-breathing quirk to start a blazing fire in a storefront. "Yes, chaos, destruction, power. This is exactly the message we need to send. Join the league, and we will offer you a chance to burn society to the ground. And then! Will rebuild a new society from the ashes!"
"It appears the young Master is discovering his motivations, after all." The silent specter of Kurogiri finally spoke. "It seems that he was right, and given enough time and encouragement, the young Master will be a worthy successor after all."
"Did you say something?" Tomura tilted his head as he asked his companion.
"I was merely saying you seem to be enjoying yourself."
Tomura's manic smile grew. "Of course I am!" He raised his binoculars again and turned his attention back to the scene, where heroes had begun arriving in an attempt to contain the Nomu. "I can't help but think about what we can do when we have an actual party, and not just hirelings and Nomu to work with. And with this sort of advertising, surely we'll find some worthwhile party members!"
"Warning, due to an ongoing situation in Hosu, the train will be making an emergency stop. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Warning, due to an ongoing situation in Hosu…" The automated system began to drone as the train came to a halt.
Izuku looked towards Emily and Majestic. "Wait, what's going on in Hosu?"
Frowning, Majestic pulled up his phone and pulled up the hero network. "There's an active attack. Three creatures appeared suddenly in the shopping district and began rampaging. Currently, the heroes on the scene aren't enough to properly contain them."
There were several shouts from other passengers and people were pointing out the window. Izuku turned and saw a winged creature flying past. "Nomu?! Here?"
"It seems like you know more than a lot of the heroes in Hosu, then," Majestic said from beside him.
Izuku turned toward the hero. "That was the creature that attacked us at the USJ - although this one is different. The one at the USJ couldn't fly."
"I see," Majestic clapped his hands, "There is a general call for all heroes to assist. While I would have preferred a less exciting situation, heroes rarely get to choose their battles. The real test is how they handle the cards they have been dealt."
Izuku and Emily turned towards each other, and then back to Majestic, nodding. "We're ready!"
"Excellent. Follow me then!"
Majestic led the pair to the end of the car to the emergency exit and opened it. In the narrow gap between cars, he deployed a magic ring. Emily climbed on top of it before floating out into the open sky. Izuku was next, and finally Majestic generated a third ring for himself; the three now floating above Hosu ready to assist the heroes.
"The reports say there are two additional Nomu in that direction," Majestic pointed to a rising column of smoke in the distance, "but I believe thanks to myself and young Song, we should assist with the flying Nomu."
"What about me?" Izuku asked.
Majestic turned towards Izuku. "Your job is to watch our backs. We don't know if these creatures are the only things out here tonight, or the prelude to something else."
Without another word, Majestic took off in pursuit of the flying Nomu, while Izuku mulled over his words.
Something else out here.
Like a bolt of lightning, realization struck.
Stain!
"I'm sorry, I know what else is going to happen!" Izuku called out to Emily. "I have to go."
"What? No! You can't!"
Izuku shook his head, "You two are fine without me. Majestic was right. These Nomu aren't the only ones out there. The Hero Killer's also here."
"What? Are you seriously going after the freaking Hero Killer?!"
"Someone has to!" Izuku called back, "since everyone is focused on these Nomu, someone will die if I don't!"
"You'll die if you go after him!"
Izuku gave Emily a sheepish smile, "Sorry, but it's like Majestic said. We have to know where to lend our support. I'm no good up here, but on the streets below…"
Emily started to say something, but Izuku stopped listening, and instead angled his ring downward, shooting towards the buildings below. Once he reached the rooftops, he began skimming across the surface of the rooftops, looking for signs of the Hero Killer in the alleyways below.
It took longer than he would have liked, but Tenya finally found him - the Hero Killer.
Fortunately, he wasn't too late. He saw a wounded hero propped up against the wall, as Stain was raising a sword over his head. Pushing power into his engines, Tenya charged at the Hero Killer, leaping at the last moment to direct a thruster-powered axe kick to his arms, knocking him and his sword away from the hero.
"Who dares interrupt me?" An angry snarl came from Stain.
"I am Tenya Ida, successor to the Ingenium name."
"Kid, he's too dangerous! Run away while you can." Native yelled from his position on the ground.
Tenya spared only a second to look at the pro hero. "No, I cannot." He turned his attention back to the Hero Killer and held up a fist for emphasis. "For the honor of my brother, I will stop you! Your killing spree ends tonight!"
"I see, so you're just another false hero," Stain crouched and drew another sword. "I was only intending to kill one tonight, but if I can cut another off before they fully bloom, it will be worth it."
"F-false hero!?" Tenya was insulted by the insinuation.
Stain pointed his sword at Native. "If you were a true hero, your priority would be on protecting the victims in an attack. Instead, you are here to satisfy some feud. That's not particularly heroic, now is it?"
"That is where you're wrong." Tenya swept his arm for emphasis. "If I merely collected this hero and ran, then what? Either you would try to kill him at a later date, or you would simply choose another hero to stalk and kill. Am I wrong?"
Stain's eyes narrowed, telling Tenya everything he needed to know. He pounded his fist into his palm. "Therefore, the only true way to protect him is to stop you!" Tenya adjusted his glasses. "While you are correct that I am selfish in choosing to avenge my brother as well, both objectives have the same goal, and end in your defeat and capture."
A savage grin spread across Stain's face. "I see, so you do have the seed of a True Hero inside of you, even if falsehoods cloud it." He pointed his sword at Tenya. "Very well then, let's test your conviction, hero. Show me that you are worthy of being spared and that I give the seed inside of you time to grow."
Stain charged at Iida, who used his thrusters to dodge quickly. He was shocked at how fast the Hero Killer moved, and even with his enhanced speed, he was barely able to dodge the blow, having to rely on his shaped armor to properly deflect the swing.
"You're good kid. I'll give you that." Stain gave him a fierce grin, giving Tenya the chance he needed to confirm his suspicion.
He has a pair of elongated fangs, just like the older Midoriya. That means he has a blood-based activation condition for his quirk.
That would explain the sheer volume of blades the Hero Killer is carrying. While his armor could deflect the weapons at sufficient speeds, he had enough exposed areas, most notably his head, that the Hero Killer could easily exploit.
"If I was merely good, I wouldn't be worthy of the Ingenium name! I must be better, in honor of my brother!"
Not waiting for the Hero Killer to make the next move, Iida engaged his thrusters and charged. He saw the Hero Killer preparing a counterattack and dodged to the side at the last moment, before lifting his leg and activating his thrusters to deliver a spinning thruster kick to the Hero Killer's back, knocking him off balance.
The Hero Killer refused to let up, drawing and throwing a knife even as he tried to regain his balance. Tenya effortlessly dodged the first knife, only to see a second knife already on its way. Training kicked in, and he raised his arm at precisely the right moment, knocking the knife off course and sending it flying upward.
He is an amazing foe. It is a shame his ideology is so twisted.
With a flick of his wrist, Stain pulled the knives back to himself, further confirming Tenya's suspicion. With practiced skill, he caught the knives before throwing them a second time. Tenya responded by charging the Hero Killer, deftly sidestepping the knives at the last second before he slammed into his foe, carrying him into the wall of the alleyway.
Tenya felt a sharp pain as he was cut by another knife that Stain had managed to draw. Knowing he couldn't let the Hero Killer drink his blood, he grabbed Stain's wrist and twisted it, causing the knife to clatter to the ground. With a swift kick, he sent the blade flying. The moment of distraction was enough for the hero killer, who managed to twist himself free of the hero's grasp. Stain proceeded to grab Tenya and hurl him across the alleyway, where he collided with a dumpster with a loud clang.
As Tenya tried to quickly recover and stand he felt a sting across his cheek as one of Stain's daggers landed true. Eyes going wide, he saw the Hero Killer pull the dagger back into his hand. Not giving his opponent any time, his long tongue reached out, licking up the crimson substance and activating his quirk.
With a gasp, Tenya felt his motor nerves seize up completely, causing him to collapse onto the ground.
"W-what-!"
"I must applaud you, future hero." He saw the boots of the Hero Killer slowly approach him. "There aren't many who were able to identify Bloodcurdle so quickly, and recognize the threat of me drawing blood."
As Tenya was forced to watch helplessly, he saw the Hero Killer pull a wicked-looking dagger out, and hold the dagger over his arm. He slid it back and forth as if analyzing Tenya's costume before he plunged the blade into a gap between plates.
"Tonight you will live, but take this as a reminder of your transgression. Discard your false ideologies, and walk the path of All Might, the True Hero."
Tenya tried to suppress the scream but failed as he let out a pained howl as he felt the blade sink deeper into his arm. "You'll pay for this!" Tenya called out defiantly as Stain stood back up.
"One day, yes. One day All Might will come for me, and I will gladly pay for my sins in full. But you are not All Might, and he is not here. Therefore today is not that day." Stain walked over to retrieve his discarded sword. "Now then, to finish off this false hero and finish my mission."
Tenya was forced to watch helplessly as Stain slowly approached Native, sword ready for a killing blow, when suddenly, he saw a disk-like object slam into Stain at high speed, sending him flying into a wall.
"I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else!"
Tenya's eyes widened as he saw Izuku land in a crouch in front of him, body wrapped in the green aura of Full Cowling.
Elsewhere in Japan, at the Ryukyu agency, Himiko was standing in front of a projector alongside Nejire and their mentor. When the hero got the alert about Hosu through the Hero Network, she took the students to one of her meeting rooms to show them how an incident is handled in real-time.
"Those look creepy!" Nejire exclaimed as she saw the images of the Nomu coming in. The older girl shuddered at the image of their wide eyes and exposed brains.
"T-those are what attacked Izu and his friends back at the USJ," Himiko said, her knuckles white as she gripped the back of a chair. "Why are there more of them? Why now?"
Ryukyu frowned as she was reading the reports. "That points to a deeper conspiracy," Ryukyu added a note on her tablet, "I'll have to ask around and see who is taking the lead on this investigation. Probably Endeavor, since he is the highest ranked hero on scene." Ryukyu turned her attention back to the computers, and with a couple of mouse clicks the images on the projector changed to show Endeavor engaging what looked to be an oversized lizard-mutant.
Their discussion was interrupted by Himiko's phone going off, indicating that she just received a new message. Hoping it was her friends checking in, she grabbed her phone and opened up the message.
"GPS coordinates… from Izu." Himiko felt her heart sinking.
Nejire grabbed the phone and looked at them, before staring at the map the hero had pulled up. "These coordinates are in Hosu."
The screen then confirmed Himiko's fears as she saw a different image, one of Majestic and Emily engaging the flying Nomu in an attempt to keep it away from civilians on the streets below.
"What are they… doing in Hosu?" Himiko asked, as her head began to fill with worst-case scenarios.
Chapter 48: Battle of Hosu (2)
"There!" Nejire pointed to the camera view centered on Majestic and Emily. "You said your brother was interning with Majestic, right?"
"Y-yeah," Himiko swallowed. She watched as her friend was blasting away at the winged creature, using her quirk to blow holes into its wings, buying the heroes a few seconds before its super-regeneration kicked in and restored them. Whenever the creature got close to her, Majestic would swoop in and knock the creature away.
They are keeping it away from civilians. Himiko realized. But that didn't answer the most important question.
"Izu.. where's Izu?" Himiko asked, panic creeping into her voice. "He- he should be with them!"
With a concerned look, Nejire handed the phone over to Ryukyu, who input the coordinates on the map. As Himiko watched, they saw a cursor appear kilometers away from the fighting.
"What is he doing out there?!" Himiko asked. "What happened to him!"
"I don't know. Whatever he is doing, your brother is on his own," Ryukyu frowned. "All of the heroes in Hosu will be focused on this Nomu attack."
"No!" Himiko yelled.
She felt tears beginning to fall when suddenly she felt her face pressed into Nejire's chest, as the older girl's hands gently began stroking her hair. "Himi-chan shouldn't be sad. Your brother is strong! You saw how well he did at the sports festival!"
"But Izu- he- if anything happens to him-"
"No buts! Midoriya is trying to be a hero, just like Himi-chan is!"
Himiko tried to protest further, but Nejire was having none of it, cutting her off to prevent her from spiraling out of control. It took several minutes, but eventually it worked, and Himiko's breathing returned to a normal rate. Finally, Nejire let her go and Ryukyu stood up before turning to face her interns.
"Change of plans - time to do some impromptu training."
"Midoriya, you shouldn't be here!" Tenya yelled as he saw his friend landing in front of him, "It's too dangerous!"
"If it's that dangerous, then you shouldn't be here either!" Izuku fires back.
Tenya winced at the insinuation. Izuku was right, it wasn't fair to call him out like that, not after he made the same decision. "Be careful! The Hero Killer's quirk is blood-based! If he gets your blood, he can paralyze you!"
"Got it!" Izuku stole a glance at his friend before they heard a crashing sound as Stain finally managed to get the heavy disk off of him and threw it to the ground. The hero killer then dropped to the ground, already in a fighting stance.
"Another prospective hero, tell me, are you here for vengeance too?"
Izuku turned to give Stain his full attention. If he did any less, he was going to lose, "No, I'm here to stop you!" He slid his feet, transitioning into a fighting stance, "You're not going to take any more lives, hero killer!"
"I see," Stain seemed almost excited by Izuku's answer, "another prospective true hero. Perhaps there is hope for the next generation after all."
Izuku saw Stain moving to draw a weapon and let instincts take over, launching himself at the hero killer before he had time to prepare. From his many hours of training with Himiko, he knew she was at her most vulnerable in the fraction of a second when she was drawing her weapon. Against an opponent as formidable as Stain, that window may be his only real chance.
Stain proved to be almost as fast as Izuku, however, and had pulled a wicked-looking pair of knives in the time it took Izuku to close the gap. He brought them up in front of him, using the flats of the blade to block Izuku's incoming punch.
"Impressive, you have no hesitation in your movements," Stain said as Izuku recoiled from the block and landed several feet away, "you're different than he was." The hero killer pointed a dagger at Tenya for emphasis.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Izuku said as he deftly leaped towards the wall to dodge the knife Stain threw, only to kick off, narrowly dodging the second knife as he landed a kick on Stain's shoulder, sending him reeling backward.
"Most heroes are soft," Stain spat on the ground, acting completely unphased as he drew a pair of knives and launched himself at Izuku. "They have grown up knowing nothing but the peace that All Might has brought to Japan," Izuku barely had time to avoid slash cutting his face, "and have become complacent at best, if not becoming complicit in the rot of society."
Izuku managed to sidestep the next knife thrust and hook his arm around Stain's before he threw the hero killer into a dumpster. "N-not all heroes are bad!"
"No, but there are enough," Stain scrambled behind the dumpster, before he kicked it at Izuku, sending it rolling down the alleyway towards him. "What happens when All Might is gone? Will these few heroes be enough to save Japan?"
The question struck home and was enough to knock Izuku off-balance. Was All Might's situation so fragile that someone like Stain saw it? He didn't get a chance to think about the topic as the dumpster slammed into him. With a startled cry of pain, he fell to the ground.
Grunting in disappointment at himself, Izuku began rolling away and was rewarded by seeing a knife fill the space he was occupying moments before. Using his momentum, he pushed himself into a crouching position, facing the hero killer again.
"Even if there are problems in Japan, that doesn't give you license to kill heroes! There- there are better ways!"
Stain stopped, and laughed at the absurdity of the statement. "So you're an idealist, then? Tell me, how do you plan to solve the issue?"
Izuku clenched his fist, looking at the hero killer. "I'm going to become the number one hero! And then I'm going to use the position to help society! Just like All Might brought the Era of Peace!"
Stain narrowed his eyes, "I see, and you think you have what it takes? To not die in a back alley and have your name forgotten? To endure the hardships ahead of you to become the number one hero?"
"Midoriya has all of the makings of a great hero!" Tenya called out, defending his friend, "He- Even during our entrance exam! When nobody in our test group believed in him! He showed everyone the true meaning of being a hero! He put us all to shame."
Izuku felt a smile forming on his lips. "I know it's a hard road ahead of me, I know the road ahead of me is hard, and that there will be a lot of pain and suffering, but that won't stop me!"
Izuku tapped the buttons to activate both of his gauntlets, feeling their protective cocoons wrap around his upper arms. "I'm going to become a great hero!"
He began powering up for a 20% attack, "and so will my friends!"
He took a step forward, "And when one of us falters, the rest of us will be there to catch them!"
Izuku took a running leap towards the hero killer. "And just like I hope to make All Might proud, my friends - they all have people they are trying to make proud too!" Izuku unleashed the smash attack, shattering the knives Stain was trying to block with and the force enough to send him slamming into a wall, shaking several bricks loose. "We are going to live up to our personal heroes, and show them the next generation is ready to keep Japan safe."
When Stain didn't stand up immediately, Izuku quickly examined his arms. That was the first time he used his gauntlet in a combat situation, and it worked. Sure twenty percent is well below the theoretical absorption of the gauntlet, but it was a start.
When Stain stood up, he had a dangerous glint in his eyes. "I see. You are an ambitious one, seeking to become the next All Might."
Izuku swallowed under the intense pressure Stain was giving off. Before he got the impression that Stain was merely trying to incapacitate him.
Now?
Now Stain was fully prepared to kill Izuku.
Izuku was forced to roll to the side to dodge the handful of knives that Stain threw at him. This guy was giving Himiko a run for her money, and he knows exactly how many knives she has hidden in her hero costume. He helped her design it, after all. Taking the opportunity, the Hero Killer rushed back to where his katana was, and picked it up, holding it in his hands in a new fighting stance.
"If you really are so bold as to claim to be the next All Might, then prove it. Kill me."
"I am not going to kill you, are you crazy?" Izuku shouted incredulously. "Just because I want to stop you! That means to arrest you! Not- not kill you!"
"Arrest, Kill, it makes no difference," Stain began rushing towards Izuku, who was barely able to deflect the blade through powering up his arm to 40% strength and using a combination of One For All and his gauntlet as a shield, "All Might is the only one who will end my holy crusade. Anyone less is destined to fall to my blade. If you desire to be his successor, you are bound to be tested. And I am your first test."
Izuku leaped upwards in a powered backflip, kicking off the walls to rocket across the alleyway and land behind Stain before attempting a leg sweep. At the last moment, Stain countered by wildly slashing behind him, forcing Izuku to leap away before he was cut.
Izuku landed several feet away, panting as the hero killer turned around to stare at him. Even with full cowling, Stain was still incredibly fast, and the reach provided by the katana tilted the balance even further in Stain's favor.
Izuku was lucky that he's been able to keep the battle at a stalemate so far, but that wasn't good enough.
Think.
He couldn't use the blanking technique as effortlessly as Himiko, which meant that he needed to break line of sight with Stain, somehow, if he wanted to use it. His eyes slid over to where Tenya and Native were laying there. Stain was still ignoring them, which made him think that his quirk wasn't going to conveniently wear off and provide him with backup. That said, if Stain decided to attack them, Izuku would be at a disadvantage as he would be forced to protect them.
He grits his teeth as he tried to come up with a solution.
"Why. Won't. You. Go. Down!" Emily was shouting as she unleashed a barrage of light arrows at the winged Nomu. She managed to tear its wings to shreds, but the creature's regeneration was enough to restore its wings long before it would crash into the ground.
It wasn't enough to stop the creature, but she was keeping it away from civilians. She just hoped that they would receive backup soon.
"You are doing good, Song," Majestic said, pulling up next to her, "don't let your frustration get the best of you."
"I know!" Emily yelled as she fired another blast, scoring a bullseye as she hit the base of the wing, almost tearing it off completely. The creature was like fighting a worse version of Ryo, at least their muscular classmate could feel pain and she could make him pass out from pain if she had to.
Majestic swooped in to try and force the creature to the ground before its wing could regenerate, giving Emily a few precious seconds to recover. She tapped a control on her gauntlet and formed a small sphere of light in her hand, recharging her support gear. If this battle was going to last a long time, she was thankful for her gear's ability to extend the usage of her quirk. It wouldn't look good if she suffered from quirk exhaustion, after all.
Once she heard the beep that confirmed the buildup of heat was complete, Song called out "My turn!" as she strafed around the creature, unleashing a new wave of bolts to shred its wings in an attempt to ground it.
The hero and intern continued their dance in the sky, circling the creature and keeping it away from the civilians until Majestic suddenly pressed his hand to his ear. "Song, dodge. Now!"
With practiced precision the two pulled away from the creature, just in time to see a large javelin of flame hit the creature, impaling it. The creature cried out in pain as it began falling to the ground. Finally, reinforcements! Grinning, Emily looked down to see Endeavor standing there, another javelin already in his hands. With practiced aim, he threw the second javelin, which struck the original. The two flame constructs merged to form a raging inferno in the creature's chest.
Emily watched the creature crash into the ground, only for Majestic to conjure four more rings that he sent crashing into the creature, pinning its legs and wings to the ground.
"Hopefully that will contain it for now."
Looking at Majestic, he motioned for her to land, and he began his descent. Emily followed him down until the two hovered centimeters off the ground to talk to the new arrivals.
"Endeavor, glad to see you finally joined us," Majestic said.
"Hmph. I came to Hosu in search of the Hero Killer, but it seems that we have a bigger situation on our hands," Endeavor replied coolly.
"Indeed. Your timing is most fortuitous, seeing as these creatures take a lot to bring down," Majestic gestured to the winged Nomu, who was already trying to stand, despite the fire still burning in its chest.
"Yes, I remember Shoto's explanation from the USJ incident," Endeavor frowned, "and there are more out there."
"Indeed, the reports have said there are at least two more that we know of, but there may be more in reserve," Majestic frowned, "my other intern ran off worried about that fact."
"That explains why Midoriya isn't here," Shoto said, "which means…" Shoto reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Unlocking it he held the screen up to show everyone the GPS coordinates, "I believe Midoriya had found what he was looking for."
Emily gasped and reached into her uniform, pulling out her phone. Sure enough, about 4 minutes ago, she received a GPS ping from Izuku, "Crap! We were so focused on the Nomu that I missed it," She turned apologetically to Majestic, "S-sorry, I should have been paying more attention."
"I'll be sure to lecture you later," Majestic chided her, "but now is not the time. We have more of these creatures to deal with."
"But Izuku may be in trouble! We have to help him!"
"I agree," Shoto said, "I'm going to go assist Midoriya."
The two heroes looked at their interns, "Shoto-"
"You appear to have the situation under control," Shoto explained to his father, "while the Nomu are the top priority, would it be incorrect to say you and Majestic, as well as the heroes on scene, aren't enough?"
Endeavor simply grunted and waited for his son to continue.
"It appears to me that myself and Song would both be redundant in assisting with the Nomu situation. However, if Midoriya found someone using the cover of the Nomu attack, it would be irresponsible to let it happen."
"Hmph, so that's how it is," Endeavor crossed his arms, the hint of pride in his son growing. He had forced him into a logical trap. Apparently, UA was already helping his son become more flexible in his way of thinking, something Endeavor admittedly failed to impart with his focus on physical training.
"Very well then. You have full authorization to use your quirk. Make sure to stop whatever villain is using the chaos of this attack as cover."
"I'm going too!" Emily told her mentor, "Izuku's my friend, and Endeavor's firepower easily outclasses my own!" she pointed to the still-struggling Nomu, "and as a hero, he has both more training and fewer restrictions on quirk usage."
"Very well," Majestic said, a smile on his lips, "it appears you are beginning to understand my lessons after all."
"Any chance that disk can hold a second person?" Shoto asked Emily.
Majestic simply laughed and raised his hands dramatically, forming two more magic disks. "All you need to do is ask, young Todoroki. Two more magic rings, for the number two hero and his intern."
Endeavor had a satisfied look on his face as he stepped onto the disk, while Shoto mounted his disk. "These will make maneuvering easier. Call in the police to contain this Nomu, we have more creatures to hunt."
Emily looked down at her phone and brought up the map, before turning to Shoto, "Come on, let's go save Izuku!"
She swore Shoto had the ghost of a smile on his face as he nodded an affirmative, and the two took off, following Izuku's ping.
After Himiko had changed back into her bodysuit, Ryukyu carried her and Nejire to an empty lot, letting the two girls off before she returned to her human form.
She held out her hand to Himiko, "Take what you need."
"What?" Himiko asked, still not understanding what the training was going to entail.
"I want you to take all the blood you need to fight me."
"Ryukyu-sensei, is this ok?" Nejire asked.
Ryukyu gave a reassuring look to the older student, "Yes. What kind of hero would I be if I can't fight with a little blood loss? Midoriya clearly needs an outlet, and I intend to give her one."
Himiko suddenly felt an intense clarity at the situation. She gently reached out and took the hero's hand, before raising it to her lips. "Are you sure about this?"
"You're confused and upset. I've seen your skill when you're calm and collected, but as a hero, you're not given the liberty to fight under ideal conditions all the time. I want you to show me what happens when you're not calm."
Himiko bit down with enough force to pierce the hero's skin. As blood began to seep out, she greedily drank several mouthfuls of blood, feeling a certain thrill about ingesting blood so directly. Once she felt she had enough blood, she released the dragon hero's hand, before fishing out a bandage and handing it to her.
Once Ryukyu was ready, Himiko activated her quirk, feeling like she was being wrapped in fire. Without realizing what she was doing, she reached into herself and found Ryukyu's quirk, immediately activating it and continuing her transformation into Ryukyu's dragon form. Throwing her head back she let out a roar, screaming her frustrations to the world.
"Good, now fight me," The dragon hero instructed her, already in her dragon form, "don't hold back."
Himiko let out a feral growl and charged.
Ochako sat in the small lounge area, watching the tv as she was hoping for signs of Izuku. While she was eating dinner she received a location ping from Hosu. Turning on the news, her stomach suddenly felt like she was under the effects of her quirk.
Hosu had turned into a battlefield, and both Izuku and Tenya were there.
She was watching the news, desperately hoping for some glimpse of Izuku. She felt some relief when she saw the images of Emily and Majestic engaging an aerial Nomu because that meant that he wasn't alone, but that didn't help when she couldn't see him.
She was broken out of her vigil when she heard a case slam down on the table next to her.
"There has been a general call to help with Hosu," Gunhead said.
Even behind the mask, the tone of his voice was different from anything Ochako had heard these last two days. She could tell he was upset and angry.
"We're going to help," Ochako said, looking from the case back to her mentor. Gunhead was already in his hero costume, and his body language showed he was ready for action.
"Yes. Get suited up. You want to be a rescue hero, right? It's time to show you what that means."
Ochako grabbed her case, determination filling her face.
If Izuku and Tenya were out there, she was going to do her best as well.