Chapter 49: Battle of Hosu (3)
Izuku was getting tired.
In all of his practice ever since he discovered Full Cowling, he never factored in the additional stress that came along with using it in a life-or-death situation. Of course, in hindsight, it feels like it should be obvious, but the situation made it harder to regulate One For All than when he was simply training with it.
Of course, with time and practice, it would eventually become second nature, and the taxing nature of the quirk would fade. That fact was of small comfort for right now, however, when Stain was trying to kill him.
"I'm impressed. Out of all the heroes I've faced, you've held out the longest against me," Stain said as he raised his sword, "Perhaps there is potential there. It's too bad I'm going to end your life tonight."
Izuku prepared to leap away as Stain began running towards him, only for several bolts of light to shoot through the air, striking the ground in front of him and interrupting his charge.
"You stay away from him!" Emily yelled as she swooped into the alleyway, Shoto hot on her heels.
With a growl Stain jumped backward, throwing knives at the heroes. Emily was able to dodge the knife, but Shoto was too slow and had the knife scratch his shoulder.
"Todoroki! Don't let him get the knife! His quirk is blood-based!" Izuku shouted to his classmate.
"I see," Shoto hopped off the disk he was riding and placed his hand on the ground, causing a glacier to race along the ground and encase the knife in ice.
"Isn't that overkill?" Emily asked as several blasts of light struck the glacier, scouring holes in it.
"It worked, didn't it?"
"More heroes seeking to be tested," Stain said, as he seemingly cut a wire attached to the knife before jumping behind the glacier, disappearing from everyone's view. "I thought tonight was going to be boring."
"Hey, noseless!" Emily shouted, "you're outnumbered, you should just give up!"
"I wouldn't provoke him!" Izuku warned.
"Oh come on, it's not like- ow!" Emily shouted as she felt a knife bury itself in her shoulder. Instinctively, she reached out to grab it, only to be pulled off of her disk when Stain tried to retrieve the knife, knocking the wind out of her as she slammed into the ground.
"No!" Izuku shouted, launching himself at Stain as he was trying to lick the knife. He got there just in time, his boot connecting with Stain's hand and knocking the knife away before he could ingest any of the American girl's blood. Using the momentum, he continued forward and landed in a crouch.
"On one hand, I applaud you for staying true to your ideals. However, by being more concerned about others instead of yourself, you left yourself wide open!"
Izuku didn't have time to turn around as he heard Stain approach, but then he heard a familiar whooshing sound as Todoroki launched a column of fire to keep Stain at bay. "That's because he trusts his friends," Shoto said, "and his rival. I can't have anyone else defeat Midoriya before I can, after all."
Izuku looked over and swore he saw the ghost of a smile on Todoroki's face and responded with a thankful smile.
Emily stood back up and dusted herself off. "Exactly! You're an ambush predator. Your tactics are designed to fight one person, preferably in a dark alleyway. That doesn't work against the three of us!" As if to emphasize her point, Emily pointed her hand straight up and generated a massive orb of light, illuminating the alleyways.
"I see," Stain said, as he turned towards Shoto and Emily, "since he dies tonight, that means I need to deal with you first. Very well then."
Stain launched himself in the air, drawing several daggers as he began descending on Shoto, only for Emily to fire several light bolts at him, hitting his arms. The pain was enough to make him flinch, and gave Shoto the time to adjust himself so that when Stain slammed into him he was merely knocked away until he used his ice to stop his momentum.
"Nice try!" Emily yelled, "But how are you planning on dealing with two emitter-type quirks at once?"
Stain recovered quickly, but Izuku was already there, inside the range of his katana. "You've let yourself be blinded by your zealotry."
Stain loosened his muscles as he took the punch, using the momentum from the blow to regain some distance on Izuku. "The system in Japan isn't sustainable in its current form! The corruption has been allowed to sit for too long. Drastic times call for drastic measures!"
"Like what, killing heroes?" Emily shouted, firing bolts of light at Stain, who was forced to dodge. "I get that there are people who don't deserve to be heroes, but they don't deserve death!"
"Even people like my father," Shoto admitted, as he began to create a large glacier behind Stain, blocking off his escape route, "he may be blinded by his ambitions, but he still is responsible for cleaning up hundreds of Japan's villains every year."
Stain scoffs, "A meaningless number. Who cares about it when there are people who are looked down upon for their quirks, who suffer because they're different," he crouches on the ground, preparing to pounce.
Izuku stared dumbly at Stain. Of course!
"You- you wanted to be a hero, didn't you?"
Stain growled in response and his eyes narrowed. He tried to launch himself at Izuku but was forced back by the combined efforts of Shoto and Emily.
"I get it," Izuku said, "it's hard spending the first fourteen years of your life thinking you're quirkless," Izuku's eyes slid to Emily as he tapped the button to bring up the status indicator on his gauntlet, raising it slightly so that she could see the holographic projection.
Even from a distance, Emily was able to read the indicator. The integrity of the gauntlets was compromised, likely due to Izuku using them to block Stain's blades if the gouges she saw were any indication. "You've got one more shot, Deku. Make it count!"
"Thanks, Polaris," Izuku said before he looked at Stain again. "It's hard living with a blood-based quirk, isn't it?"
"What would you know about that?" Stain leaped at Izuku, and this time nobody stopped him.
"More than you think," Izuku said as he leaped over Stain, and began to leap between the walls of the alleyway, "even if your quirk would be perfect for heroics, people would shy away because it involves blood and blades." Stain growled, letting Izuku know he was hitting a sore spot, "But this isn't how you solve it! You need to be better than that, you need to show people what a better world looks like!"
"I'm cutting out the cancer of society!" Stain bellowed, "those false heroes who support a corrupt system for their advantage! Those who are allowed to become heroes because of their quirk, not because of their ideals!"
"And you're just continuing the cycle!" Izuku yelled back, "You could have shown people that they were wrong. You could have been an example for young children with blood-based quirks to show them that they too, can be heroes! Instead, you're just reinforcing the stereotype!" Izuku landed in front of Stain, the ground trembling from his impact as he began powering up for a thirty percent smash.
With a guttural growl, Stain raised his katana and charged Izuku, who was already moving towards the Hero Killer.
Silently praying that all of his training against Himiko would pay off, Izuku dropped low, feeling the katana biting into his left shoulder as he threw all of his force into his punch. "30% Detroit Smash!"
The force of the blow sent Stain flying, splintering the ice in Todoroki's glacier as he slammed into it before he slumped onto the ground unconscious.
"Midoriya!" Izuku heard Tenya yell from the ground.
"Izuku!" He already heard Emily running behind him, "Your arm!"
Izuku saw the deep gash in his left shoulder, the sight enough for his brain to finally register pain, causing him to wince. He instinctively grabbed his shoulder, trying his best to apply pressure before he looked at Emily, "It's no worse than what Himiko's done to us," he tried to say.
"Bullshit," Emily said before she stopped, reaching into one of the hidden pockets on her jacket, "remove your hand so I can wrap it properly."
Izuku complied and slowly pulled his hand away, letting the older girl apply antiseptic to his wound and begin wrapping it in gauze. As he sat there and let the older girl treat his wound, he saw Shoto check on Native, before he began treating Tenya. The knife Stain had lodged into his friend's arm went all the way through, and their basic training was enough to let them know that it would have been a really bad idea to remove it. The best Shoto could do was to create some ice around the blade, to help numb the pain.
"Thank you," Tenya said, looking gratefully at his classmate.
"Don't mention it," Shoto frowned, "you took the worst of it."
"Compared to what my brother went through, this is nothing," Tenya said through gritted teeth, "Besides, I was just laying there helpless the whole time! I couldn't even help Midoriya, he had to wait for the two of you to give him the advantage."
"That's not true," Native said from his position, causing Shoto to turn his head and look at him, "If you didn't arrive when you did, Stain would have killed me. Thank you."
Native's thanks didn't do much to salve Tenya's frustrations though, as he was forced to simply lay there helplessly, "I should have been able to do more though! We are merely students, but even now I feel behind."
"Then be better," Shoto said, matter-of-factly. "Even if you'll never be number one, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be pushing yourself to your limits, and then going beyond them."
Tenya gave a surprised look to Shoto. Did he just paraphrase Midoriya? He offered his classmate a pained smile. "You're right, of course. I shall endeavor to become a better hero! One that can compete with you and Midoriya!"
"I'll be waiting," Shoto said, as he stood up and returned to check on Native.
Once Emily had patched up Izuku, she helped him stand. The pair walked over to where Stain lay unconscious and began searching his body for blades. It helped that both of them were familiar with Himiko's costume, and they used that knowledge to try stripping him of as many weapons as they could. Their additional experience with Himiko was enough to help them find several hidden knives that they likely would have missed otherwise.
Once they had removed the weapons and collected them in a pile, Emily pulled out a pair of handcuffs and handcuffed Stain's hands behind his back. She then used a binding cloth to further restrain his arms, leaving enough extra to act as a makeshift rope to ensure he couldn't escape.
As the two were busy taking care of Stain, his quirk finally wore off, restoring Native and Tenya's ability to move. While bruised and cut, Shoto found that most of Native's wounds were surface-level, and Tenya's arm was the worst injury that the five of them had sustained.
Once everyone was on their feet and the worst injuries were treated, Native tried to call for police and medical transport, but his request was denied. The situation in the city center was still active, and since their group had things under control, they were the lower priority. Without any other option, they began walking back towards the city center, taking turns carrying Stain's unconscious body and a bag full of his weapons.
"Young Master, it appears that the Hero Killer has been caught," Kurogiri announced.
"What? Where?"
Tomura turned his binoculars to the spot Kurogiri was pointing to, and sure enough, he saw a group of heroes carrying the unconscious Hero Killer toward the city center, where his remaining Nomu was still giving the heroes trouble. Of course, one certain green-haired individual caught his attention.
"It's him! That brat who stabbed me!" Tomura yelled angrily. "I should send my Nomu after him!"
"If I may suggest otherwise," Kurogiri said, "to redirect the Nomu would mean entering the fight directly, and even though the final Nomu is proving to be a challenge due to his fire immunity, you lack such an advantage against Endeavor yourself."
"Yeah yeah," Tomura complained, "stupid unexpected over-leveled boss monster showing up and ruining my fun." He turned his attention back to the Hero Killer, "Other than that brat being involved, this couldn't have gone better," Tomura threw his head back and laughed, "not only will everyone remember my Nomu tonight but the Hero Killer got taken out by a bunch of children! So much for all of his talk about All Might being the only one who can take him down!"
"Perhaps tonight will be the demonstration you desired to advertise ourselves properly."
"Oh it will, Kurogiri," Tomura smiled as he turned his attention to his final Nomu, a giant lizard-mutant with a fire-breathing quirk and fire resistance, Sensei's homage to the ancient pre-quirk Godzilla movies, and the heroes fighting to contain him. "It will."
After they had walked a kilometer, Stain began to stir, and Shoto set him onto the ground. He woke up, and his eyes went wide, warning them that he was fully alert the moment he was aware of his surroundings. Native forced him to stand and begin walking ahead of them, as he held the binding cloth to ensure he didn't escape.
Even though he was still bound and handcuffed, Izuku couldn't help but feel the raw anger radiating off of Stain. Periodically, he would turn to glare at Izuku specifically, and he couldn't help but shudder at the sight of murderous rage. It was as if the Hero Killer was warning him that they had unfinished business.
It took longer than they had hoped to make it back to the city center, and by that time the final Nomu had been taken down, freeing up Endeavor to greet his son as they got close. This proved to be a mistake: as soon as Stain laid eyes on the number two hero, it was like a switch had been flipped inside of him, and the barely contained rage that he was radiating exploded.
"You!" Stain roared at Endeavor, trying to lunge at the number two hero, only to be stopped in his tracks by the binding cloth. "You are the top fraud in Japan! You are the pinnacle of everything that is wrong with this society."
Endeavor merely stood there and glared back at the Hero Killer.
"Look at you, standing there acting as if you're better than me," Stain flailed, pulling at the binding cloth even though his flailing only made it tighter. "But the truth is you're nothing but a glory hound! Chasing after fame and a title. Do you even care about the people around you? Or are they simply tools to reach your goal of being the number one hero?"
Endeavor balled his hands into fists, feeling the pressure of his fingernails on his palms, but he refused to give the hero killer any satisfaction of a response.
"Do you think All Might cares about his place on the hero charts? No! He cares about doing what's right, about helping those around him. And that attitude alone was enough to propel him to the number one spot! You meanwhile, only care about power, and the number! You don't care about helping people. Look around you. The city is on fire! How much of that damage did you cause?"
Endeavor began to open his mouth in protest when Stain descended into a coughing fit. Closing his mouth, Endeavor merely returned to glaring. He had done his best to contain the damage, and the worst of it was done by that fire-breathing Nomu, but the Hero Killer wouldn't know that.
As he watched, he suddenly noticed the rest of the heroes and students behind Stain, and among the group was the green-haired boy that Shoto had declared his rival. The same one that called Endeavor to the carpet during the Sports Festival. And he couldn't help but think of the arguments that that boy had made in the hallway. About how he was going to surpass Endeavor simply by helping people.
He didn't know why, but he once again had a flashback to Touya, how he pushed him too hard, too fast. And how he had realized too late what he had done to his son. If he hadn't pushed him so hard, if he had tempered his expectations…
Maybe it was time to visit the hospital, and instead of simply dropping off flowers, he should ask the doctor if Rei wants to see him.
By the time Stain had recovered from his coughing fit a pair of Police Officers had arrived, and completed the handoff with Native, while the four students were being escorted to an ambulance. From his position, Endeavor watched as Shoto and Emily were both checked and cleared quickly, while Izuku, Tenya, and Native were being directed into the back of the ambulance.
After Shoto was done talking to the paramedics, he walked over to Endeavor.
"Shoto, I see you found what you were looking for. Good job."
"Thank you father," Shoto said politely, "But I am afraid that I can't claim victory for myself."
"What do you mean? You helped bring the Hero Killer to justice, didn't you?"
"Even though my ice and fire helped contain the hero killer, it was Midoriya who did most of the work," Shoto admitted.
Endeavor frowned at his son's admission. "I see."
Shoto looked down at his hands, and formed ice and fire in them, "Even after everything, I feel like I am further behind than I ever was before."
Endeavor frowned because he knew the feeling all too well. It appears his son had found his All Might.
As he stood there, Endeavor vowed not to let Shoto follow the same path as him. No matter what it cost him, he would not let Shoto become another Touya.
Following instructions that he was hearing over his radio, Gunhead pulled into a parking garage and parked, before he and Ochako were forced to walk the final kilometer into the area.
What she saw took her breath away. Downtown Hosu looked like a war zone. Buildings were on fire, there was rubble everywhere, and the darkness of the evening was broken by flashing lights as paramedics and police tried to regain control of the situation.
This is what it means to be a rescue hero.
That is what Gunhead told her before they left. There was no glamor, just the aftermath of a disaster when people were hurting and scared.
"Uravity, are you ok?" Gunhead looked at her, his concern evident, "Did I make a mistake bringing you here?"
Ochako blinked and looked up dumbly at her mentor before she shook her head. "S-sorry," She felt her face heating up, "I knew this is what it was going to be like. But knowing and seeing it for the first time are two different things."
"Precisely!" Gunhead held up his index finger, "Which is why I want to make sure you're ok. If you want to be a rescue hero, this is what you're signing up for."
Ochako slapped her face a couple of times before she pumped her fists to build her enthusiasm as she put on a determined look. "I'll be ok, I promise! Let's go help those people!"
"Now there's a future hero if I ever saw one," Gunhead said encouragingly before they made their way into the disaster zone.
Once inside, Gunhead directed Ochako to help move piles of debris while he worked with the police to escort people out of the area. When Ochako found the heroes moving debris, they were grateful for her zero-gravity quirk and directed her where to use her quirk, which greatly sped up the removal of debris and moving it to designated areas for disposal. She had to admit, even if she was just cleaning up debris with her quirk, it made her feel better about her choice to become a rescue hero.
Sure, the job was going to get harder, especially when actual lives were on the line, but she had time to work up to that.
After she finished helping clear an area and made her way toward the next, she saw a familiar blonde girl standing in the entryway of a building, using her quirk to illuminate its interior. She knew she should focus on her task, but she just had to know. She jogged over to the other girl and called out her name. "Polaris!"
Emily looked startled before she turned her head, confusion quickly morphing into recognition. "Uravity! You're here?"
Ochako nodded vigorously, "Yeah! Gunhead wanted to show me what rescue and relief efforts entail, so he answered the open call on the hero network."
"We were heading into an inner ward of Tokyo when the train came to a halt," Emily explained, "so of course, we joined in. Majestic and I went after the Nomu while Deku…"
Ochako's eyes went wide, as she remembered the GPS ping she got, "What happened to Deku?"
"He fought the Hero Killer!"
"What? Is he alive?"
"Thankfully yes! Shoto and I got to him in time, and we were able to capture the Hero Killer! But Deku and Ingenium needed to go to the hospital."
Ochako paled. Tenya too? "What happened to them?"
"Deku's shoulder got cut up pretty badly," Emily frowned, "and the gauntlets we had built for him are trashed. Ingenium," Emily paused, almost hesitant to continue, "his arm got messed up. Really badly. He probably needs surgery at a minimum."
"Oh no…" Ochako looked down at the ground, her thoughts clouded with worry for her friends.
Emily sighed, "Look, there's nothing you can do, ok? Just- continue helping people. It's what we need to do right now."
Ochako whipped her head up to stare Emily in the eyes. As she was looking into the other girl's eyes, she realized Emily was saying that for her own sake, as much as she was saying it for Ochako's. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Ochako nodded affirmatively. "You're right. I'm going to be a pro hero! I can't let myself get distracted so easily! My friends are going to be heroes too! They can handle themselves!"
Her words seemed to reach the other girl as well, whose expression morphed into the confident upperclassman she was used to dealing with. "Exactly! If this is our debut to the world, we need to make sure they can see what we can do!"
Feeling better, Ochako returned to the debris pile she was originally supposed to help with and began using her quirk to remove its gravity.
After helping with cleanup for what felt like an eternity, Ochako was tired. Using her quirk for extended periods was still hard on her, and she was pushing herself to her current limits tonight to help people. But seeing the heroes working so hard, she couldn't just give up, either!
Finally given a moment to rest, she simply stood there, drinking a bottle of water and staring at the now-empty plaza when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She began to tense up until she heard Gunhead begin to speak.
"You did good tonight, Uravity. I don't think I've ever seen such a major clean-up effort be completed so quickly."
"Thanks!" Ochako replied, a fragile smile on her face.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Ochako looked out over the plaza. "I do, but I think I need time."
"We'll leave that as homework for you then. I may be training your body at my dojo, but I would be a failure as a teacher if I didn't do anything for your mind."
"T-thanks," Ochako said.
Gunhead took his hand off of her shoulder, "The situation is under control so we're free to go. We should probably get going, it's getting late and we still have some paperwork to do before we can call it a night."
As Gunhead began to walk away, Ochako suddenly found her bravery as she spun around. "W-wait!"
"Hrm? What is it?"
"Can we- can we go to the hospital before we leave? A few of my classmates were in the attack and were hurt badly enough that they were hospitalized. I-I'd like to at least check on them! That way I can tell our classmates what happened!"
"You're a bad liar, you know," Gunhead pointed out.
"W-what?"
"There's more," Gunhead leaned in, "the boy you like, he's one of the ones who was injured, wasn't he?"
Ochako swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked at her mentor, but nodded an affirmative.
"Oh, that's so thoughtful of you!" Gunhead said as he adopted one of his 'cute' poses that thoroughly confused her. "Of course, we can go to the hospital! I'm sure he'll love you checking up on him."
Ochako was too tired to be embarrassed further, so she just gave her mentor a wide smile, "Great! Lead the way!"