The cobalt curtain quickly descended over the cityline, chasing out the fleeing hues of red as twilight rapidly swept over Hosu City. Beneath it spanned a long line of tracks extending into the distance, vibrating slightly as a train approached the vibrant discord of neon lights.

Izuku leaned against the humming glass, watching the scenery whizz by him. The train ride to Shibuya was a long one, but his internship mentor had apparently meant for that to happen. According to him, it would be more fun to patrol as a hero if there are more skirmishes along the way.

The student checked his phone again.

“I’ll be passing near Hosu! How are things going with you, Iida?” His text message read, although Tenya still had not replied to him.

Izuku pursed his lips with concern. It was uncharacteristic of Tenya to ignore messages, considering that he usually responds within three minutes of reading them.

A muffled crash echoed in the distance. It sounded like some sort of thunder, except-

“Hey, look at that! A building just exploded!”

Commotion erupted in the train carriage as the passengers gesticulated wildly at the smoking building in the distance.

“Passengers, please stay in your seats,” the robotic voice announced in its usual soothing voice. It did nothing to calm the train occupants down.

The train doors burst open less than a second later, crumpled by two struggling figures. Panicked screams ensued in the carriage as they took in the grotesque sight before them. A hero dressed in a fur suit was grappling frantically with some kind of creature, whose brain was exposed. There was no doubt what it was.

“Nomu!” Izuku shouted, turning to his mentor instinctively. But the caped elder had already disappeared from his seat.

Yellow flashed around him, followed by several sounds of boots splitting flesh. The Nomu screeched and let go of its prey as the diminutive old timer hero knocked it to the floor within seconds.

“Gran Torino!” Izuku called out.

“Kid, sit down!” Gran Torino shouted, leaping out of the way as the creature got back up to its feet. Air burst from the holes in his feet once more as he darted around the carriage at a blinding speed, before pushing the Nomu out of the train.

“Everyone, please return to your seats for now!” the train captain announced. “The villain is not here anymore. Please wait calmly for the heroes.”

Izuku made for the hole in the train instead. If this Nomu had the same level of power as the one at the USJ, it won’t just be Gran Torino; the entire Hosu City will be in trouble. And so will Iida, who was interning there.

“Excuse me, I’m getting out!” Green energy crackled around Izuku as he charged One For All throughout his body. It had taken him long enough, but the internship with Gran Torino had taught him how to use his quirk at five percent to prevent damage to his body.

The young hero leapt out of the train, rolling along the floor to cushion the impact as he continued running off into Hosu City. There was no time for detours now, not when the city was literally burning right in front of him. It was time for the fruits of his training to pay off.

“One For All: Full Cowling!” Izuku landed on the pavement smoothly, heading into the middle of the commotion.

Gran Torino, Iida, everyone… Please be okay!

~ ~ ~

A trio watched Hosu City burn from the top of a building. The screams of fleeing civilians were barely audible from their vantage point, but the man covered in hands seemed to be delighting in their sounds of distress nonetheless.

“Was it really necessary to let those monsters loose?” Felix asked Shigaraki, who was still obsessively scratching his neck. “What did Hosu City even do to you?”

“The city looks so much better like this, don’t you think?” Shigaraki replied, barely bothering to conceal his sadistic pleasure at the city’s destruction. “Besides, you just missed that annoying Hero Killer. You should’ve been there; he’s acting so noble I could cry.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“You can’t make fun of him too much, Shigaraki.” Kurogiri joined in. “The truth is, in all the cities where Stain has appeared, the crime rate has fallen. Even though some critics attributed this to a rise in heroes’ consciousness and still shot him down, the results of his actions speak for themselves.”

“Wow, great. Our ‘hero killer’ is also a ‘hero breeder’,” Shigaraki snapped, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“This society is overgrown with fake heroes. The word itself has lost its true meaning, and the criminals who wave their power around idly should all be purged.” The man gestured mockingly, imitating The Hero Killer. “Whatever. He talks all high and mighty like that, but he’s basically just trying to start a grassroots movement. Bah!”

“Let me guess. Recruitment drive gone bad?” Felix scoffed.

“Our goals fundamentally oppose each other. It’ll never work out.” Shigaraki sounded almost like he was sighing. “He rambles on and on about ‘conviction’ and ‘desire’. As if he just doesn’t want to destroy everything he hates too.”

Smoky wind rustled Felix’s light purple cape as another explosion sent tremors through the building.

“You think you can get away with stabbing me, Stain?” Shigaraki held his bandaged hand tenderly. “I’ll kill you, just because I can. Honour and pride? I’ll shred that useless banner you wave in my face.”

“Ahem. If I may, director,” Felix said with mock respect. “Pray tell why have you summoned me here? I may be on school vacation, but I have my own matters to attend to.”

“Wouldn’t it be ironic if the Hero Killer was killed by a fledgling hero?” Shigaraki turned to the boy. “I want you to kill him for me, Pagonis.”

Felix rolled his eyes, before narrowing them at the anarchistic villain.

“Oh, don’t give me that look. Don’t think I don’t know you attacked Stain and saved Ingenium, even though the doctor’s instructions were for you to only observe his quirk. You defied the doctor’s orders of your own accord,” Shigaraki said. “So you clearly detest The Hero Killer as well, don’t you? Well, here’s your chance to finish the job.”

“Might I remind you that I’m working with you, not for you?” the boy retorted. “I’m still a hero in the eyes of U.A. High. I’m not prematurely blowing my cover for your amusement.”

“That’s what my Nomus are for.” Shigaraki threw his head back, letting loose a maniacal laugh. “What a fun game! Once this night is over, the world will have forgotten about you, Hero Killer. It’ll be my Nomus on the front page, and you won’t even be alive to witness your demise!”

The psychic released a grunt, before leaping off the building and soaring into the concrete jungle. Not that he agreed with the immature villain, but there was a huge part of him that wanted to beat up The Hero Killer as well.

He only hoped that Tenya had not found Stain before he did.

~ ~ ~

Izuku had been running on the streets for no more than five minutes when he heard a voice call out a familiar name. The boy turned a corner sharply, just in time to witness an abandoned bus hurtling towards him. He only had time to shield himself, but thankfully, the vehicle exploded into a huge ball of fire before it could hit him.

He widened his eyes in horror at the sight before him. Apart from the raging fires along the streets, different variations of Nomus were also attacking civilians indiscriminately, barely being held off by a few pro heroes.

“Tenya!” The same voice repeated himself, with a lot more urgency this time. “Oh man, where did you go? Why’d you choose a time like this to run off by yourself?”

“Manual! Put out the fire!”

“R-right!” The man gestured at the gushing fire hydrant, hydrokinetically directing it towards the flames licking dangerously close to the pavement.

The voice from earlier! Manual, the Normal Hero? That’s where Iida went for his internship! Iida’s too diligent to run off at a time like this, unless he actually found The-

“Hey kid, you’re in the way!” Another pro hero stood between Izuku and a rampaging Nomu. “We’ll hold the villains here. Evacuate with everyone else!”

“I’m sorry!” Izuku called out, before running off in search of Tenya.

His mind worked furiously while he searched the alleyways. Both The Hero Killer and Nomus had appeared in this city at the same time as Tenya’s disappearance. Not only did this imply that Stain and the League of Villains are somehow connected, it also meant that Tenya could have already found The Hero Killer by himself.

An unusual sounding commotion caught the boy’s attention. He turned into yet another deserted alleyway. The voices were getting louder, and there was no mistaking it this time.

“Say whatever you want! You’re just a criminal who hurt my brother!”

Izuku leapt off the walls, generating more and more momentum. He hurtled towards the red scarfed villain before he could react.

One For All: Full Cowling…

“Smash!”

Shockwave rippled from his fist, sending the villain’s body flailing away from the sheer power of his punch. Izuku landed in between Stain and Tenya, green lightning dancing around his body as he got into a combat stance.

“Mi-midoriya?” Tenya’s strangled voice escaped him.

“I came to save you, Iida!”