Hosu city was unusually quiet at this hour, but at least it made his job all the more easier.
Ingenium sprinted along the streets, checking every corner for his quarry. Tensei Iida steadied his breaths; the hero killer was not a simple criminal to be taken lightly. He had to be in tip top form if he wanted to apprehend that serial murderer.
“Squad A, go north! Squad B, check the west side!” he barked into the in-built radio in his helmet. Their affirmative replies came in swiftly, and the hero increased his pace. With luck, the hero killer should still be in this city. And it was high time someone put this psycho behind bars.
He caught a familiar flash of steel from the corner of his eye. Ingenium braked hard, leaping off the alley walls. There was no doubt this time. He had found the hero killer.
“Nowhere left to run, Stain!” The hero landed in front of the solitary man. Stain looked up slowly, his red scarf billowing in the wind. A stray ray of sunlight glinted off his bloodstained knife as the nose-less man faced the hero.
Tensei’s eyes flitted to the dead man lying against the alley wall. He did not recognise him, but the corpse was most probably once a hero, judging from the costume it was wearing. And with the wound in his chest as well as the knife in Stain’s hand, there was no longer any doubt that he was the latest in the long list of the Hero Killer’s murders.
Ingenium lunged at Stain without a further word.
The Hero Killer dodged his attack with ease, leaping to the side and using the wall to push himself back at the hero. The knife sliced the air as Tensei dodged the blade with a smooth somersault. The hero seized the opportunity, aiming a follow up kick at the criminal’s gut.
He released a grunt of pain as the knife plunged into his leg instead. The Hero Killer pulled the knife out, murderous intent dancing in his eyes as he licked the blood off his weapon.
Ingenium gritted his teeth in both pain and disgust. What kind of sick criminal-
His body collapsed to the ground all of a sudden, paralysed for some strange reason. He willed his body to crawl on the floor, but it seemed like every single muscle in his body was refusing to budge.
A choked scream burst from his mouth as he felt cold steel sink into his back.
“Fame, money… They’re all calling themselves heroes.” The Hero Killer finally deigned to speak. “But you bastards aren’t heroes. There’s just one hero. The only one I’ll let kill me… is All Might.”
Ingenium groaned, blood gurgling in his vocal cords.
“You haven’t even noticed. This warped society is stained with hypocrisy and vanity,” Stain continued his monologue as he raised his knife for the killing blow. “To all who are called heroes, I will make you notice-”
A dark figure crashed into him from nowhere, sending the criminal flying. Tensei squinted at his saviour through his rapidly darkening vision. The figure was dressed in dark purple, and was seeming to move on all fours. Its overflowing cape rippled in the wind as it darted around the alley at an extreme speed, relentlessly pelting Stain with blows.
Weightlessness seized the hero without warning as he felt himself soaring in the air. The unknown creature set him down on a rooftop, before crouching at its ledge as though observing something.
“What… are you?” Tensei managed to squeeze out a whisper. The masked creature stood up, revealing itself to be a bipedal being. It slowly walked towards him and placed a hand on his forehead.
Fog encroached his mind as a sudden sleepiness took him. The hero struggled to keep his eyes open, just in time to see the figure leap off the building and disappear into the clouds with a sonic boom.
Ingenium’s head rolled to the side limply as his eyelids finally fell shut.
~ ~ ~
Izuku barely noticed Felix re-entering the stands after his seemingly long call; he was too preoccupied worrying about Ochaco’s wellbeing. Although she had not suffered any serious injuries from her fight with Bakugo, there was no way she was not frustrated at the outcome of the match.
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“So, what’d I miss?” Felix asked from behind him.
“Bakugo played the bad guy just like you did!” Kaminari answered the question for Izuku. “But at least you were going up against Todoroki. Man, I still can’t believe he was able to aim such a huge blast at a frail girl. I couldn’t help but hold back against that cute vine lady myself.”
“Her name is Shiozaki and she completely overpowered you, Kaminari,” Tsu added nonchalantly as the blonde boy cringed with embarrassment.
“You didn’t have to say that out loud…” Kaminari mumbled.
“Gravity can be deadly if used correctly.” Felix shrugged. “I don’t blame Bakugo for going all out. If it were a real life situation, Ochaco could’ve easily killed him with a single drop if she had managed to touch him.”
“Wow, you almost sound like Midoriya.” Tsu laughed.
Izuku looked up in response to his name being called as Felix walked towards him with an outstretched hand.
“No hard feelings, okay?” Felix grinned. “Let’s have a good fight, Izuku. No holds barred.”
Izuku nodded firmly.
~ ~ ~
“It’s Midoriya’s second match against someone with a psychic type quirk! What will he do this time?” Present Mic yelled. “Midoriya versus Pagonis! Ready? Start!”
He’s practically invincible when it comes to defensive moves, but I’ll at least stand a chance if I can land a clean hit before he can react!
Power charged in his finger as Izuku Midoriya opened the match with a finger flick. A powerful shockwave burst towards the psychic, striking him cleanly. The audience cheered, despite almost having their belongings blown away by the resulting wind.
No way…
Felix was still firmly anchored to the ground with his hands behind his back. Izuku growled, rushing towards him at full speed. Energy channelled itself violently into the right side of his body.
“Smash!”
The boy slammed into his opponent at full force as half of his body turned numb instantly. Felix did not budge. Izuku staggered backwards, holding his right arm.
He resisted One For All? Just how strong is he-
“You done? My turn.”
The psychic’s eyes flared pink, and Izuku’s body flattened against the ground with a yell. He gritted his teeth, struggling to push himself back up. It felt as though a huge slab of rubble was pressing down his back. The boy channelled his quirk into his right arm, preparing to drive it downwards.
“Detroit… Smash!”
An even larger shockwave left a crater on the ground as Felix staggered backwards from the blowback. Izuku’s body spun uncontrollably in the air from the impact, but at least he was free from his opponent’s telekinetic hold.
This is my chance! I have to take this opportunity!
The boy’s feet touched the ground. It was not enough for him to regain balance, but that was not what he had in mind.
“You’re… done for!” Izuku spun along with the momentum, swinging his broken arm at Felix. The full power of his quirk left the broken limb a second time as it connected with his opponent’s face. Felix flailed his arms as he finally fell over his feet.
Izuku focused his mind, willing the pain away. Adrenaline surged through his veins as he dragged Felix’s body with his unbroken hand. This was his one chance to throw him out of bounds, and he was not about to squander it.
“Not that simple.” Felix shook his hand off, throwing a psionic punch straight to his gut.
Bile rose up in Izuku’s throat as he flew towards the other end of the boundary. He struggled to get to his feet, but an invisible force dragged him towards his opponent.
“What are you hiding, Midoriya? Why won’t you show your full power?” Felix growled, slamming him headfirst into the ground. He pulled him up again, but Izuku was ready this time.
“Smash!”
Shockwaves rippled through the air as the boy threw a point blank punch with his left hand. Felix let go of him. Izuku panted in desperation. With both his arms out of commission, there was no way he was winning this fight now.
But he’ll be damned if he did not try.
Izuku leapt towards Felix, and was promptly caught by the throat. The world spun like an uncontrolled top as Felix telekinetically toyed with his body like a crazed puppetmaster. The psychic sent him close to the boundary, before bringing it back to himself again.
“Is that really all you’ve got?” The murderous glint in Felix’s eyes was back, and it resembled that of a cold blooded killer this time. “If there’s no more fight in you, why won’t you give up? Tell me!”
Felix flung him away carelessly, apparently tired of beating him down.
“It’s because…” Izuku pushed his battered body up with his feet, stumbling about in his extreme dizziness. “I want… to be the greatest hero. And I’ll always stand up… to whoever challenges me…”
The silence in the stadium never felt louder.
Felix folded his arms as the glow faded from his eyes. “Such fortitude, hero. Consider me impressed. I have seen enough.”
He flicked his wrist casually, and Izuku toppled out of bounds.