Chapter 6 - Stain's, Vipers, and Bones: 2

Ida was once again out on patrol with Manual. The more he stayed with the pro hero, the more he was beginning to feel bad for using him like this. However, as he had said to himself before, he would apologize to the pro for using him the way he was once this was all over. Right now, they were walking down the same street they had done yesterday… and the day before that… and the day before that. Not that Ida minded, but it was starting to get repetitive.

He knew that this was Manual's route and that it was assigned to him. He also knew that they couldn't go beyond it per internship orders, but even so, it was beyond annoying. Although, he did get to meet quite a few people who recognized his suit. Apology after apology of what happened to Tensei, mothers who offered their condolences, and fathers who even patted him on the back. It was nice, and it warmed his heart just a little bit every time.

However, that didn't mean anything. Actually, it gave him more credence to hunt down the bastard even more. Some of the parents were victims of the Hero Killer through way of their children. Some even told him as such, saying that they could relate to his suffering. Which only added more fuel to the fire that burned brighter.

What was once a normal stove fire, now blossomed into a raging inferno! His deep, fiery vengeance told him that he had to make sure that the rat bastard Stain was put six feet into the ground. And that then, and only then, would the victims of the Hero Killer be able to rest properly, knowing that their killer was dead and that the families could finally stop grieving, and waiting for Justice to be upheld. That they could rest easy, knowing that the person who killed the ones they loved was gone, and could never hurt anyone else, ever again.

"For everyone, he's injured… for everyone he's killed… for all the families he separated… He will know repentance!"

Ida was broken out of his thoughts by Manual speaking after a long moment of silence. "Just another day of patrolling. Sorry it isn't more exciting," Manual said, looking from left to right, all the while Ida glanced over to yet another alleyway. He noted that nothing was there, and looked straight ahead, a tinge of annoyance creeping up on him.

"No… It's actually… better that way," Ida replied, keeping pace with Manual. For another few moments, there was more silence, until once again, Manual spoke up.

"Hey… I really hate to ask, but…." Manual paused, as Ida looked at him. Manual sighed, then finished his question. "You're after The Hero Killer, right?"

Ida felt a chill waft up his spine, clenching his right hand into a fist. "I—"

"I can't just think of another reason why you'd choose my agency. I mean, I'm thrilled that you did! Don't get me wrong! It's just…" Manual interrupted, before gaining a rather serious expression. His eyes gleamed with something dark, and intimidating, like that of an authority figure should when reprimanding someone.

"Don't let yourself be motivated by personal grudges. We heroes don't have the authority to make arrests or dole out punishment. It's only because of advances in Quirk regulation that we can use our Quirks at all. But vigilantism, regardless of the reason why you're doing it, is strictly against the rules. And if you're caught going off on your own, that's considered a major crime."

Ida did not respond to this. As far as he was concerned, what Manual said did not matter to him. But, he pretended to go along with it and nodded. Manual's eyes widened, as his serious expression dropped, before turning into a more concerned one.

"Look… that doesn't mean he should be let off scot-free. What he did to your brother…. It was wrong, and it does deserve punishment. But, at the same time… the last thing I want is to be the one responsible for calling your family to tell them that something bad happened to you. Stain's bad… really bad. He's an S-rank villain for a reason. Many heroes and heroes in training have sought him out to take him to justice. They usually end up crippled, or worse. So please, don't do anything reckless, Tenya."

Ida looked at the ground, stewing on the words that Manual had spoken to him. It was true, many heroes and heroes in training were going after him for the spectacle of being the one who caught the hero killer. More often than not, Stain won and ruined them, either crippling them or killing them for being "fakes."

"I… Appreciate the warning…." Ida replied, before looking away from Manual. The pro gave him a lopsided frown, shook his head, then continued forward.

"Just remember, Tenya… getting revenge might be good at the moment, but it's what you do with that feeling afterward that might cause ripples. That's to say, if you don't change your mindset by tomorrow I'm ending the internship. It's clear that you're too emotional, and that you need to step away for a bit and recollect your thoughts. However, I'm willing to give you one more day to turn around… don't make me regret that." And with that Manual left, continuing his patrol, leaving Ida behind to stand amongst the ever-growing crowd that had been eves dropping on the conversation.

Ida stood there, staring at Manual's back, as his fist squeezed tighter, the leather creaking as his fingers dug into his palm. "You… don't understand…. This feeling…. This rage… I cannot let it fester. I'm sorry Manual, but I feel like this matter supersedes everything right now. I refuse to let Stain get away with this. For my family… for those he's killed… I will bring him to justice, even if it means I break the law. This… is my justice."

And for a split second, something washed over Tenya's body. That same chill wafted up his spine before he shook his head. Ida looked over his shoulder, watching as the winds changed directions from going north to south. Leaves blew off of trees, as the crowd began to disperse. "The winds are changing… I've never been superstitious, but that's usually a sign. But… what for?"

Shaking his head and letting out a sigh of annoyance, he caught up with Manual and continued his patrol with The Pro Hero.

xxXXxxXXxx

A dark, swirling portal opened up atop the water tower located within Hosu city. The view was unlike any other, which was something that Shigaraki had to admit, was the only nice thing about Hosu. At least, in his lingering memories of it.

The pollution in the air was almost as thick as a blanket, what with all the cars that drove along the streets. The smell of other rotten garbage, and the far-too-often-for-comfort city rats that he'd spotted during his occasional walks around the place before The League hit it off big during the USJ invasion, was something that he had expected to be dealt with, at least a little bit, by the HSPC.

Then again, those stupid fucking bureaucrats only gave a damn about the heroes that were under their control, as his Sensei had been so keen to point out. Funnily enough, however, one thing he did remember that was different from his last visit here a handful of years ago, was just how lively it had been in comparison.

"Huh…. Hosu's livelier than before…. interesting…." Shigaraki noted, stepping out of Kurogiri's portal, as The Hero Killer followed soon after, standing at the edge of the water tower, overlooking the city. "I hate it…."

All Stain did in response to Shigaraki was grunt, rolling his shoulder. That Blackwell fellow did quite the number on him, breaking his arm and busting his shoulder up pretty good. If it hadn't been for Sensei sticking his hand through a portal and healing the poor bastard, their plans might've been pushed back by weeks.

And that… that would've annoyed him.

Then, abruptly, Stain spoke. "I will reform this town. But for that, more sacrifices must be made!" Stain's voice was low, gravelly, and filled with some sort of twisted determination. If there was one thing that Shigaraki had to commend, it was that The Hero Killer's conviction in his goals was strong. Stain looked over his shoulder, staring at Shigaraki with a bemused expression. "The necessary task that you mentioned, perhaps… now you're someone I can actually get through to."

A scowl appeared on his face for just a moment, before scoffing. "That fake Blackwell… what a walking contradiction. Though, still… that information he told me… it's quite interesting…. Maybe… maybe All Might is like him too…." As Stain said that, Shigaraki raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Shigaraki asked, only to earn a scoff from Stain.

"Nevermind that. It doesn't matter. No matter what Blackwell might say, my point still stands. "Hero" is a title reserved for those who perform truly great feats!" Stain began, as he faced Hosu at large, his arms spread out wide, encompassing the whole city. "Too many are undeserving of that title! Far too many of them are just money worshippers playing hero!"

Jumping down from the water tower, both swords in his hands, he made one final decree, before he was lost to the streets of Hosu. "Until society wakes up and corrects itself… I will continue my work." And with that, Stain vanished, leaving Shigaraki and Kurogiri, who had formed out of his own warpgate. Alone on the water tower. Once he left, Shigaraki felt a burst of annoyance fill his chest.

"Hmph... All that high-and-mighty talk, but he's not even past the small potatoes stage…" Shigaraki grumbled, scratching at his neck. "It's almost precious how hard he's trying."

The man made of mist tilted his head to the side, his yellow eyes gleaming slightly in the reflection of the sun. "You shouldn't criticize him too much. Actually, the cities he's appeared in have all seen across-the-board drops in crime rates. Some theorize that it's tied to an increase in hero awareness," Kurogiri noted, as Shigaraki frowned deeply underneath his hand mask, ceasing the scratching at his neck.

"Well, that's great! So much for putting a stop to heroism! Hero killer? More like Hero breeder! Well… at least indirectly…." Shigaraki said, sighing. "I have to admit… that was a shitty pun…." The blue-haired man muttered to himself, before cupping his chin in thought. Over the last few days, the words of that Blackwell fellow had been dancing around in his head. At first, he planned to dismiss them as nothing more than the ramblings of an old man who wasn't even his sensei.

But… the more he thought about it… the more it started to make a modicum of sense. If there was something he knew well, it was video games, specifically stuff like RPGs. Most of the time, the characters would have one goal they'd work towards, even without knowing it. It started off small but gradually became bigger and bigger until it turned into "saving the world" or some boring bland shit like that.

So, the more he looked at his own plans like that, and viewing them more as a branching off point, rather than an end-all-be-all scenario, Shigaraki started to ponder whether or not destroying things he didn't like was something he should keep as his main goal, or if he should branch out to something more… suiting for his liking?

"Kurogiri…." Shigaraki muttered, earning a hum in response from the mist man. "I want to ask you a question…."

"Ask away, Shigaraki," Kurogiri replied as the blue-haired, hand-wearing man crossed his arms, overlooking the city of Hosu. He watched as people walked on the streets, probably happier with the knowledge that a hero would help them at any moment, not knowing of the hell that he had planned to unleash on this place in just a few moments.

"Do you think my current quest… my quest to destroy everything I hate… is too simplistic?" Shigaraki questioned. "I want to become the Symbol of Fear… that would mean I need to make people fear me. People fear destruction. That means that the more I destroy, the more people will fear me…. But, compared to people like Stain, and Blackwell, both of whom want vastly different things…. I feel like my goal is meagre compared to theirs…." Shigaraki continued, before narrowing his eyes through his hand mask. "Stain wants to purge fake heroes… Blackwell wants to remind the world that Yakuza is still something to be feared…. And what do I want? I want to cause fear. Fear through destruction. That's my goal. So… in that respect... is my goal meagre compared to theirs?"

There was a dangerous glint in Shigaraki's eyes. Conviction danced in his eyes and saying the name of his goal out loud filled him with confidence, something that he had been lacking for the last few days. And then, came Kurogiri's answer.

"I do not think that you can compare the three goals, Shigaraki Tomura," Kurogiri began, adjusting his shoulders, as Shigaraki gestured for him to continue. "Stain wishes to clear out the fake heroes to restore Hero Society. He's less of a villain and more of a vigilante, who has been branded a villain because he kills heroes. His views are twisted and disturbed, based on his psychology and the mental illnesses that he retains. Blackwell's goal is also of that same calibre. However, the way he goes about things is more calculated, pulling strings behind the shadows, and having others do his dirty work for him. He's more of a leader figure, rather than a single deadly force to be reckoned with. And while I can't say much about what his abilities are, from the brief demonstration he showed us when we met Stain, it's clear that he has a strong conviction toward his goal."

Shigaraki raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Kurogiri. "I don't get it… what does that mean?" Shigaraki asked as the mist man hummed.

"Think about it like this, Shigaraki Tomura. What do those two goals have in common? Once you figure that out, then you'll start to realize just how much more grandiose your goal is compared to their own," Kurogiri replied cryptically, earning an annoyed sigh from Shigaraki.

"Hmph… whatever. Bring out the Nomu…." Shigaraki said as Kurogiri nodded, warping away to fetch the monstrous abominations. When he returned, he brought three of them, all of which had nearly the same destructive capabilities as the one that he brought to the USJ. One looked nearly similar to the one from the USJ, only with its brain making up a majority of its head. Another had lanky limbs and four eyes, while the final one had what appeared to be a mask attached to its face, and a pair of wings. All of them shared one thing in common, though. That being that their brains were exposed.

Shigaraki began to scratch at his neck, a smile plastered on his face as he overlooked Hosu. This had been a long time coming. He had planned to make Hosu the first of many places where he'd sew chaos, and spread fear and distrust. And now that Stain was there…. Now that Stain had begun his rampage within the city of Hosu…. He would take advantage of that. "It's time… to start the game… for real this time!"

xxXXxxXXxx

Izuku had… a lot on his mind. Rightfully so, especially with the new information, he had garnered from Yoshihara. It was… sudden, and it had caused him to be distracted for the last few days. So many thoughts bouncing around in his head. So many questions he wanted to ask. So many things he wanted to say yet couldn't find the courage to do so.

This, on top of his training with Gran Torino, had made his mind cluttered. He had been getting next to zero rest, and as a result, his training with All Might's former teacher had been dragged down. Gran Torino wasn't stupid, either. He knew something was bugging him, but Izuku didn't want to tell him what it was, mostly out of respect for Yoshihara, and so that he didn't start filling his head with stupid ideas.

However, aside from that, there was also the curious case of Tenya Ida. While he had that idea in the back of his head, he also had to worry about Tenya. The last time he interacted with Ida was over the phone and through text messages. Tenya had been less talkative, which made sense since this was an internship after all, but that wasn't really the point that he was trying to get across.

Ever since Tensei Ida's passing, Tenya had become distant—worryingly so. He had practically stopped talking to any and all of them at a certain point, where even Shoto was starting to get concerned. However, he did manage to get a quick chat in with him last night over text. He seemed to have been distracted with something, at least from what Izuku could garner, and it wasn't too hard to know what exactly had been distracting him.

Izuku wasn't a fool. Everyone else might've had it go over their heads because they didn't pay attention to that kind of news, and while Izuku in the past would've never wanted to know anything about that kind of stuff, due to his involvement with the Stand Bullets, he's had to keep tabs open on every possible news source, sketchy or otherwise, for whatever information he could gather on the subject.

One thing, however, caught his attention, and it was when he finally understood why Ida picked Manual's agency. At first, Izuku thought he was trying to branch out to other heroes because from what he knew about Ingeniums of old, they all interned with their older variants. Of course, that wasn't possible for Tenya due to what happened to Tensei, but there were still other people who ran the Ingenium agency. Hell, Tenya's father retook up the mantle of Ingenium to keep the agency alive, which meant he still could've gone to the Idaten Agency.

Instead, he went to Manual's Agency, located in Hosu.

Which was where the Hero Killer was located.

Izuku felt a sense of dread when he made that connection yesterday. It was clear that Ida wanted revenge against Stain. Hell, if he was in his situation, he'd want that retribution as well. But he also knew when to not fight a losing battle. With his introduction to the world of Stands, Izuku knew that he couldn't underestimate his enemies.

Tenya would be smart enough to recognize that as well. He too had to deal with a Stand. And while that was a while ago, what with it having happened during the USJ, Ida should've realized that going after Stain was a bad idea. Then again, emotions tended to get in the way of logical thinking. Especially if that emotional way of thinking was linked to a grudge, or worse, vengeance linked through the death of a loved one.

Glancing down at his phone, when he had shot Tenya a text, a frown developed on his face. The text was a simple "Hey, I'm in the area, just thought I'd let you know" kind of deal. What made things a little bit more worrisome was that Ida always, without fail, responded to a text three minutes after it was sent, or less. And Izuku had sent that text 10 minutes ago "He read the text… but he hasn't replied. Damnit, Ida, you're starting to worry me…"

As he exited his chat log with Ida, his eyes drifted to his chat log with Yoshihara. He had also texted Yoshihara, letting her know that he was going to be on Patrol so that she didn't call him for any reason for the next few hours. She had sent him a thumbs-up emoji back, which was all the confirmation he needed.

Putting his phone back into his pocket, he let out a small sigh. Right now, Izuku was with Gran Torino, riding down on a train toward Hosu. It was for a nightly patrol, which Izuku wasn't too fond of doing. Not that he wasn't ready for it, but it was just something that he was a little anxious about doing. For all of his newfound confidence, Izuku would still admit that he was nervous. This was his first patrol, and it was with All Might's teacher no less!

Looking out the window of the train, Izuku felt a tinge of worry swell in his heart. He felt a sinister presence lurking within Hosu. It was the same feeling he had felt during the USJ. "Is it possible…?" Izuku thought, narrowing his eyes, before blinking to turn to Gran Torino. "Do you really think that this is a good idea, doing a patrol at night? Don't get me wrong, Torino-sensei, but… something feels off about this whole situation…." Izuku quipped, earning a raised eyebrow from Gran Torino.

"What'd you mean by that, lad? I don't see any issues with patrolling at night. Do you?" Gran Torino questioned as Izuku hummed.

"Not particularly. If anything it'd get me more experience due to the amount of criminals who are out at night. That being said, though… I don't know if it's just me, but… do you feel that?" Izuku questioned, earning yet another puzzled expression from the senior hero. Izuku sighed, before continuing. "Ever since the USJ, and by extension the attack by that one man who claimed to have been friends with my mother, I've been able to… I guess you can say… detect the negative flow of energy in the air. Like… for instance, as we get closer to Hosu, I got a pretty bad feeling that something horrible is going to happen… I don't know what, but it has something to do with Hosu…."

As Izuku explained that, Gran Tornio hummed, reclining in his seat next to Izuku. "That's… ominous to hear, Dekiru. But… I have to ask, was it really during the time of the USJ that you could do that?" Gran Torino asked, earning a confused look from Izuku. Gran Torino scoffed, clearing his throat. "Don't get me wrong, Dekiru, I don't know much about you. All I know is that Yagi chose you. I also know about what happened that day with the sludge villain. I think you've always had some sort of talent for weeding out danger. Quirk or no Quirk, that's the sign of a true hero. Being able to know when something is dangerous, and when it's not, is a good sign of when you should do something as a hero. It's why most of the newbies end up incredibly injured, or worse. They can't tell if the situation is truly bad or not, as stupid as that sounds," Gran Torino explained, before looking up at the ceiling of the train.

Izuku felt a buzz in his pocket. Quickly taking his phone out of his pocket, Izuku opened his messaging app and saw that it was from Yoshihara. The text read as follows:

From Yoshihara at 9:15 PM: Hey Izuku. Sorry to bug you. I know you're busy right now patrolling with whoever you interned with, so I'll keep this brief. There's something that's been on my mind for a while now, and I wanted to ask you about it. I've been holding off on asking because whenever I do it always seems like a bad time. Call me when you can. Love you, bye.

Izuku didn't know how to respond to that, so he sent a quick thumbs-up back. "Got yourself a girlfriend, do ya now?" Gran Torino asked, making Izuku jump a little to the side, as the old man smirked. "Ha! Not even Yagi had any sort of romantic partners at your age! You should consider that a one-up against All Might! Hahahahaha!"

Izuku felt his face flush red with embarrassment. This only caused Gran Torino to laugh harder, which only made Izuku feel more embarrassed about the whole thing. Eventually, Gran Torino sighed, calming himself. "You know, lad. That actually might've been a smart thing for you to do. Having someone you love and care about other than your parents might give you some common sense when you apply yourself to dangerous situations…. If there was one thing Yagi lacked, it was someone to anchor him down to prevent him from doing something reckless."

Izuku raised an eyebrow, looking at Gran Torino with a confused gleam in his eyes. He didn't know how to process those words. He had something that All Might lacked. That made no sense! All Might was the best hero in all of Japan! Sure, he was human, and humans made mistakes, and All Might wasn't the exception to the rule, but how could he have something that All Might didn't? Was having a romantic relationship with someone really enough to give him an up on the greatest hero in all of Japan?

"I don't understand… how does my having a Girlfriend make me better than All Might?" Izuku asked, only to earn a scoff from Gran Torino.

"No, you fool. Not better. But grounded," Gran Torino clarified. "All Might is, at least right now, the superior of you two, even with his declining ability and strength. But, motivationally speaking, All Might does not have that type of bond with someone. His driving motivation for years was bloodlust. He wanted nothing more than to track down and kill the man who ruined his life. Sure, he did what he did out of altruism, but in the background, something dark was brewing within Yagi. Someone was feeding him ideas… someone who we all trusted. Someone who Yagi still trusts to this day… but he's bad news. Not that it matters. All that matters is that you have an anchor. Yagi did not. In that sense, you have something over All Might. But, do not mistake that for you being better than All Might. That's what I meant."

Izuku rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling to himself as Gran Torino shook his head. "Youth these days…. Always in over their heads," the elderly Pro Hero said, reclining into his chair, as Izuku turned his attention back to the outside of the train, watching out the window as he took in all the information that Gran Torino had said, key of which being that part where he mentioned that someone that All Might trusted being a bad influence.

"Who was he talking about? Who would garner that reaction from Gran Torino-sensei?" Izuku thought as he watched the night sky and the overview of Hosu City…. That was, until, he heard an explosion off in the distance. A rather big one. And it was at that moment when that same feeling of dread and concern washed over him like a tsunami, causing his posture to stiffen, and his fists to clench.

"Passengers. Please remain seated. We're making an emergency stop." The AI voice of the train spoke out, earning a few confused murmurs and whispers from the passengers. Gran Torino heard that explosion as well, as he had sat up straight, his eyes narrowed as he prepared to get up to investigate when suddenly, the entire right wall of the train busted open with a loud screech, sparks flying from the metal being torn off, and for what appeared to be a pro hero to be launched through the wall like it was made of paper mache.

Several loud confused shouts rippled throughout the train, as the pro hero clutched his head in confusion, blinking rapidly at the newfound entrance to the train. "Who… is this guy?" The Pro Hero muttered as the smoke and debris cleared, revealing a massive creature, the lanky limbs, four eyes, and key of all… an exposed brain.

Izuku's mind blanked at seeing the creature. It looked familiar. Too familiar. "Is that… Nomu? From the USJ?!" Izuku thought, biting his lip. "No…. Nomu had a bird's beak, and… and he had darker skin, and two eyes, not four. So… so if it's not Nomu, then… then who is it?" Izuku thought as the creature made a loud shrieking sound, something more fitting for a movie monster rather than a person.

Immediately, acting without warning, Gran Torino shot toward the creature and hit it square in the chest with a powerful, Jet kick. The creature spat up saliva, seemingly winded by the blow, all the while Gran Torino shouted "STAY THERE, KID!" in a loud, booming voice. Izuku shot up from his seat on the train, and ran toward the opening, watching as Gran Torino and the creature disappeared into the city streets below.

He looked around the city, eyes scanning the surrounding area, as bellows of smoke rose from a few buildings off in the distance. Chaos. Pure, unadulterated chaos. It was something that Izuku hadn't been expecting, but, even so, it was a hero's duty to react to innocent people suffering, even if it was at a detriment to their own well-being.

But, the innocent people of Hosu were not who he was thinking about. No… rather, he was thinking about someone else. Someone who was also in Hosu, and someone who had come there for the sole purpose of tracking down The Hero Killer Stain.

"Ida!"

xxXXxxXXxx

"He's here…!" Tenya thought, staring down an alleyway, with two shadowy individuals lingering, one pushed up against the wall by the face, and the other holding a blade, drawn and ready to kill. He had spent countless days patrolling the streets to find Stain, and now, here he was, faced with the chance to put down the bastard who had killed his brother.

He vaguely heard what Manual had said when he called out to him before he ran off to go help others…. And while any rationally thinking person would've helped Manual…. Ida wasn't thinking rationally. He knew it, and Manual probably knew it too, but Ida didn't quite care what Manual thought. No. What Manual thought at this time was hardly worth considering.

Because why would he give up the chance to kill the bastard who took away his brother from him, just to save some random civilian?

And so, Ida ran into the alleyway, using his Quirk to its fullest potential, charging in the direction of Stain. The villain's eyes gleamed in the darkness, narrowing. In the blink of an eye, something whooshed in the air and went to slash at Ida's head. But Ida had been quicker on the draw, seeing it coming from a mile away.

He had to admit, that while it was a long time ago, that encounter with that ghost thing, Stand, was what Josefumi called it, gave him a chance to hone his anaylization skills and reaction time, and to know when something was coming toward him or not. He used that information to then stick up his right arm, blocking the sword that Stain had planned to use to do… something or another, halting it from doing any unjust harm. Stain, obviously not predicting this to happen, drew his sword back and planned a different approach…. Not that Ida gave him a chance.

In one fluid movement, Ida slammed his right leg, roundhouse kick style, into Stain's abdomen, forcing him to let go of the pro hero he had gripped in his hand, and sending him skidding backwards. Ida then came to a stop, standing face to face with the Hero Killer, who had a shocked expression on his face for about two seconds, before it became replaced with an annoyed and angered one.

"Impressive…. You were able to react to my blade. Not many heroes can attest to that, Ingenium. Tell me, how did you recover so quickly? Have you not learned your lesson the first time?" Stain taunted, as Ida glowered under his mask.

"Wrong." Ida spat, glaring daggers at Stain, who now tilted his head ever-so-slightly. "I'm not Ingenium. Ingenium… no… Tensei Ida is dead. You killed him, Stain." Ida continued, clenching his fist. He looked down at the pro hero and narrowed his eyes. "Can you move?" Ida asked as the hero grunted.

"N-No… his Quirk… Don't let him slice you… he can paralyze you if he licks your blood!" The pro hero said as Ida nodded.

"Understood… then there's nothing that can be done about it at the moment…." Ida said, looking back to where Stain was… only to find him gone. In a gust of wind, he felt something come close to the back of his neck, which Ida reacted to immediately, spinning around and putting up a block, blocking the blade yet again. What he didn't expect was for the blade to slash across the knuckles of his gloves, cutting them, and making his hands bleed.

Ida's eyes widened, before moving to act… but before he could, he felt a wave of pain wash through him, as he landed on the floor, completely motionless, though still very much alive. Stain then grabbed Ida's helmet, and yanked it off of his head. The Hero Killer looked down at him, a hint of an amused smirk on his face before it quickly switched to a scathing frown.

"I've got to admit, kid… you've got guts…. You got distracted to make sure the other guy was okay… that would be admirable, had you not thought about yourself first. You could've escaped with him, and rescued him. But now, you doomed both him and yourself," Stain's raspy voice spoke out, as Ida tried to move, but couldn't.

And that was when he realized that he had been paralyzed. Much like he had been against the villain at the USJ. "Those eyes…." Stain murmured, his frown turning to a sneer, lowering the tip of his blade to just in front of Ida's forehead. "They're filled with nothing but the lust for revenge. Hmph… and here I thought I had high hopes for you, brat. Seems like you're just like your predecessor. Let me take a wild guess, you came after me to take me down, to arrest me, so that you could get the fame of capturing me, right?" Stain spat, glaring at Ida, who glared back.

"Wrong… again," Ida replied, Stain's expression unchanging. "I came here… to put an end to what you're doing, yes… but… I didn't come here to capture you. Scum like you don't deserve to be captured. Scum like you aren't worth the air you breathe…. Scum like you… deserve nothing… but death!" Ida roared, as Stain's eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Ah… so you wish to kill me, then? At such a young age, too… such hatred… it honestly reminds me of myself when I was younger," Stain replied, scoffing, and gaining a furious glare from Ida. "Unfortunatly for you, the only one who's allowed to kill me is All Might," Stain said flatly, drawing his sword away. "Now stay there, like a good little kid. I'll spare you this time, but if we ever meet again in this kind of confrontation… your age won't be enough to save you from me, got it?"

As Stain turned his back, Ida felt his rage hit its peak. Ida watched as Stain walked over to the limp Pro Hero, raised his sword, and stabbed the man through the chest. The Pro hero vomited blood from his mouth, his eyes widening, his right-hand clenching, before then going limp, along with his head lagging to the side, his dead, cold eyes staring at Ida.

Stain turned his head to look at Ida, frowning. "You see, kid…. If you didn't focus on me, and me alone. That man might have lived. But you thought with your revenge first, and your logic last. Heroes these days lack that kind of thing. But you're a kid. I killed your predecessor, right? I don't know what that means to you, not that I care, so it must have impacted you greatly. Kids act on their emotions, not their logic. You're not a hero, kid. And if that's how you're going to approach this, then maybe you shouldn't be one."

Ida kept up his furious glare, staring at Stain with hatred and fury so deep, so powerful, that he felt something in him ripple. His heart was beating fast, he could feel it. Blood from the wounds on his knuckles started to pool around his palms. "You… have no right, to say that to me…! You separate families! You kill daughters, mothers, fathers, and sons! You're a monster! A monster that I have every right to hate! So what if I'm fueled by my emotions!? You killed my brother, Stain! And for that… I will kill you!"

And at that moment, Tenya felt something in him change. Stain glowered down at him with nothing but contempt, as he raised his sword to linger above Ida's head. "You've disappointed me, twice, kid…. How sad. I guess you and your brother are the same then. Don't fret, though… you'll soon be joining him."

And if that had been the last thing that Tenya Ida heard that night. He would've regretted every single action he took to get to where he was now. He wanted to apologize to Manual, for disobeying him, and for turning his back on the pro hero when a crisis was happening. He wanted to apologize to his parents for making them lose another son. And most of all… he wanted to apologize to his classmates, for failing them as their class president, and getting himself killed.

But that wasn't the last thing that he heard. Because he refused to go down like this. He refused to become another one of Stain's victims. He refused to die a pathetic death, grovelling at the feet of The Hero Killer Stain. And most of all… He refused to let anyone down, not Manual, not his family, nor his friends!

He saw Stain's eyes widen, as he heard something thump against the ground. A dark blue aura surrounded Tenya, as a dark-blue metallic hand gripped Stain's blade, snapping the blade in two. Ida's eyes widened, as a figure formed out of nothingness, a figure that looked familiar to Ida for a simple reason. Because to him… it was almost like he was staring at himself.

The figure was humanoid, appearing to be around the same height as Ida himself. It looked to be wearing his hero costume, the only difference being that it was leaner, and not as bulky. Almost as if the figure itself was the suit of armour. It had dark, red, glowing eyes that pierced the darkness of the alleyway, and instead of having a mouth guard like Ida's hero costume had, the lower half of the face of the figure was exposed, revealing blue skin and a mouth.

Ida didn't know what he was looking at, but that didn't matter to the teen, as the figure punched Stain across the jaw, knocking him back a fair distance, as he stumbled across the floor, before hitting a wall. The villain slowly stood up, grunting in the process, as the effect of Stain's Quirk wore off on the young boy.

Stain stared at the boy, eyes narrowed in confusion, as he spoke. "Your engines… the ones in your legs… they fell off… What did you do?" Stain snarled, reaching for one of his other blades. Ida looked behind him, and sure enough, his engines were on the floor, although strangely enough, he felt no pain from it happening. For a split second, he felt alarmed, but he quickly composed himself. Whatever happened, Ida didn't quite care. He would seek out answers later from someone who knew more about what was happening.

What he did know, however, was that he was still in a fight for his life against The Hero Killer Stain. And to that end, his confusion and alarm would have to be put to the wayside. "I don't know, Stain… but even if I did, I wouldn't give you a clear answer. Because scum like you don't deserve that." Ida spat, glaring at Stain as hatred burned deep in his eyes. Slowly, he began to stand up from the ground, the figure hovering behind him with an equal amount of hatred in its eyes.

And then, with a bold, unwavering tone of voice, he spoke.

"LISTEN WELL, STAIN! MY NAME IS TENYA IDA! YOU KILLED MY BROTHER, TENSEI IDA! ON BEHALF OF ALL OF THOSE YOU KILLED, AND ON BEHALF OF MY BROTHER, I WILL SEE TO IT THAT YOU DIE! YOUR REIGN OF TERROR IS OVER!" Ida declared, his voice bombastic, filled with vitriol and anger, as Stain smirked.

"Very well then, Tenya Ida… Prepare to die!"

And then, the two lunged toward one another.