Chapter 16: Hero Killer: Stain
Sending out an attack of fire and ice like what he used against me in the semifinals, Todoroki stepped forward into the alley.
"It's one after the other today… My work keeps getting blocked…" The Hero Killer complain.
"Midoriya, for something like this you, text more information. Now, we're late."
Iida, no longer in imminent danger, groaned, "Todoroki, Kou, you too… why're you here?"
"'Why?'" I scoff, "For what other reason would we have to appear than to save you guys…" Managing to find a pro hero also in the alley, I point to him, "And him too."
"Also, Midoriya, it took a few seconds to think over what your message meant. All you did was mass-send your location pin to all your contacts. I knew you wouldn't do something like that without meaning, but Kou confirmed it when we met up."
Stain, no longer willing to sit by, jumped from the wall, making his way to Todoroki.
Spreading his ice across the entirety of the alleyway before then causing it to spring upwards, flinging Midoriya, Iida, and the pro hero my way. Quickly dragging them out of the way, I place them right beside the alley's opening, making sure that the Hero Killer couldn't throw a knife to finish the job.
Before I could completely drag Midoriya away, he shout, "Don't show that guy any blood! In all likelihood, he can rob his opponent's freedom by ingesting blood orally! That's how we all got taken down!"
Checking each of their bodies to see what conditions they're in, I saw the pro hero and Iida oozing blood from their wounds. Reaching into my utility belt, I start to wrap their wounds, constantly peeking into the alley way to make sure that Todoroki wasn't dying on me.
"Kou… leave us…" Iida look at me with eyes filled with rage and sadness, "I inherited my brother's name… I'm the one who has to do it! That man, I… I'm the one who…"
"Who, Ingenium?" I slap him across the face, "Since when has Ingenium ever chosen vengeance over saving someone… Ingenium's the name of a Hero… and right now, you're the furthest away from one."
"Exactly!" The Hero Killer shout in the midst of his fight, "He's a Fake Hero, so let me rid this world of trash like him!"
Peeking my head around the corner again, I give a questioning stare, "Fake Hero?"
Jumping away from Todoroki and using his ice as a platform, the Hero Killer raise his arms in a righteous manner, "It's my duty to cleanse society of false heroes… Those who become Heroes for fame, money, or those who use their quirks for selfish means. Only All Might is a true hero… and only All Might is allowed to kill me. Before he does, I will purge these fake heroes and change our current society."
Stain prepared to reenact his fight with Todoroki, but he fell flat on his face at my next words. "But doesn't All Might use his quirk in selfish ways."
"What?! No! All Might uses his quirk to save the lives of others, without looking to receive a reward for his actions."
"What about the smiles?"
"What about the smiles?!?"
Clearing my throat, I explain, "The greatest reward a Hero can receive for their actions is the smile from the person that they saved. It shows we succeed in being a symbol for them. All Might, being the greatest example, works hard to have people smile. Sure, he does it for them, but he also does it for himself. I mean, what's the point of being a hero if those you help don't show any kind of positive response to your actions?"
Finding himself stuck, Stain stare me down, "You've piqued my interest boy… what do you wish to achieve when you premiere as a hero?"
Smiling, I answer, "To be a heroic symbol to those with villainous quirks. To ensure that they may smile tomorrow without getting shunned by society and thrown to the gutters just to become a villain. …I am no All Might, I can't accomplish the same level of heroism that he can, but I should at least be able to change this much. Since if I can't, why would I have been gifted such an opportunity that others could only wish for?"
"Name?"
"Pardon."
Pointing his sword at me, Stain glare, "Name?"
"…Apex."
Giving a crooked smile, I turn to Todoroki who was looking between Stain and I.
"Todoroki?"
"Hmm?"
"Why have you just been standing there doing nothing?! He was standing still that entire time!! Attack him!!"
Seeming to remember that we were supposed to be amid a horribly difficult battle, Todoroki sent out a huge wave of ice through the alley. Leaping over it, Stain cuts through the ice. Turning back to my immobile companions, I find Midoriya having already risen.
Watching as he charges into the alley with electric discharge coming off his body, he jumped side-to-side off the walls of the alley and reach the insane height Stain sat at. With his momentum, Midoriya carries Stain into the alley wall and starts to drag him through it.
Getting elbowed in the side, Midoriya is thrown off, leaving Stain to once more alone. Regrouping with Todoroki, Midoriya provides his insight into Stain's quirk. After reaching he third pattern of his quirk's timer depending on blood type, Stain laugh.
"Blood type… is the correct answer!"
"We don't gain anything from knowing that though…"
"Kou, you could try to evacuate the two of them…" Todoroki poses.
"Do you two really think you can stall him long enough… Couldn't he just completely ignore the two of you to chase his target."
"Ah," Todoroki ran his finger under his nose, "I didn't think that far ahead."
"Well," I walk to the middle of the mouth of the alley, "I suppose I'll finally help."
"I've been meaning to ask," Midoriya turn to me, "But why didn't you help Todoroki earlier?"
"Because Todoroki's quirk is AOE meaning I'd most likely just get in his way if I chose to engage the Hero Killer in close combat. And… there's also a personal reason… But, even with my hesitation, I'll make sure that they're protected."
"So, it's three against one...… not so naïve, I see."
Taking a step into the alley, with the nightmare I've experienced all my life flashing through my head, I hide the pain behind a smile.
Treating the wounds Todoroki had earned in his exchange with Stain, including the knives that dug their way into his left arm, I quickly follow behind Midoriya who dive forward. Bouncing up onto the wall, a pillar of flame grazed by my feet.
Acrobatically spinning over the flame, Stain land in time to slash his knife forward to graze Midoriya's leg.
Landing on the ground, I'm suddenly propelled forward by the wave of ice. With the path of ice stopping, I'm launched forward.
Extending out his blade towards my face, I send out my capture weapon, wrapping his sword. Ripping it from his grasp, I twirl the blade around in a whirlpool motion before then slamming down onto Stain's head.
Or trying to at least.
Grabbing the still exposed hilt, Stain planted his foot and tried to bring me towards him. Unwrapping my capture weapon, Stain, still using his strength to try and pull me, ended up carrying himself with his sword which dug into the ground.
Trying to rip it free, Stain turns his head back just in time to find me launching a fist towards his face. Landing it, Stain is sent backwards, but amid his short flight, he sent out a pair of knives from within his coat.
Twirling around once more, I strike the knives, causing them to start spinning around in place. Slapping them with my capture weapon, the knives are sent back to Stain who aptly duck his head, tramping his way towards me.
"You're skilled, I'll give you that…" Stain muttered.
Going to engage me with a dagger, my smile brightens, and I leapt in the air, just in time for a pillar of ice to slam itself into Stain's chest. Somehow though, as Stain was rocketed backwards, he had grabbed his katana, freeing it from the ground.
"Tch…"
With long strides, Stain bounded up the wall, passing over me, and tried to attack Todoroki. As he aims his blade to slash Todoroki's chest, a sudden blur of movement broke Stain's blade and then knocked him away from Todoroki.
"I cannot allow you three to spill any more blood." The recuperated Iida trembled.
"A change of heart is futile. A man's true character doesn't change so easily! You're nothing more than a rodent pretending to endorse the name of hero. I will correct that by ridding you of any chance to degrade this society further!"
Forced to jump away once more by Todoroki's flame, Stain used his broken katana as a foothold in the wall. As Iida and Todoroki came up with a plan together, I shot my capture weapon through the fire, wrapping it around Stain's foothold.
Pulling with all my might, Stain starts to fall to the pit of fire that sat below him.
Springing off the wall, Stain threw knives down onto Todoroki and Iida. The knife, which was set to hit Todoroki, was instead taken by Iida who then had a larger knife planted in his hand, forcing him to the ground.
Removing the knife from his hand whilst having his boosters frozen over by Todoroki, Iida used his sudden speed increase to leap up to Stain.
Having a suddenly recovered Midoriya come in from the other side, Midoriya punched Stain's face and Iida kicked his torso.
Grabbing at Midoriya, I used him as leverage, pulling myself into the air beside Stain. Placing my hand on the back of his neck, I release my quirk.
Letting go of my grip, I start to freefall, watching as Stain's face was then engulfed in another set of Todoroki's flame. Sliding us down safely on his ice, I hop up, preparing for Stain to stand up again. But he lay on a pile of ice, unmoving.
Giving a very uncomfortable laugh, I run out of the alleyway and then vomit on the sidewalk.
"It's not my fault… it's not my fault..." I swipe at my mouth, continuously muttering my mantra.
Finding myself unable to even look back into the alley way, Todoroki soon passes by me, Stain wrapped up in ropes that he found in the trash. Wrapping him in my capture weapon just to be safe, I then turn to Iida. Preparing the bandages again, I remove his armor and wrap his arm.
"Kou, you're a lifesaver."
"Be prepared for anything and everything…" I tap his forehead, "You do anything like that again, I'll personally ensure that you never become a hero."
"Lay off him a bit kid." The pro hero carried Midoriya, "I'm sure he's learned…"
Ignoring the words of the pro hero, my attention caught on an extremely short, elderly man with heavy wrinkles and a scrawny build. Dressed in a full body monochrome suit along with a yellow cape, a belt with the letter 'G' on it, very thick yellow gloves and boots, and a domino mask which resembles two diamonds.
"Henghh!? Wha-" Making random sound, the old man stormed over to us, "What the hell are you doing here, boy!!!?"
"Gran Torino!!!"
Being someone Midoriya supposedly knew, the old man boosted himself up and kicked Midoriya in the face.
"Well, I don't know what happened, but… for the time being, I'm glad if you're all right."
"Gran Torino… I'm sorry."
Following Gran Torino's entrance, other Pro Heroes start to flood in.
Forming a semi-circle around us, they say, "We received a command from Mr. Endeavor to come provide assistance but…"
"Kids…!?"
"They've got awful wounds! Call and ambulance!"
"Hey, is that… the Hero Killer!!?"
"Since Endeavor isn't here, does that mean he's still in the middle of a fight back there?" Todoroki asks.
"Yeah! We came here because we don't have any guys with quirks among us that'd work against those villains."
Talking amongst themselves, Iida brings attention to himself. "All of you… You guys' sustained wounds because of me. I'm truly sorry… I… became so blind… I couldn't see anything…"
"Cheer up…" I place a hand on my chest, "I didn't get hurt…"
As if to make my statement invalid, one of the Nomu I hadn't seen before, with pale yellow wings sprouting from its back, flew straight towards me. Slamming its body into me, it then hooks its feet around me and begins to fly into the air.
Wanting to take it down with my capture weapon, I pull at my neck to find it missing. Remembering that I wrapped it around Stain, I reach into my utility belt and grab a rope.
Before I can throw it around the wings of the Nomu to drag it down, but it suddenly lost all motor functions, dropping me from its talons. As I fall, I see Stain appear, stabbing his knife into the Nomu's brain. Breaking the fall as best I could, Stain land next to me along with the dead Nomu.
"The phonies that have overrun society and the criminals who so aimlessly sprinkle around their 'power'. Those are all the targets of my purge… All of this is for the sake of a just world!"
Lifting me from the ground, I'm stuck face to face with the Hero Killer. Looking down on me, the mask that covered his face flew off, revealing his lack of a nose.
"I wonder… if you'll become a True Hero Apex or if you'll fail like those trash."
Releasing me from his grip, Stain walks past me.
"No matter… that man, is he really… the hero killer." I hear Endeavor's gruff voice.
With his words though, a killing intent so great flood out. "Endeavor… another phony… The fake must be rectified… someone… someone must stain himself in his blood…! The word 'hero' must be restored!! Come!! Just try it you pretenders! The only one who's allowed to kill me is All Mi-"
Turning still, Stain didn't even get to finish before I'd already used my quirk on him again. With his consciousness having faded once more, the heroes were sat flat on their ass from the pressure that Stain just exude.
Sweating bullets, I mutter, "Heroes do not kill… they capture…"
Stepping away from the Hero Killer, Nighteye calmly walked in on the situation, his eyes focusing on me instantly.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Kogatsu
Kogatsu "There will always be people beyond our reach that we can't protect. Which is why we have to save people we can reach." - Izuku Midoriya
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone