Izuku walked into a quiet, shadowy alleyway. It was near midnight, a half moon hidden from him by the buildings stretching up into the sky. However, a figure landed behind him, cloaked in the dark. "Good to see you again, Izuku."
Not even turning around, he walked on, "When out in public use my title."
The figure caught up to him, revealing it to be stain, as covered in rags, chains, and spikes as he was, his two chipped and worn katanas on his back. They would break soon if he didn't get them repaired. "Very well, Techno. You still haven't explained that to me."
He sighed. It wasn't something he'd understand. The Chat was insistent on the name, and it had stuck. Why? No idea. "Maybe another time. I can see you have been doing well."
He nodded, a grin clear on his noseless face. "Yes. My work carries me forward."
An eyebrow raised under his mask, he asked, "You realize your path will never win?"
"As long as I make the desired impact, it does not matter."
Izuku really didn't want his sensei to get himself hurt, or worse. He was already making sloppy mistakes, having almost been caught the other day. "Thinking like that will get you killed."
He acknowledged that point with a grunt... but what he said. "But the legacies will last."
"Legacy-legacy... what is a legacy? It's planting seeds in a garden you never get to see."
As the saying goes. No sacrifice. No victory.
Deciding to shelve that debate, which neither side has won to date. "... who is the next target?"
Without hesitation, he stated. "Ingenium."
Grinning, he agreed to go along with it. Even though he knew that Ingenium used his money for good reasons, there was no dissuading his sensei when he had his mind on something. "That's a shame. For him."
Wait a minute, Ingenium's one of the good ones!
Hold up, he aint that bad.
He ignored the Chat's protests as they got to work.
The next few days, the heroes were frantic due to the team up between Stain and the Blade. Each was formidable on their own, but the two of them were near unstoppable. Most heroes in Hosu worked in partnerships of two for safety, but since Mirko refused, the hero Native was on his own.
He patrolled an area in downtown Hosu, trying to help everyone he could. His quirk wasn't a powerhouse or flashy quirk, but he made up for it by helping in ways others didn't consider. His quirk allowed him to track down any target if he received a single detail on them, instrumental for manhunts and priority targets... and he just heard Stain's voice. He could tell because he had heard an audio snippet from a recording device on Ingenium. He tried to call Mirko, but it only went to voicemail. Damning his situation, Native tried contacting Endeavour's agency, but he lost signal when he went into an alleyway. When he rounded the corner, he found Stain ready for him.
He grinned, clearly amused by the hero's "You found me."
Crap. However, putting on a brave face, he started to back away, tensing for a fight. "So I did."
However, the man smirked, approaching him. "You realize I'm not alone?"
A blade was held to his throat from behind. Razor sharp, he could feel it against an artery. "Battling enemies often require misdirection. You fell for our trap, Native."
Stain asked him directly. "Why are you here? Fame? Wealth?"
Native glared at him, "Just to stop you hurting anyone else." It actually impressed the man behind him, not that he could see him.
The noseless man sneered at him. "I don't hurt anyone who is innocent."
He actually fired back, knowing that wasn't true. "That's not true! You hurt Ingenium! Nobody you've gone after deserves to die."
Seemingly amused, the hero killer stated what he saw as "A flaw in your argument... what about the worst of the worst?"
"Convict and make them pay legally."
However, Stain instead, laughed. "They will always get away with the broken system in place... would you die for others?"
Looking down, Native gave it a moments thought, then steeled himself. "I will try my best at all times."
However, Stain seemed to disagree with the answer. "He's avoiding the question. That is enough."
However, his companion seemed to disagree. Actually taking his side on this, as he lowered the blade, and got in front of him. "Hang on, Stain... it is a complex question..."
"No, Allmight would do anything to save a life."
That seemed to piss off the man who was defending himself. "We already discussed this..."
"I will not argue that again!" Stain lunged, pushing past his companion and struck at the hero, injuring him. He then licked the blade, activating his quirk. He was paralyzed, and he knew he was about to die. Damn it... this is how I die...?
The two were about to argue in front of the hero, missing the massive attack starting with buildings exploding and screams filling the air. He was about to ask to let him go help others... when a new hero came into the alley. The armor was nearly unmistakable. Wait... Ingenium...? No... that's his brother from the sports festival!
The boy's statement made the man cringe, realizing that he was just running over to die. "Stain! I will avenge Ingenium!"
And he's mad with revenge... Stain will kill him for sure! "Kid, get out of here! He'll kill you!"
Stain looked at Native with a newer appreciation. "You think words will save you? You can't be a hero like Allmight... so you deserve to die. Just like him, blinded by rage."
As Stain brought the hero student to his knees, the Blade said to Native, "Don't worry. Not everyone can be like Allmight. I'll try to convince him to spare you, since I know you're not corrupt like Slide'n Go or Red Gauntlet." That was not faint praise, especially considering the man he was talking to already had a large reputation for killing heroes he believed were "terrible".
Still confused, he asked, "Thanks...? What do you gain from my life?"
"A good hero out there. Those are hard to come by. Besides... I do need someone with your quirk, even for a moment."
He wants my quirk...? "What..."
He immediately asked, not letting the question escape his lips. "How do you locate people with your quirk?"
Well, there's no harm in telling that, Native supposed. That, and if I help, he may let me go to go help people... "By..."
However, At this time, another challenger arrived... the green haired girl who smashed the sports festival did. Specifically, Izuku's sister, Izumi. "Sorry, I need to deal with this."
"Uh... you're not the one stuck here."
He actually laughed at that, a good sign, "Touché."
Izumi saw the scene and realized she was heavily outmatched. Especially when Techno started to stride towards her. "Izumi."
With nervous energy, she noted who exactly was her enemy: "Y-you..."
Stain pointed his blade at her. "Why are you here, hero?" He held the world in such disdain.
"Izumi?! Leave! Please don't die because of my stupidity!"
At least you learnt your lesson, too late though.
She asked, nervous. Clearly having heard whispers, but nothing else. "Are... are you... him?"
He confirmed it indirectly. If she paid attention to context, she might understand. "Ah... did mater tell you?"
However, Izumi had no clue what the word meant, and never "Uh... who?"
He laughed to himself, "Hah... uneducated puta." To Stain, he stated, "I want to talk with her privately..."
Puta indeed
Damn, whipping out the Spanish Insults!
Oh boy...
LMAOOOO!
Trying not to laugh in class...
However, before he could unpack that last statement, Izumi countered, becoming brave in the face of overwhelming odds. Completely different to how she was before. "No, I have to save them both, no matter what!"
Stain grinned, and Izuku agreed with the question. "Even with the possibility of facing me?"
The armored boy, only now realizing his mistake, pleaded with her. "Please Izumi, Leave! Don't meddle in..."
"Meddling in places where they shouldn't is what a hero does! Allmight taught me that, and if you think I will leave you, you're wrong!"
While Izuku frowned at that being attributed to Allmight of all things, Stain grinned with glee. "Ah... you might be worth leaving alive..."
The Blade sat out, as he didn't want to fight. There was no point, and he had a new plan. It was clear that Stain's contacts failed to reach out to the Yakuza he needed to get in contact with, so he would try a different strategy. To Native, he sighed, "Got unlucky didn't you?"
Confused, he asked, "What...?"
"Saved by children... or they're trying to."
Before he looked like he was tense enough to fight. "Why aren't you attacking?"
Izuku shrugged, "I already explained this, but I always give my opponents the chance to reform. Sensei doesn't. Simple as."
Still not quite getting it, but just accepting his inability to do anything, he just resigned himself, "Ok...?"
He nodded back to the fight, "Besides, I want them to stall for time. Sensei needs to get through his thick skull that this tactic isn't working. And I need to talk to some people."
Native shivered when he realized that he was deceiving his own sensei to get what he wanted.
All's fair in love and war!
Izuku put the Chat aside as Native asked rhetorically, "Are you even a vigilante...?"
However, the pink haired boy clarified, "Just because I strategize, does not make me evil."
There was nothing more to say, as Stain was just defeated by the a combination of Izumi, Ingenium 2.0, and Shoto Todoroki, who had arrived in the interim. Seeing the fight conclude, he clapped slowly. "Well done you three. He needed to learn a lesson... that he isn't always right."
The Todoroki offspring asked, eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"
"First, I apologize to Native. He was following us... and for this." He stood at full height and kicked him in the head, knocking him out.
Shocked, the Ingenium 2.0 asked with horror. "What was that for?"
Techno answered the question. "Well, I wanted a chat with you, Izumi. I don't mind the others here, but him... no, he doesn't need to hear this. Don't worry, he'll be fine." He grinned, eager to push Izumi's buttons a bit. To see where she stood.
Shoto still stood between him and the rest. He was the least injured, so it made sense. However, Izumi asked: "About...?"
"Has Inko told you yet?"
And there was the answer. "Y-Yes..."
"How did you and Toshinori take the news...?"
She fired back, voice in emotional pain. "Do you delight in our suffering?"
"Only if you meant what you said to me."
The other two students were confused. The context of the conversation was absent for them. Shoto was the first to turn to her and ask. "Yagi, what is he talking about?"
Grinning under his mask, he stated outright. "Oh, she didn't tell you? Well, I suppose it's her responsibility then."
Endeavour called out behind them, only just arriving, having been distracted by the burning city, clearly attacked by the League as well as Stain. "HEY, WHAT ARE YOU...? IS THAT STAIN?! AND THE BLADE?!"
"And there are your reinforcements." Izuku grinned.
"Surrender now, Blade!" Endeavour challenged, clearly rearing for a fight.
However, he would be sorely disappointed. "I surrender."
Ingenium was surprised, "Wait, that worked?"
"Come on." He unsheathed his swords and chucked them behind him, showing the truth in his intentions. "Stain would hate me for this, but I frankly don't care what sensei says anymore. I have a schedule to keep, and none of you will stand in my way."