Don't call it a comeback. Seriously don't, I'll cry.

You all seem to like the last chapter, which is great news! It has been a while so I'm taking my time reacclimating to the process so please bear with me. But any and all feedback is appreciated.

Also, I'll happily make a Discord server, but would it be easier to just talk over an existing one? Like aren't there a dozen other fanfic servers? I'm not sure as to the ethics of it, but I'm happy to adapt to whatever's convenient if it means interacting you lovely lot.

Q&A

- Someone said that Deku should be as strong as Mirko with the Sharingan. I have never vehemently disagreed with anyone more. DO YOU INFIDELS NOT REALIZE THAT THICK THIGHS SAVE LIVES?!

- Yes, Koseki Hagane and Ken Ude are Wolfram and Swordkil. I wanted more villains and they have cool powers/designs and zero canon personality, which makes them ripe for exploitation!

- True Cowling is not the Mangekyō Sharingan. Basically, it allows Izuku to regulate the Sharingan's insight and perception the same way he controls Full Cowl. What I liked about Full Cowl in canon is the practicality behind it as opposed to the power-up. It felt refreshing to me so I tried to keep in line with that spirit.

- I would love few things more than to explain my love for the Prequels (holy fuck, I'm pumped for Clone Wars S7) but I don't wanna bog down the intro. It boils down to worldbuilding, the acting (fuck you, I like it), the characters, the music, the memes, the effects, and the story itself. Basically, everything except the dialogue. If you wanna discuss this more, you know how to reach me.

Chapter 21: Setting the Board

Gran Torino zipped around his home, furniture skidding across the damaged tile from the recoil of his jumps, "Try this on for size!" He aimed his heel at Midoriya's face and swung in a wide berth.

Right as the kick was about to land, Izuku moved his head slightly to the left and bent his knees so the attack only barely grazed his fluffy hair. Pivoting immediately, he reached to grab onto his opponent's leg, only for the latter to jet away in a burst of speed.

Perching himself in a fresh crater on his wall, Torino grinned at the boy, "Almost! Two minutes left!" He then rocketed off again.

It had been like this since the prior morning, with Izuku's relentless desire to test out True Cowling's abilities and Torino's sadism pushing the duo to engage in sparring match after sparring match. Of course, repeated practice also allowed the mentor to pick at his student's newfound abilities.

His movements are far more synchronized than they were at the Festival. Plus his reaction time is improved while he's also acting more efficiently and aggressively. This has the makings of a real fighting style! Though… Torino frowned when he saw Izuku stop mid-movement, which ultimately cost him a punch to the gut …he hasn't ironed out the kinks yet.

Soon enough, the timer was nearing its end and Gran Torino decided to have his fun. "Come on, you need to land a solid hit on me for it to count!" He upped his speed and delivered two back-to-back kicks on Midoriya's torso, breaking the boy out of his True Cowling.

Shit! Izuku quickly devised a plan and dove behind the couch.

Gran Torino smirked. So basic! He shot off the opposite wall straight for the sofa, intending to slam it – and by proxy, Midoriya – into the exposed brick behind.

Unfortunately for him, the couch suddenly lifted off the ground as a grinning Midoriya reestablished True Cowling and swung the furniture piece like an oversized baseball bat. Now you try this on for size!

However, the Pro Hero performed a mid-air change in direction and rocketed first onto the ceiling, then onto the wall behind Midoriya, and then finally into his student's side. As he completed his combo, the timer rang, drowning out his student's cry of pain.

Sorry kid, but that's another win for- "Woah!"

Right as the attack landed, Midoriya's glowing aura suddenly brightened. Gran Torino felt a tug on his cape and before he knew it, he was thrown across the room, crashing into the wall with a painful and powerful force. "Agh!" he cried, the wind knocked out him.

Clutching his side, Izuku ran to the elderly man, "S-sorry! I don't know what happened there! That last hit surprised me, and I wasn't thinking and the-" He fell silent once his opponent raised a hand.

Panting heavily, Gran Torino wiped some spittle from his mouth and gingerly rubbed his back, "I haven't been hit like that in a while. What was that?"

Izuku looked himself over and shrugged, "I really don't know. I didn't mean to do anything, it just sorta happened. It was like my body moved…before I could think…" Huh…heard that before.

Cracking his back, Gran Torino mused, "Maybe your body is trying to preemptively respond to the stimuli you pick up with those eyes of yours. React as you perceive instead of stopping to think in between." No wonder his reaction time improved so much; he gets to skip a step compared to the rest of us.

Izuku looked at his hands, "I did notice that True Cowling makes me feel kinda twitchy. Like sometimes I have to keep myself from movin- ow!" Izuku held his head where Gran Torino just rapped him with his cane.

"Why would you do that?! Stop second guessing yourself and just let your body move! Trust your instincts."

"Heh, a friend of mine actually told me that recently." Izuku envisioned his co-Deputy Representative. Oh, I should probably tell her about this, since she helped me develop Full Cowl and all.

"Well it's good advice!" Gran Torino huffed, "Seriously, you can't get in your own way like that...Although, based on that nosebleed, I'm guessing there's some downside to acting on pure instinct."

Izuku raised an eyebrow before wiping his nose, his eyes widening at the red liquid that came back on his hand, "W-what? How'd that happen?" My head sorta hurts too.

"You said your current limit's 5%, right?"

"Y-yeah?" Izuku questioned while leaning his head back and pinching his nostrils.

"On that last hit, you started glowing more than normal. You think you accidently used more of One For All than you can handle?"

Izuku thought for a moment, "I guess it's possible. I used to be able to focus totally on just controlling my output, but now I'm also trying to manage all the jerky movements and the problem of maintaining True Cowling itself. And I'm also having trouble concentrating on strategizing since so much of my focus is on upkeep."

Torino sat down and let out a big sigh, "Hm, so your Quirk works best when you don't think, which itself requires conscious effort since you have, for better and for worse, the most hyperactive brain in the world. Of course, you could closely manage the input and avoid going over your limit while being able to come up with intricate plans, but then you're not fighting at your best...I've got it!"

"Yeah?" Izuku shook with excitement.

"Your life is way too complicated!"

He fell down with exaggerated disappointment. Why did I expect anything else?

Chuckling Gran Torino leaned back, "Well, there's nothing to be done about that. You've only been at this a day and a half or so and your only fighting experience is against an old coot. Maybe if you chose to intern with a hero with a more diverse combat range, you could get better practice in-"

No need to remind me.

"-but it's like most things: consistent and rigorous training over extended periods of time. Just like how you can't expect an amputee to use a prosthetic right off the bat, you need to keep at it and give yourself time. You'll get more comfortable managing it after a while.

"And besides, this is already a significant step up from when you arrived. I mean, One For All already boosts perception to match your enhanced abilities so your Sharingan would've become irrelevant sooner or later. As long as you keep training, your combat potential is borderline unlimited."

Wow, that was actually really good, considered advice!

"Which is why we're going to speed the process up via Phase 2 of the Internship! Put on your supersuit because we're going to fight some villains!"

"W-wait what?!"

Stepping out of the black mist, Tomura Shigaraki grimaced at the sight and smell of the city. Despite spending much of his childhood in waste-ridden alleyways and dingy, infested apartments, there was something about the urban jungle that never failed to revile him. Maybe it was the concentrated masses of people living their lives that disturbed him so. Maybe it was the fact that so many of them were happy, seemingly content to live their lives in the society that so plagued his mind. However, he reminded himself how inconsequential his momentary disgust was.

After all, they'd all be dead soon enough.

"So this is Hosu? Pretty loud for a hub world."

In front of him and Kurogiri, the Hero Killer rolled his neck and shoulders, "This city is the latest to be reformed. By the time my work is finished, I'll be that much closer to a just society. But first…" He thumbed his new sword and freshly cleaned auxiliary blades, "I need to tear the old one down."

Stain turned to face his 'allies', "You said you wanted to destroy the status quo. Let this be a lesson to you: until those self-serving brutes are nothing more than a bloodstain on my boot, until the people wake up and realize the cancer that plagues them, our work is never done." He then jumped off the roof and began his hunt.

"Ugh, what a pompous prick." Shigaraki scratched his neck out of annoyance and boredom more than anything else, "He's like an essential NPC that doesn't do anything but has two lines of dialogue on repeat."

Kurogiri responded, "I can't speak to your simile, but he's far from trivial. Aside from his effect on the populace's psyche, he's proven to statistically decrease petty crime wherever he goes. And it's already shown that decreases in crime tend to be correlated with increased hero activity, both in number and average cases solved."

Tomura spat, "First of all, nice info dump. Secondly, you've just proved my point! We don't need someone who makes heroes better! Should've just killed him when I had the chance. Now I'll have to settle for my mobs."

On cue, three hulking, misshapen figures stepped out of a giant portal. The largest one was entirely black with red scars and lacked a skull, his entire head consisting of a jaw and exposed brain. The middle-sized one was yellow had a gas mask attached to his mouth and a set of giant wings on his back. The smallest one was only slightly larger than a man of All Might's size, but what he lacked in stature compared to his brothers, he made up for in eyes – of which he had four.

"You three go have fun. Civilians, heroes, it doesn't matter…maybe not pets. But otherwise, feel free to destroy whatever you want." Shigaraki grinned behind his father's hand as his minions descended into the cityscape. Alright Hero Killer, let's have a little competition. Who can have the best Zerg Rush?

Koseki stood atop a water tower, idly swinging his feet off the edge. All he said was show up at night…it's Japan! Night starts at 5 o'clock!

"Oi, Koseki! I brought snacks!" Ken called from the roof below, holding up a convenience store bag.

Smiling, Hagane tapped the water tower, a glow emanating from his fingertips. The walls of the giant metal cylinder warped beneath his touch, corrugating upon themselves to form a series of rungs like a unibody ladder, "You get any booze?"

Ube chuckled as he pulled himself up and over onto the rounded metal dome, "I don't think the advance payment would cover that. Maybe once we finish the job, we can hit up a bar and do it properly."

"Tsk." Koseki frowned and tapped the tower again, restoring the leg back to its smooth state, "I hate being broke."

"Look at the bright side, you've never been rich." Ken handed his friend a canned tea.

Koseki cracked the lid and drank deeply, "How is that a bright side?"

"Maybe you'd hate that too. And then you'd be disappointed!"

"I doubt it."

"You never know. Best to stick to what you do."

"So we should keep running jobs for thugs and yakuza?" Hagane munched on a strawberry mochi.

"I prefer to see it as establishing a solid working relationship among peers and colleagues. And besides, the new guys are a cut above the rest! You know what I call that?"

"No, but you're gonna tell me regar-"

Ube waved his hands around so much his drink spilled everywhere from the can, "Upward mobility! We're living the dream, you and I!"

"I'm pretty sure that's what you said when we jacked that Detnerat truck."

"Was that not living the dream?"

"All the support items exploded."

"While we were walking away from it! That's the shit that only happens in movies!"

"Except it was in my garage."

"And remember that article I sent you about the dangers of materialism? Honestly, what would you do without me?"

"Have a home?"

"It was an abandoned warehouse and you know it."

The two old friends continued their banter until an explosion went off several blocks away, creating a shockwave that sent their ears ringing. Almost instantly, the sound of people screaming and running filled the air, with the sirens following soon after.

"Jeez, what was that?!" Ken gingerly held his hands on his head.

Hagane tapped the tower, causing the metal walls to fold into shallow rungs again, "The client said there'd be a signal. That might be his way of sending it."

Nursing his ears still, Ken snickered, "Am I just supposed to ignore that you called some mob boss a 'client'? When'd you get so uppity?"

"Aside from the fact that his guy's clearly no mob boss, it's just like you said, Ken." Koseki turned to face his friend as he climbed down his makeshift and impromptu ladder, "We're moving up in the world." He landed in a perfect crouch before tapping the water tower, so it returned to its original smoothness

"H-hey, what about me?" Ube sweatdropped, unwilling to jump the twenty or so feet straight down.

Koseki didn't say anything but he pointed to his forearm, then to his temple and then to his friend. He then tapped the concrete of the roof, summoning a pillar from the metallic elements within to send him rocketing onto the roof of the next building.

With Ken, it took a moment for the epiphany to set in, "Oh right. Cause general mayhem and terrorize the citizenry. Nice."

Poking his right arm through the handles of their snack bag, he activated his Quirk, his left-hand warping into a conical silvery blade. He then jumped off of the tower before thrusting his arm into the metal walls, whatever resistance they offered only sufficient to slow his descent but helpless against his attack. forming a gash in the tower. From the tear he created in the container, a torrent of water erupted out, spraying onto the already-panicking people below. Heh, now their socks'll be soaked. God, I'm bad.

He was feeling fairly proud of himself too, until the entire south face of the nearby apartment complex sheared off courtesy of his friend.

Tsk. Show off.

Manual panted as he ran through the city, doing his best to direct citizens towards shelter and designated safety zones. Dammit! Why now? Why here?! "Iida, can you move ahead and see if there's anyone who needs assistance moving?"

"Yes sir." Iida dashed forward, keeping at a lower gear to maintain his agility as he weaved through the crowd, quickly scanning the frightened masses for any injured, elderly, or otherwise unable. "Manual, we have someone confined to a wheelchair and a grandparent with their grandchild."

"W-wait, this is my son!"

"Carry the family to me and then double-back for the wheelchair!"

"Seriously, I'm only 40!" The 'grandmother' protested as Iida hoisted both her and her child onto his shoulders before running back towards Manual and the line he was forming around the danger.

Manual helped them down and quickly ushered them back, "Seriously, how'd this happen so fast? Is it some sort of gas explosion?"

Iida didn't wait around to answer since he ran back for the other victim. Maybe…does he have something to do with this? Pushing the wheelchair back at record speed, much to its occupant's delight, he turned around again to move further towards the site of the earlier explosion, "I'll go ahead to scout then."

Manual thumbs-upped as his intern sped away before he immediately felt a chill on his spine. Why do I feel like that was the wrong call?

With the speedster, Iida zoomed through the alleys and corners of the city, glancing every which way for any people in need of assistance. In the distance, he spotted a small group of people moving irregularly. They're probably injured. I'll get to the sites Manual told me about!

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Iida saw a figure standing in the darkness of an alley, his silhouette only barely visible in the twilight. But in his heart of hearts, Iida knew who it was.

The Hero Killer scoffed as the sound of more explosions and panic spread throughout the city. "That idiot…does he have to be so flashy?" Turning back to his latest victim, the trembling Pro 'Hero' Native currently clutching his bleeding side with one hand and the arm around his throat with the other, Stain smirked, "Even as far as local heroes go, you were probably the weakest in a while. But still," he paused as they locked eyes, Native inhaling sharply as best he could from the sensation, "…it seems you're also not the worst of the bunch."

Stain used his free hand to grab his pointiest and most robust knife off his belt, "I'll make this quick."

"Y-you…bastard…" Native croaked through the suffocation, his eyes already glazed and red.

But before Stain could drive the blade through Native's forehead, he saw a flicker of movement on his periphery. Acting with trained skill and reflex, he released his grip on Native, jumped back, and spun counterclockwise, delivering two back-to-back kicks that sent his assailant flying down the alley and knocked off his white helmet. Every time with these speed-types. Momentum's as much a weapon against you as it is to me.

The newcomer scrambled to his feet and glared at him, "You! Red scarf, raggedy costume and a dozen blades. You're the Hero Killer!"

He's young. Late teens at most. "What do you want kid? I'm a little busy at the moment," he said, gesturing to Native, who was nursing his throat and wound.

Tenya stared daggers at his opponent, his body shaking with rage, "You attacked my brother! Y-you…you ruined his life!"

"Heh, I've ruined a lot of lives. You'll need to be more specific."

Iida suddenly saw red and felt a sting in his pupils, followed by a dull ache in the base of his skull, "Ah!" He clutched his head and shut his eyes in pain. What was that? His quirk?!

"Hmm, so Ingenium's your brother? There is a resemblance, I suppose. But I'm surprised he lived! I didn't give him enough credit then." There was the sound of a sword unsheathing, "But you…you came here with vengeance in your heart. It was never about saving this guy," he jerked his thumb towards the fallen hero, "because all you care about is settling the score. But you're young so I'll be nice: Leave. Now."

Iida got into position and grit his teeth, all sense of reason gone, "Leave? Don't you dare patronize me! I am the last standing son of the Iida family and in the name of the hero Ingenium, I will make you pay!" With a roar, he took off, fire streaming from his exhausts.

"You will try." Stain quickly looked to Native, "Sleep!" As soon as the hero slumped over, the former jumped into a spinning downward slash, his blade twirling through the air in a brilliant silver arc.

Iida slid at the last second, skidding under the attack before using his hands to slow down while his feet pivoted, allowing him to line up a perfect Reverse Axe kick. However, right as he looked up at his target, he found his face well-acquainted with the Hero Killer's boot, the spikes tearing into his flesh with painful ease.

"Gah!" Iida yelped and scampered back, attempting to create distance, only for Stain to burst forward with explosive speed, seize his hair, and throw him headfirst into the alleyway brick. Before he could even register his pain, a series of earth-shattering hooks sent Iida reeling, blood quickly pooling from his nose and mouth.

These reflexes! This speed! The ferocity! He's inhuman for sure! Then Iida remembered his brother's broken body lying in the hospital, his haunted expression persisting for hours, the terrified whispers refusing to grant anyone in the room a semblance of peace. "Recipro-"

Stain suddenly raised his eyebrow, feeling uncertain in the wake of this new variable.

"-Burst!" Iida's engines roared to life as bright blue flames propelled his legs into the Hero Killer's side, kicking the assassin into the opposing wall. "This is for Tensei!" Charging forward, Iida buried his foot into the wall, blowing through the brick with ease.

Unfortunately, his target was in a different location entirely, "Your brother tried that too. Didn't work for him."

Iida turned in time for an uppercut to catch his chin. Flailing wildly to avoid falling, he used the last of his Recipro Burst for a sweeping hook kick aimed right at Stain's torso, only to go right through him. W-what?!

"Heh, so blinded by rage. It's almost too easy." Stain suddenly appeared to Iida's left, sweeping his smoking and overheated legs while stabbing a sword straight through his shoulder and into the ground below.

Tenya bellowed in pain, his left arm screaming from the roughly hewn blade. He created an illusion?! What is he?

"I hear people screaming in the background. You could've gone to save them instead of confronting me. Hell, you could've even tried to grab Native and make a break for it. But instead, you decided to prioritize your own childish emotions over the needs of others." Stain growled, slamming his hand next to Iida's head, "Someone like you doesn't deserve the air you breath!

"So I'll put a stop to that."

They locked eyes closely.

Iida felt a crushing weight in his chest.

H-how is that…

Fifteen Minutes Earlier

"You kids are always playing on those damn phones. Look out the window for once and enjoy the scenery! Only another hour or so to Shibuya!" Gran Torino huffed, lightly knocking his cane against Izuku's leg.

"Oh, sorry. One of my friends is in Hosu and since we're passing him by, I wanted to send him a quick message." Though he hasn't responded to me in forever. Izuku pocketed his phone and rubbed his knees, which wasn't very effective through his leg guards and gloves.

Speaking of which, "You know, that costume's pretty plain. I would've thought you'd go for something…I don't know…flashier?" Gran Torino rubbed his chin, thinking back to All Might's early multi-colored ensembles.

"W-well, my mom actually designed the jumpsuit for me, so I wanted to keep it in line with that." Although the darker green and black is certainly an improvement. Izuku ran his hands over his new suit again, smiling at the tougher feel and more complex design. The mask is a big step up too! The replacement I got for myself after UJSJ didn't even work. "But are you sure we'll see many villains on patrol? For one, we're getting there so late and- wait, also what time are we getting back?"

Shrugging, Gran Torino said, "We'll get back whenever we get back. Worst case scenario, we sleep in the station while we wait for the first train."

That won't attract weird looks.

"But as for the villains, nighttime tends to be the best time for incidents. The big stuff tends to happen during the day, sure. But for agile heroes like us, we can dip around tight alleys and rooftops to find all the skeevy sort that only play in the shadows."

Just then, an explosion sounded in the distance and the train braked sharply, sending Izuku tumbling while the more experienced Pro smoothly leapt onto his seat, "The hell?"

The automated announcer spoke, "Please remain seated. The train is making an emergency stop. Please remain sea-"

The voice cut out as a giant figure burst through the side of the train, sending many other passengers flying. It was a tall and lanky figure, with gray-green skin, four wide eyes and an exposed brain.

Izuku felt his blood chill. N-n-nomu?! In Hosu?! He looks different but that…that's definitely his cousin or something! So the League of Villains is here?

Acting quickly, Gran Torino rocketed onto the ceiling and then into the beast, knocking them both through the hole it created with a headbutt, "Don't move, kid!"

The teenager was too stunned to hear, but then he remembered two crucial facts: firstly, he technically defeated the Nomu at USJ – albeit with a Chidori to end all Chidori. Secondly, and more importantly, Nomu was brainless and therefore susceptible to his hypnosis ability.

"Everyone, please stay in your seats!" Izuku cried as he moved towards the giant hole, the green glow of True Cowling enveloping his body as the tomoe spun into place in the emerald headlights he called eyes. Spotting the diminutive hero speeding around the foe on a nearby street, Izuku jumped off the tracks onto the closest building and skid alongside the wall to the ground.

Gran Torino barked, "I said to wait!" He jet around the Nomu, easily avoiding its sluggish and animalistic swings.

Izuku apologized, "Sorry, but I think I can help!" This one seems a lot weaker than the other Nomu. He's slower too. But all that matters is… He jumped between Gran Torino and the Nomu and locked eyes with the latter. Feeling the familiar pressure behind his retina, he focused his mind on a single command, "Stop!"

The Nomu instantly froze, the Sharingan reflected in his eyes. Izuku smiled as his hypnosis succeeded. Hey, now the Sharingan's green! True Cowling just gets better and better! "Now stop fighting and stay here." Nomu's arms went limp at his side and he slumped over, completely immobile.

"…huh." Gran Torino slowly walked up to his student's side before patting his back, "Well done. Now let's go."

"W-well done?!" Genuine praise! How I've missed you. Izuku felt his heart clench before the second sentence set in, "Wait, I get to come with you?"

Scoffing, Gran Torino beckoned him, "Well duh! If you can stop that thing in its tracks, then of course you're coming! Jeez, I didn't know you could hypnotize the damn thing! How long have you had that trick?"

"Like a month or so. I used it on the Nomu at the USJ and managed to get it to back off." And against Kaminari but that didn't really work out for me, I guess.

"Damn, you really should've picked someone else to intern under! I don't have any tricks for mind control!"

You're telling me.

"But hurry up then! We can't be sure there aren't more like this one so we need to get a move on."

"Oh god, please don't say that." My ribs hurt just thinking about them.

They ran towards the sounds of sirens and explosions, and past several civilians, eventually arriving at a city square of sorts filled with fire and Heroes alike. Oh, and a giant Nomu that bore an eerie resemblance to the one that caved in Midoriya's chest.

Two ninja-like heroes jumped into the air and fired a barrage of shuriken at the monster, but they simply ricocheted off its iron-like skin. Roaring, the Nomu swiped up, sending a blast of wind into the air that knocked the heroes aside.

To the side, a hero cursed, "He's too damn strong!"

Another one started charging, his bull-like horns at the ready, "Then we charge him together!"

"We're up kid!" Gran Torino barked, shooting forward, "Clear the way, he can hypnotize it!" Izuku ran forward in tandem, already focusing. Just gotta make eye contact!

Unfortunately for all of them, it was too little too late since the Nomu decided to slam its fists into the ground, creating a shockwave that sent everyone flying back in a cascade of rubble. Izuku rolled painfully along the ground, True Cowling fading. Well that could've gone better.

The dust slowly cleared, revealing the Nomu was nowhere in sight. A hero in a green-and-white jumpsuit with a red bandana shouted, "Where'd it go?! I can't see!" Behind her, a large shadow moved.

Next to her, Manual's eyes widened as he moved quickly to grab her out of harm's way, "Behind you!"

Gran Torino rocketed forward as fast as he could. Dammit!

Just then, a red blur burst forth and slammed into the Nomu, sending it crashing past the Pros and into a building far away. "Heh, see that Shoto? Let your Quirk build and release it in short spurts for particularly explosive speed and power."

Izuku's jaw dropped as the herculean frame of Endeavor came into view, orange flames billowing from his face and torso so brightly, it drowned out the fires around them. And closely behind the Number 2 Hero was none other than, "Todoroki?!"

Shoto turned in surprise, his eyes widening, "Midoriya? Why are you here?" He walked over to his classmate and offered a hand, pulling him off the ground.

"Thanks. We were going to Shibuya, but our train got attacked by another Nomu."

He nodded, "So that really was a Nomu. I guess the League's here too."

One of the Pros panicked upon overhearing their conversation, "Wait, there's another one?"

Izuku waved his hands frantically, "Don't worry, we took it down! I can hypnotize them!"

At that moment, the four-eyed Nomu burst from the side, knocking several heroes back.

"Oh, come on!" Did hypnosis wear off when I deactivated True Cowling?

In a flash, Endeavor was there, wrestling with the smaller Nomu before throwing it into the air and launching a flaming javelin that connected with its abdomen, "That'll take care of that."

Unfortunately, the Nomu suddenly tensed its body and fired an identical javelin from where it was injured that exploded upon contact with the ground, sending dust and debris everywhere.

"Dammit! It can reflect attacks?" Endeavor growled.

Todoroki added, "The one at USJ could regenerate too."

On cue, the larger Nomu burst forth from the building it crashed into, punching straight for Endeavor. The latter blocked it with his palm and used his other hand to knock the former into the ground before stomping down with a fiery jet. As the smaller Nomu landed, Endeavor quickly formed a giant fireball and launched it at its feet, sending it back with the explosive force of the impact.

"Woah…" So this is the power of the Number 2 Hero up close.

Whatever awe Midoriya felt was quickly squashed when Todoroki commented, "Hey, isn't that Manual? The hero Iida was studying under?"

"…eh?" Izuku's eyes bulged as he realized Todoroki was right, "Wait, so where's Iida?" Manual's looking around frantically too…oh no.

"The Hero Killer was last seen in Hosu, right? Where Iida just decided to go work at?"

Todoroki nodded, sweat dripping down his temple.

"The League of Villains is attacking right now…you think the Hero Killer is working with them?"

"I don't really believe in coincidences."

Crap. "I don't think I'm much help with your da…Endeavor here. You wanna come with me?"

"Already on the move." Todoroki swiftly used his right foot to generate a propelling stream of ice. Trailing closely behind, Izuku sped along with his reactivated True Cowling.

Gran Torino looked up from his foes to yell at his intern, "Hey! Get back here!"

Similarly, Endeavor called after his son, "Shoto! Where are you going?!"

The students simultaneously retorted, "Our friend needs our help!"

Damned kid! Gran Torino tried to speed after them but was blocked by a web-like arrangement made up of the four-eyed Nomu's tongue. Oh, that's disgusting in every way.

A large pair of flaming hands fearlessly seized the tongue and pulled it – and the Nomu – in for a bone-shattering haymaker, "Honored elder, I don't know your name, but you should go help any civilians left in the area. Shoto can handle himself."

"Tsk, I'm going to beat that kid into submission." Gran Torino sped off with some of the other heroes while Endeavor stared down his foes with a wide smile.

Chuckling, he cracked his knuckles while the Nomu charged forth. This is where the fun begins!

Shigaraki growled as he watched the Number 2 Hero take on two of his Nomu simultaneously, "Goddammit! Of all people, Endeavor just decides to take a stroll through Hosu?! And that fucking UA brat was there too!" He'd recognize that green mop of hair anywhere. This is really pissing me off!

Kurogiri watched silently from behind, unwilling to try and stop his master's tantrum. It's wildly unlucky for Endeavor to be here, but those students headed off in Stain's direction. Perhaps he'll wipe them out and brighten Tomura's mood.

Suddenly, Shigaraki tensed up before cackling wildly, "Haha! Kurogiri, I have an idea!"

Oh, I have a bad feeling about this. "What is it, Tomura Shigaraki?"

"Hehe." He turned around, flashing his manic smile behind the mask, "How about we bring in an old friend to even the odds a bit?"

"T-Tomura, that's hardly necessary given th-"

"Hey, hey now. Don't go acting all disobedient right before I have my fun." Tomura flexed his fingers for emphasis, "Bring me the Boss Nomu. Now."

Wordlessly, Kurogiri opened another portal, this time bringing forth a large black Nomu with several red scars and a long, sharp beak. His 'skull' was now encased in a clear case, a bright red splotch visible on the brain where it was previously destroyed. He sported new black wings that he stretched out to their entire twenty-foot wingspan, as if testing them for the first time, which he technically was.

"Alright Nomu, there's a super-strong miniboss down there. It's time for some redemption. Kill him! And then find the kid from last time and turn him into paste!"

"Y-yessss…m-massssterrrr," Nomu croaked before taking flight in a violent leap.

"So you know where we're going?" Todoroki asked as he weaved between streets.

Izuku nodded, his eyes rapidly scanning the area for life signs, "The Hero Killer tends to stick to deserted areas with blind corners that facilitate sneak attacks. We just have to search all of the back alleys near the fighting and we'll…" Found him!

Jumping off the smooth pavement road, Izuku quickly bounced between the walls of a nearby alley before delivering a powerful haymaker to the Hero Killer's skull. Skidding to a halt while his target was sent flying, he looked down at his friend's body, "Iida!"

Tenya Iida was sprawled out, his right shoulder impaled by a short sword that likely extended into the ground. His face was bruised and bloodied, the helmet he wore likely discarded somewhere else. However, his eyes were half-lidded, with only the whites and a small part of the iris visible, "M-Midoriya?! And is that Todoroki?"

Sliding in, the latter instantly started steaming, his left side melting away at the frost that built up, "So you did go after the Hero Killer after all…"

Izuku looked at the latter, who was slowly standing up after being sent reeling from the full-force cross. That's the man who's killed and injured dozens of heroes! The most dangerous serial killer of our time!

Stain rubbed the back of his skull and growled at the newcomers, "You know, I don't like being disrupted. Especially twice." He just had to go for the blind spot, too.

Twice? Looking to the side, Izuku felt his stomach drop at the sight of another hero in Native. Crap, I was hoping to just grab Iida and run! "Todoroki, you think you can carry Iida or Native?"

Eyeing both the adult and the teen in full body armor, the heterochromic teen shook his head, "Unlikely."

Dammit. So we have to fight.

Iida grunted through the pain, "Midoriya, Todoroki…why are you-"

"We'll save you, don't worry!" Izuku activated True Cowling, ready to fight.

On the other side of the field, Stain tensed up, "Huh? How is that possible?"

"W-what?" Izuku cocked his head in confusion.

Behind him, Todoroki inhaled sharply, "Midoriya, look at Iida's eyes."

Carefully walking back, not taking his gaze off of Stain, Izuku glanced at his friend momentarily before flicking back when his jaw dropped.

Iida's eyes were normally blue, and yet they now appeared red with the pupil outlined by three black lines curving in a shuriken-like shape. Iida groaned, "H-he paralyzed me somehow…b-but his Quirk…it looks just like yours, Midoriya!"

Staring back at Stain, Izuku felt his blood run cold as Recovery Girl's words appeared in his thoughts.

"Your Quirk is caused by a recurring mutation. It's almost like convergent evolution."

Of all people…him?! The Hero Killer has the Sharingan?!

Stain's expression was shocked, but that didn't stop him from walking towards his new opponents, red eyes glowing ethereally in the night, "This day just keeps getting more interesting. To think I'd meet someone like me."

GASP WHAT A TWIST

God, that was probably the biggest reason I updated. I had that twist in the bag since last June and it was killing me not to write that out. I mean a couple of you saw it coming so it's not that twisty, I guess. Also probably not that well written but whatcha' gonna do?

As always, please let me know all you thoughts, comments, and concerns about the story or anything I listed in the top AN.

See you all (hopefully) soon