Short update time, am I right? Well, now you're going to see how the conflict with the Hero Killer finishes.

Now that the esper was able to join in the fight, he extended his hand forward, but as he did, he felt the sharp pain in his left shoulder. He'd spent so much time focusing on activating his powers that it helped him ignore it, but now it was beginning to come back to him. No, he had to keep on fighting! Pain was no excuse to stand on the sidelines!

As the Hero Killer sliced Midoriya's leg and swallowed the blood, he dodged another volley of fire, but as he did, he began to feel his body tense up. Something was restraining him! He looked forward and saw Kageyama with his arm stretched out and an aura around him.

"So you've regained some of your power," the villain said, "Well-" The Hero Killer focused his strength to overpower the esper's hold on him, and with only moderate effort, was able to break free of Shigeo's psychic power, shocking everyone watching.

"You're going to need more power than that to stop me!" Stain dodged another shot of fire from Todoroki, while the esper grunted with more frustration. Once Todoroki finished his fire attack and launched a volley of ice, Kageyama went more on the offensive. He lunged forward and attempted to strike a jab on the villain's cheek, but Stain was able to easily avoid it.

"You've increased your speed too, but it's still not enough, and your movements are still too predictable!" The villain swung at the esper with another small blade, slashing him through his right arm and causing Shigeo to once again yell out in pain. Shoto summoned another volley of ice, but Stain still avoided the attack. The Hero Killer prepared to bring the small blade to his mouth, but Shigeo used his telekinesis to move the blade out of his hand and send it into the wall. Stain's lips curved downward: so the child could move things with his mind as well. He could see why this child relied on his quirk so heavily if it could be used in so many different ways. That would make this fight more difficult than anticipated.

While this was happening, the tears in Iida's eyes began to grow larger, as he watched his friends continue to fight the Hero Killer.

"You have to run," Iida said in a pleading voice that was barely above a whisper.

The dual quirk-wielding teenager grunted. "You wanna make your brother proud, don't you! Then stand up and be Ingenium! Become the hero he wanted you to be!"

This statement rung the deepest for Tenya, and the teenager could no longer hold back his tears. Watching his friends continue fighting for him, bleeding for his sake, risking their lives for his safety, and what did he do? He was just sitting on the ground because he recklessly went after Stain by himself, wanting to use his brother's name to take revenge on the man who hurt him, too focused on enacting this vengeance to help anyone else. It was then that it dawned upon him the veracity of Stain's words. These three were different from him: Tenya was nothing compared to any of them. Even so, that didn't mean he would just stand there and do nothing!

These thoughts were running through the teenager's mind while Shigeo and Shoto were combating the Hero Killer. The esper was dealing with the growing pain from his flesh wounds while his friend continued launching his fire and ice attacks. He was also trying to muster up even more energy if he could, coming to the conclusion that he needed more power than this to overcome the Hero Killer. He tried to use his emotions as fuel again, his aura surrounding him. Mob could do better than this!

10%

Shigeo felt that this was the most energy his psychic power could offer him at the moment, but hopefully it would be enough. The Hero Killer lunged for the esper, but Mob lifted his hand up and immobilized him. Stain could feel that the power surrounding him was more intense than before. Shigeo followed up with his attack and proceeded to slam the villain into the wall. Stain let out a small yelp of pain, but Mob repeated the action, slamming him between two walls so that he collided with the walls a total of four times.

"DAMN IT!" Stain yelled with frightening vice, and he used all the strength he had to break free of the esper's grip. As soon as he did, he kicked Mob in the stomach with enough force to cough up some blood and sent him flying back several meters, but Shigeo used his telekinesis to stop himself, and he stood right beside Todoroki.

Stain was beginning to get a better and better picture of the threat the esper posed: he had to focus his efforts on him to try and take him out of this fight. And he knew just the way to do it.

The Hero Killer sprinted forward at full speed, momentarily catching both teenagers off-guard. As he got closer, it became apparent that Stain was targeting Kageyama, so the esper brought his aura out and prepared to stop the foe again with his telekinesis. But then, Stain made an unexpected move and threw a knife at Todoroki. Shigeo saw that the knife was aimed for his friend's head and would deal lasting damage, so he extended his hand and stopped the knife with his telekinesis. Alas, this was exactly the reaction that Stain had anticipated, and as Shigeo was distracted with the knife, the villain brought his blade forward and attempted to sever the arm from the esper's body.

"KAGEYAMA!"

Unfortunately for the Hero Killer, it just so happened that Iida's time limit had finally expired, and he was able to move his body again. He had abandoned his desire to get vengeance on his brother's attacker, and now, the teenager was filled with a new determination: to stand tall and defend his friends from this villain, to live up to his brother's name and bear the title "Ingenium" with pride.

"Recipro Burst!"

Tenya was able to use his amazing speed to save Mob and react more quickly that Shoto could, breaking the blade in half before following up with a powerful side kick, sending the villain back several meters. Stain was barely able to defend against the teenager's kick, noting his high speed.

"So you're free too," said Todoroki, "Guess his quirk isn't as amazing as I thought it was."

"Todoroki, Midoriya, Kageyama, this has nothing to do with you. I apologize."

"Come on, Iida, this again?" the esper said, agitated by his friend's desire to get them to leave.

"I'm ok, but I won't let the three of you shed any more blood for me." Iida lifted his head up to look at his friends, and when he did, Shigeo could see there was something different in him. The burning hatred in his eyes he'd seen before had vanished, just as Mob had been hoping for, and now Iida was ready to stand up and fight alongside his friends.

The Hero Killer, however, was not dazzled or convinced of Iida's actions or sudden change of heart. "It's no use trying to pretend you're a hero now. A person's true nature doesn't change in just a few minutes. You'll never be anything but a fraud who prioritizes his own desires! You're the sickness that's infected society and ruined the name "hero"! Someone must teach you a lesson!"

"You're wrong!" Mob absolutely refused to accept what the Hero Killer was saying. "Do you see the same boiling look of hatred in his eyes as before, because I don't! Look, it might be true that what Iida did wasn't the right thing to do, that he shouldn't have ignored the other hero who was in trouble, but we've helped him see that, all three of us. By being there to protect him, to speak to him, we managed to get through to our friend. Through those words and actions, we reminded him of the kind of person he wants to be, the faith Ingenium has in him as a human. Because of that, Iida was able to overcome his desire for revenge, and he was able to change."

The other three friends were put off by the esper's words, Todoroki especially since he hadn't seen Kageyama talk to Stain before. "And that's the way we should try to change society. If we work towards finding people who're on the wrong path, we can be there to help steer them on the right one. We can all lift each other up, no one is worthless."

The Hero Killer's body began to shake with indignation, the grip on his broken blade tightening. "Be quiet, child. Do not say another word..."

"Proof that change is possible is standing right in front of you, so why don't you accept it? Why don't you believe that people can change?"

"BECAUSE I'VE ALREADY WASTED MY TIME TRYING TO CHANGE OTHERS!" The Hero Killer's fierce voice echoed through the alleyway, and the teenagers all stood silent. Stain had enough of Mob's incessant prattling, and partly taking inspiration from the esper, decided to shed light on why he started this crusade.

"When I was growing up, the one person that stood out to me more than anything was All Might, the number one hero. I saw this man, the shining Symbol of Peace who used his power to usher in an era of peace, whose only interest was the well-being of the citizens, and who brought hope to the nation. I wanted to be a hero just like him, someone strong who use their powers to help people, and so I enrolled at a private hero school. When I went, I was excited, hoping to see other like-minded individuals who bore the same conviction as me, but I was sorely mistaken. All the students enrolled their were interested solely in the money, the glory that would come with being a hero. Not a single person there wanted to help society.

"I was disgusted by what I saw, the way people had become corrupted, so I dropped out of that school, and I went out on the streets. I tried to get people to realize that a hero was someone who acted only in the interests of other people, that a hero was someone who risked their life for the sake of others, who earned that word through their actions and their conviction, and that those who took that title with only themselves in mind were wrong." The Hero Killer's fists tightened, and his gaze went to the ground.

"But I accomplished NOTHING. I changed NO ONE. It was then that I understood that words were futile, that the only way society would see the error of its ways was through action, to cull the false heroes who've infected society with their selfishness and hypocrisy."

The Hero Killer looked back up into Mob's eyes, and he could feel a growing intensity surrounding Stain. "You have no understanding of the selfishness and greed burned into the human heart, the impossibility of removing that darkness from the soul! There are the few worthy heroes such as you and your two friends who have earned that title through self-sacrifice and nobility, but this society is mired with too many hypocrites, corrupting society and ruining the name "hero"! That is why I will continue my purge!" The intensity of Stain's aura continued to grow, and his voice became louder, his hatred becoming more and more apparent.

"I will not rest until the word "hero" has been reclaimed, and I will fight however many heroes it takes to accomplish that goal! The only man who has permission to stop me is All Might, for he is worthy!"

All of the teenagers were frozen for a brief period, the aura exuding from the villain overwhelming them. The first one to recover from this shock was Mob, who had taken in everything that the Hero Killer had said. Stain was doing this because he truly believed that words were useless, that there was no other way to change society, and that the people he viewed as evil were irredeemable. But that wasn't true! Kageyama DID understand the selfishness of a person's heart, how deep it ran in their soul. But despite that, there had been so many people who Kageyama had managed to change, who seemed as though they were hopeless! Even Suzuki, the most selfish and depraved person he'd come across, had managed to change in the end! And Kageyama wasn't the saint that Stain thought he was! The time spent in Mogami's world showed Mob who he could have become, how much he needed other people to help him become a good person! If there was only some way to show him this...

"I've got it!" The esper felt a light bulb go off in his head, and he shook his two friends out of their frozen states. "You guys, I think I have an attack that's going to do the trick!"

It took Todoroki and Iida a few seconds to regain their voices. "You-you do?" Todoroki said.

"Yes, but I'm gonna need time to charge it!"

"How much time do you need?" asked Iida.

"Twenty, maybe thirty seconds! I know it's a risk, but you have to trust me!"

The Hero Killer rushed toward the three teenagers, but Todoroki fired another burst of flames at the Hero Killer, forcing him to jump up and dodge.

"Ok, we'll do what we can," replied Todoroki, "But hurry!"

Shoto didn't need to say that twice: Shigeo's energy enveloped him, though that energy was being channeled into his palm. The teenagers believed that Kageyama was preparing some sort of final attack, using all the energy he could to deliver the final blow to the Hero Killer, but they were mistaken. Unbeknownst to them, Kageyama was actually infusing this attack with his memories: the esper had realized that the only possible way that Stain could understand what Mob was talking about was if he saw it himself. If he could see what he'd gone through, see the people Mob had changed and the ways that others had changed Mob, then he'd understand.

Shigeo knew this was a big risk: doing this could likely mean exposing the truth about Mob to this villain and potentially his other friends as well, and there was the possibility that Stain wouldn't believe the visions he saw, but the esper knew there was no other choice! In Shigeo's eyes, changing someone was more important than keeping his secret, and if there was even a slim chance that Kageyama could do something to change the Hero Killer, that the villain could learn from Shigeo's experiences and the people he'd changed, then he would take that chance without hesitation!

Todoroki continued his attacks of ice and fire, managing to stall the Hero Killer effectively. Iida attempted to jump back into action and defend Shigeo, but his engines weren't following his commands. Was it because of that kick he just landed? Did it break the radiator?

"You're in the way!" The Hero Killer threw one of his knives at Kageyama, who was too focused on channeling his energy to stop it, but Iida jumped in front of the psychic, blocking the knife with his arm.

"Why won't you stay down?!" Stain threw another knife, but Iida stopped it again with his arm.

"Thank you, Iida!" The esper was grateful for the help of his two friends: thanks to them, his final attack was ready. "It's ready!"

The Hero Killer jumped back on the ground, putting up his guard, for he knew that this child's final attack would likely be the finishing blow. Shigeo lunged forward, the rainbow-colored ball of energy swirling brightly in his hand.

"You never learn, do you?" the villain said, believing the esper to be repeating his same basic attack pattern. But Shigeo had learned his lesson: only a few feet away from Stain, Mob made a sudden movement to the side. The Hero Killer gasped, as did everyone else in the alleyway. Shigeo was using his telekinesis to move rapidly and unpredictably, mimicking Hanazawa's movements during their first fight. The increased speed that came with 10% of Shigeo's power and his new movements caught Stain off-guard, giving Mob just the opening he needed.

The psychic blitzed toward the Hero Killer and unleashed the ball of energy at the villain's head. The ball of energy burst into a brilliant flash of rainbow colors as it surrounded the villain's head.

All of a sudden, the scene in front of the Hero Killer disappeared. All of the heroes he'd been fighting just now were gone: in it's place, there was a school. There were multiple muscular teenagers wearing some sort of gym uniforms standing above the unconscious bodies of dozens of students. The foe perked his eyebrows up when he saw Kageyama standing at the side, his body tied up with ropes, but what was even more peculiar was the ball of energy floating next to him.

Stain didn't understand what he was seeing. What was going on? Why was this scenery playing in front of him, and what did it mean? Was this Kageyama's doing? From what he was seeing, Kageyama looked slightly younger, shorter and less built-up than he was now. Was this... a memory? Now the Hero Killer understood it: that ball of energy wasn't meant as a final attack against Stain. He had infused it with memories, to try and show Stain something. But what? Did the child really think that there was something he could show him that could possibly change his conviction?

Well, if he was being shown this, the Hero Killer decided to might as well observe everything he could, and figure out what was going on in this scene. Since Kageyama was tied up, Stain presumed that he had been captured, and since he was wearing the same outfits as those other muscular teenagers, he concluded that those people had come to rescue Kageyama.

One of the beaten middle schoolers talked about contacting someone named "Hanazawa", and from behind the group of muscular teenagers, a blonde teenager appeared. Was that child their leader?

"Did some stray gorillas wander in? Do I need to tame them? You're aware of the term "organized violence", right? Those pieces of trash you see lying around you represent my authority within my life at school, so you've basically thrown mud in my face."

The other middle schooler laughed and bragged about their "shadow leader", Teruki Hanazawa, though the blonde teenager proved to be rather merciless, as he did not tolerate the failings of his underling and punched him. The Hero Killer was impressed by the speed at which he moved, and the other five teenagers were under the impression that he teleported.

The muscular teenagers attempted to leave and go back to their training, though Hanazawa glared back at them with icy eyes and declared they wouldn't leave unless he said so. The Hero Killer scoffed: this was a pompous, self-righteous ingrate who held an iron first over those at this middle school. The five teenagers surrounded Hanzawa, while he monologued about being the star, but then, the teenager pointed to the back alley and ordered someone to come out.

Sure enough, there was another middle schooler hiding in the corner. Hanazawa proceeded to easily take care of his opponents, using some sort of telekinetic push to blow them all away, while he threw the other middle schooler back with a single swipe. His quirk looked rather powerful. Stain was waiting for the other teenagers to unleash their quirks as well, but for some reason, they still attempted to fight with their fists. More bizarre was how the muscular teenagers assumed that they were blown away because Hanazawa had some "unique musculature". Could they not tell that this was a quirk?

Teruki once again blew them away, and tanked the other middle schooler's punches like they were nothing. With all of them down, the only one that remained was Kageyama, who was still tied up.

"You shouldn't use them against people," Kageyama said.

"What're you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your psychic powers." Kageyama used his telekinesis to undo the binds around him. "The one's that you've been hitting them with. You should never use them for fighting."

Upon seeing Kageyama's power, Hanazawa's mouth gaped open, and his eyes widened like saucers. This only served to confuse Stain more. Why was this teenager so startled by this? Having a quirk was a common occurrence in this society, so this shouldn't have been such a big deal to Hanazawa.

"What a surprise: guess there're other middle school-aged espers besides you, Shigeo. Though it looks like he's surprised to find one as well." The ball of energy spoke up, though Stain didn't understand what he was saying. That thing called Kageyama and Hanzawa "espers" instead of just quirk users, and from what it sounded, having powers was a rarity. But why? Did... Kageyama come from a place where people hadn't manifested quirks except for them? But that still didn't make sense why he'd be one of the few people who had a quirk. More than 80% of the population in society had a quirk, so such a place would really be out of the ordinary.

Well, Hanazawa took this news very seriously, wanting to clearly establish his superiority, and struck Mob with the same attack he'd used before. However, Kageyama took no damage from it, shocking Hanazawa. Despite the fact that Hanazawa had started the engagement, Mob did not want to continue it and extended a hand of friendship. The blonde teenager instantly moved back and moved around using his quirk. Those movements... they looked a lot like the movements Kageyama had used before striking him with his energy attack. So he'd copied the movements of Teruki.

The blob of energy, or the ghost that was haunting Mob as he'd described it, insisted that Kageyama retaliate and fight back, but he refused, stating that he couldn't use his powers to hurt other people. The villain was surprised that he'd think such a rule would apply now when he was in the midst of a battle and when Teruki was intent on defeating Shigeo to prove his superiority. Dimple voiced this same thought process, but Shigeo responded by giving the words from a master about not using his psychic powers to hurt others. Shigeo continued explaining himself.

"I won't use them in a fight. Also, I don't want to live a life relying on psychic powers. I'm going to find some other potential within me to nurture. I'm gonna improve myself." Stain was rather surprised by Kageyama's statement, that he was choosing not to use his psychic powers and how he wanted to become a better person. Stain couldn't help but feel mildly fascinated by this noble goal of his.

Hanazawa continued his assault, throwing Kageyama around like a rag doll, but he still did nothing to fight back. Meanwhile, Hanazawa continued monologuing about himself, going so far as to say the world revolved around him. Stain rolled his eyes: what unbelievable arrogance. But then, Dimple intervened, attempting to finish Kageyama's fight since he refused to, but Hanazawa easily eliminated the spirit with a single slash of his hand.

At first, Kageyama seemed mildly saddened, but he seemed to have quickly gotten over it. So this spirit, this "Dimple" as Kageyama called it, really was just haunting him. Hanazawa continued his assault, determined to defeat Kageyama, but still, he refused to fight back. Stain was confounded by how dead-set he was on this belief, for he knew that no matter what, this battle would have to end with a victor and a loser, no matter how much Kageyama tried to resist it.

The battle continued, with Hanazawa using a multitude of different attacks and throwing him through the school. Teruki launched a volley of knives, but one rebounded on Shigeo's shield, slicing the top of his hair off. Teruki's fury boiled over, and he used his psychic power to channel it into his tie, creating a make-shift sword to strike Kageyama with. As he did, he repeated his self-glorifying speech, calling himself the chosen one of this world, disgusting Stain.

Mob did not understand why Hanazawa had such much confidence in himself, but as the blonde teenager spoke, the bowl-haired teenager made a rather deep comment, explaining that Hanazawa had no confidence in himself, that he was afraid of being a nobody without his psychic powers. Teruki fiercely rejected this claim, and actually rushed toward Kageyama, choking him.

Stain's eyes bulged. Teruki was doing everything he could to get Shigeo to use his psychic abilities, to push him to the very limit. Shigeo just had to give in by now: it had to be clear to him that ending this peacefully was not an option, and Hanazawa wasn't going to stop unless he retaliated with his psychic powers. The Hero Killer saw Shigeo's right hand glow with energy, waiting for the esper to strike back, but instead of a psychic attack, all that came was a light, pathetic punch with no energy.

Stain was baffled: even backed into a corner like this, even when he was being choked to death, when any sane person would use their power to defend themselves, Shigeo was still holding strong. He was still refusing to use his psychic powers because he didn't want to hurt Hanazawa. This child had an unbelievably strong conviction, stronger than he'd ever expected, and Stain was very impressed. Even so, that wasn't going to be enough, because Hanazawa would not be satisfied with this. This was still going to end with one winner and one loser, no matter what.

"Don't you get it? People can't change that easily," said Hanazawa, mirroring the Hero Killer's own thoughts. "Just give it up. Use your psychic powers. If you don't, I'm going to..."

The scenery went to black, and when it returned, a haunting image appeared. Kneeling on the ground, Kageyama stood in the destruction of the entire middle school. Stain internally sighed: so it had ended just as he'd anticipated, with a winner and a loser. But why didn't Shigeo show him what had happened? Why did he cut out that part? More than that, why did he choose to destroy the entire school in the process? That just seemed like unnecessary damage, and Shigeo didn't seem like someone who would do that, unless he had some sort of deep anger that he was holding in that burst open. Did he choose to cut out that part because he was ashamed he'd lost control of his emotions like that?

That seemed to be the most logical conclusion to the Hero Killer as he watched tears streaming down Shigeo's face. Stain was yet again startled: the esper was breaking down like a child because he'd broken the promise he'd made to himself, used his psychic powers against another person and destroyed the school in the process. Such raw emotion...

Stain saw the destroy rubble floating down from the sky, and watched as Shigeo used his powers to rebuild the school and undo the damage that had been done. As he did this, Hanazawa reappeared, but his clothes had been destroyed.

"Hanazawa, I'm sorry about yo-"

"Wait, Kageyama." The Hero Killer noticed that the fiery, self-righteous look in his eyes had disappeared. "I'm... really sorry for going so far against you."

The other unconscious teenagers who'd been defeated by the muscular teenagers woke up, and upon seeing Hanazawa, all fled to ensure they did not meet the same fate. "Those guys. You saw it, Kageyama. It's just as you said it was: take away our psychic powers, and we're nothing more than regular people."

The Hero Killer gasped in mild shock, not anticipating the battle to end this way. Now he understood why Kageyama showed him this memory: it was to demonstrate the way Hanazawa had changed. But the Hero Killer quickly scoffed to himself, not convinced of what he was seeing. If this was all the esper had to show to him, Stain wasn't impressed.

As it so happened, there were several more memories that were next in line. The scene shifted yet again: now, the bowl-haired teenager was standing in a large crowd of multiple different people, each of them bearing very different and bizarre appearances. Standing beside Shigeo was a man with a suit and orange hair, but more surprisingly was the same spirit that had been eliminated before. So he'd managed to come back from annihilation? And the man in the suit, was that the master that Kageyama was talking about, Reigen? Stain assumed this, but why were they all gathered here?

From the front of the crowd, a man spoke to the crowd and gave Stain some vital information: they were all summoned here to exorcise an evil spirit that was possessing the man's daughter, and he was offering a large reward to the one who could exorcise a spirit. Stain was yet again baffled by this terminology: they were talking about ghosts, about supernatural occurrences. They actually existed? And people existed who had powers to eliminate those spirits? If that was the case, then was the power that Kageyama and these "psychics" possessed even technically a quirk, or was it something else entirely? This was becoming more and more bizarre for Stain.

Stain decided to equate these psychics to regular heroes, and felt disgusted by the interest all these psychics had with the monetary gain, doing this solely for the large reward they'd receive. The psychics began to argue who'd go first, so it was decided with a game of rock-paper-scissors, and Stain was mildly amazed that Reigen bested all those people. He went in and talked to the girl, and Stain was beginning to doubt the veracity of the father's claims of evil spirits. The other psychics were starting to suspect this as well, claiming the father was at fault, but Reigen defended the client, bringing up some holes that the Hero Killer failed to notice.

Suddenly, the room the girl had been held in burst open, for the evil spirit that had been possessing the girl's body. Stain wondered how the psychics would handle this, what they'd do to remove this evil spirit. They were even worse than he thought: each of them were doing absolutely ridiculous things, displaying no remarkable power or strength whatsoever. These "psychics" didn't even deserve to carry that title.

Stain noticed that Dimple was shaking with fear, and urged Reigen and Shigeo to leave while they could. The villain wondered what was making the spirit so fearful, and Dimple gave the backstory of someone named Keiji Mogami. Apparently, he was a very popular psychic that used his abilities to help people who needed it, but as it happened, he was also an assassin who used his abilities to kill others in order to get the money needed for his mother's treatment. Stain felt a sense of pity for this man, knowing he was making a sacrifice for the sake of his mother and taking note of how he used his psychic powers to help others, a sign of a man who used his power to benefit society.

Dimple continued, recounting the time when he encountered Mogami himself. The psychic had attempted to exorcise the evil spirit, explaining his plan to absorb the energy of evil spirits to increase his strength before committing suicide, planning to become an evil spirit himself once he died. When Dimple asked him why, he gave his reason:

"To take my revenge. I'm gonna teach a lesson to those bastards who think nothing bad could ever happen to them. I'm going to show them what true hatred is. Those who use others and toss them aside will know fear, and you're going to help me do it."

But Mogami absorbed too much energy at once, giving Dimple a chance to escape. And according to Dimple, the evil spirit possessing the girl was Mogami himself. Stain went back to the girl, who was breaking free of her restraints.

"All of you are weaklings. You're pathetic. None of you are worthy of your lives, so I'll take them!" Peculiar: that sounded like something Stain would say.

Another psychic came to try and exorcise it, displaying a greater degree of power than the others, but he quickly failed, and Mogami was able to easily overcome this new psychic, deriding him for his low power and using his abilities to possess him. Reigen quickly reacted by kneeing him in the stomach, though Mogami recuperated and proceeded to choke him. Kageyama was trying to stop the evil spirit, but it seemed he was too strong. Then, in a display of affection, the father embraced his daughter to try and break Mogami's hold, but alas, the ghost stabbed the father, a very gruesome display that Stain hadn't anticipated.

The other psychics were filled with great fear and attempted to flee, an action that greatly sickened the Hero Killer. To run away like cowards at the first sign of trouble after taking this job, it was utterly spineless. But the psychics quickly found escape to be impossible, for Mogami had barricaded them in the room.

"You're supposed to be professionals who deal with the world of dead," Mogami said, "Pitiful. Didn't you come here to save this girl? At the first sight of death, you all start screaming and running like cowards. It's sad how far the psychic world has fallen."

It was almost as if Mogami had taken the words right out of Stain's mouth. These two appeared to have much in common when it came to their principles and convictions, but the Hero Killer still felt unnerved and nominally revolted at the way Mogami had stabbed the father in such a ruthless way. Even if the man was in his way, he was still just a bystander trying to help his daughter...

More psychics were easily overpowered by the evil spirit's strength and impressive fighting abilities, but by this time, Kageyama decided to intervene, using his telekinesis to immobilize Mogami. But in a sickening display, the evil spirit twisted the girl's body beyond its usual range of motion, forcing Shigeo to let go. The esper followed up with another psychic attack, momentarily forcing Mogami out, but after a burst of energy, the evil spirit re-entered the body, but it seemed as though he was even more deeply ingrained into her body.

Kageyama confirmed this, and Mogami's superior strength. The evil spirit taunted Mob before beating more of the psychics. But instead of giving up, Kageyama realized another way to get the evil spirit out: by chasing him from the inside, leaving his own body to enter hers. Dimple pointed out the flaw of leaving Kageyama's body exposed, and so he asked Dimple to possess his body. After Dimple agreed, Mob closed his eyes, leaving his body and becoming a spirit himself.

While Dimple distracted Keiji, Shigeo came from behind and entered the body of the girl. When it did, the room disappeared, and there was only white, empty vastness surrounding the Hero Killer. In this empty space, there was Kageyama and Mogami in what Stain assumed to be his original appearance. The evil spirit welcomed him into the world of the mind before attacking with a blast of energy. Shigeo put up a barrier, but Mogami followed up by telekinetically choking the esper. However, Kageyama broke free, shocking Keiji with his unbelievable power, and tearing the evil spirit's limbs apart until he was a bloodied corpse on the ground.

As the evil spirit laid on the ground, he asked a question that the Hero Killer himself was wondering: how these psychic powers worked. If these powers were indeed not a quirk, then Stain wanted to know how they functioned.

Mogami began to explain that feelings were derived from emotions, but suddenly, the evil spirit appeared behind Shigeo, looking completely uninjured, breaking the esper's wrist before landing a strong punch to Kageyama's face, bringing him to the ground. Shigeo lifted his hand to try and stop Mogami, but the spirit stepped down on his hand, while his other foot pressed down on Shigeo's face. The Hero Killer frowned to himself, for this position almost exactly mirrored what he'd done with Iida in their brief scuffle, and he could see some tears of fear forming in Shigeo's eyes.

The evil spirit continued speaking, revealing that he'd allowed Shigeo in here deliberately, and discussing how negative feelings were stronger than positive ones, and the more stress on one's shoulders, the greater the energy built within. This meant that Mob could become even stronger than he was now: all he needed to do was change his view of the world, and Mogami offered to help him with that.

Stain felt a mild sense of uneasiness creep up on him: what did Mogami mean by "help him"? Suddenly, the scene shifted, and Kageyama was in his pajamas, waking up in his home. What happened? Was it over? Why would Kageyama skip such a vital moment, leave this hole open?

The teenager got up, getting ready to go to school, but as he was walking out of his home, the Hero Killer began to hear Mogami's voice.

"Shigeo Kageyama. Here, you're just an average middle schooler. I've taken the liberty of altering your memories, as well as removing your powers. Change your point of view of the world in a totally different place. And now for something completely different: let's see what you're like without your abilities."

Stain was confused at how he was able to hear Mogami's voice. The evil spirit had watched Shigeo during his time in this world and spoke to him through his subconscious in order to partly influence his decisions, and once the esper had regained his memories, the moments that Mogami had spoken to him came as well. Besides this detail, Stain still wasn't getting why the evil spirit had put Kageyama in this world: what was the point?

The day continued, and the esper was now in a classroom with classmates and as it did, Mogami continued giving details: in this world, Shigeo had no one and nothing. No friends, no family, and no psychic powers. Everything created was based on real-life people, so this world could have happened if his circumstances had been slightly different. Stain was interested in how Minori was in the class, joining as a new student. Kageyama had no memory of her or his job to save her.

The day went on, and Shigeo came across two bullies who demanded money. When he revealed he had none, they became enraged and began to beat him, but what was particularly frustrating was when someone walked by and completely ignored his plight, letting the bullies continue to beat him. As if that wasn't enough, according to Mogami, this was supposed to be his younger brother. Such cruelty being inflicted on this child...

The scene went back to the school, where Minori was calling out Mob for not going to her welcoming party. She proceeded to humiliate him in front of the entire class, and during lunch, she poured milk all over him. While this happened, Stain heard Mogami's voice, who was explaining that Shigeo's desire to improve himself and focus on interpersonal relationships were the thoughts of someone blessed with that option, and that subconsciously, he knew that he could solve his problems with his psychic powers.

"I have created this world in accordance with your fragile and weak mind. However, do not misunderstand my intentions. None of his is your fault. You've done nothing wrong."

So that was the reason Mogami put him in this world: to try and change his mindset, to make him give into his darkness, because he believed Kageyama to be weak of spirit, and putting him through this would harden him...

This bullying scene continued, where it quickly escalated to a brawl, and the esper was taken outside to be beaten by the bullies, using their numbers to prey on the weak.

Stain was beginning to feel a pit of nausea grow in his stomach. Just how long was the esper put in here? That question was about to be answered very shortly: the surroundings changed again, and the esper was walking through a park with a bowl and some milk in his hands. As he did, he could see Mogami walking beside him, continuing to speak to the teenager.

"Fear, rage, hatred, anxiety, all those negative emotions are welling up inside of you, and after six months of life in this world, you're reaching the breaking point." The Hero Killer jerked his head back in horror: he's spent six months in this world, this hell? Mogami had left him here for that long?

Stain watched another gut-wrenching scene unfold where Shigeo was trying to feed a stray, but Minori and her goons arrived. Being the depraved people that they were, they decided to beat the cat until it died while they simultaneously pummeled Shigeo, who tried but failed to protect the defenseless creature. Stain was repulsed at the cruelty being displayed by this girl.

The evil spirit sat beside him, and proceeded to fill the esper in on everything of his past, giving Stain the chance to get the full picture of who Mogami was.

"I was born with the ability to see ghosts, and I even had the power to exorcise them. At first, I used my powers for good, helping people and solving their problems. My popularity went up, and I even managed to get my own television show. But I needed money: my mother was hit with a mysterious illness, and the fees for her treatment were beyond obscene. It was stupid of me, but I actually let them show that on television, use my sob story to attract more attention and media. My mother was transferred to a good hospital, but the camera crew kept following me everywhere. Still, I needed money, so I took underground jobs and assassination jobs, all-while continuing my day job as a psychic. I worked in surface and the dark without sleep just to make end's meet.

"I had a sore conscience at first, but I struggled through it for my mother. But despite all that, she still died. The cause remained unclear to the doctors, but I found out the truth. After she died, my mother came back as an evil spirit and told me what had happened: the actions I'd taken had brought evil around me, and that was what ended up plaguing her. I should've doubted my way of life, how I was being used by others. And so after my death, I became an evil spirit and decided to use my powers for myself this time: to change the world. I sought out those who brought misery and misfortune to others, and punished them. By dwelling in this young girl's body, I knew I'd be able to take down a number of these self-proclaimed psychics as well. These acts of justice are how I chose to use my abilities. You are allowed to use your powers for yourself: you SHOULD use them for yourself. You understand that now, don't you?"

Now, Stain saw how Kageyama had understood him so well. Even though their origins were not the same and their targets were not identical, both he and Mogami had the same intense hatred for what they viewed as evil, and they both wielded the same conviction which led them on same mission to change this corrupted society by eliminating those who they viewed were corrupting it. But despite these similarities, Stain didn't like this. He didn't like what Mogami was doing.

To go this far, to put a child through this kind of agony... Stain killed people, yes, but he never tortured them. That's what this was: psychological torture. And yet... would he? If Stain had the same abilities as Mogami, if he found a like-minded individual who he did not want to walk down the same misguided path as he once did, would he put them through this same kind of misery to change them, to make them join him in his mission to change society? Stain wanted to say that it was ridiculous, that he wouldn't stoop so low, and yet another part of him wasn't so sure about that. Stain was already ready to kill a child, but more than that, he was ready to slice off the arm of someone he viewed as worthy of being a hero just to fulfill his mission and get the advantage in battle. Would torture like this really be out of the realm of possibility for the Hero Killer? These questions were creating much internal strife, causing him great anxiety and uneasiness. But perhaps was more concerning for Stain was what was going to happen to Kageyama. Would he give in as Mogami wanted? As much as he'd like to believe that Shigeo would persevere, Stain felt that the negative emotions would burst out just as Mogami was suspecting they would, and he would crack under this horrendous pressure.

Mob was now back at class, where the bullies surrounded him. Once the class was over, they took him outside and proceeded to beat him while he stood on the ground defenseless. As this happened, Mogami's voice grew louder and louder.

"Are you frustrated, enraged? Do you hate them? Do you despise them? They are a cancer to society! Stop letting them use you however they choose! Let yourself be reborn as my sympathizer! I shall give you strength! Make your negative emotions explode, AND THEN USE THEM AGAINST THE ENTIRE WORLD!"

To the Hero Killer's dismay, the esper finally unleashed his anger and the psychic powers that Mogami had kept locked away. It had finally happened. No longer willing to take this punishment, Kageyama stood over the wimping and pathetic girl before him, who was making empty threats toward the esper.

"Apologize," he said with an icy voice. "APOLOGIZE!" With tears in her eyes and snot dripping down, she made a pathetic apology. Stain was expecting Shigeo to finish the job, considering how far he'd gone, but he was very baffled by what came next from the esper.

"If you ever bother me again, you'll regret it." Stain chuckled to himself: even after all that, he was still willing to let her go, and he still had mercy in his heart. But sadly, things weren't going to play out so smoothly: Minori pulled out a knife and stabbed the esper, while another bully came in and hit him with a large rock. As he stood on the ground, the girl smiled with monstrous glee and declared that he should just die. The esper made a small psychotic chuckle, and that was the final key Stain needed to see to understand that he'd finally turned. It was a shock to see that someone as honorable as him could fall like this, but after everything the child had gone through, even Stain couldn't blame him for this. Anyone would crumble under this kind of pain. The months in this world had finally taken their toll and broken his mind, and Stain watched with a sense of melancholy as Kageyama choked the boy who'd struck him, ready to take a life for the first time. Or so it seemed...

From the boy's nostril, Dimple suddenly popped out. The evil spirit realized how far Shigeo was, and proceeded to hit him in the head to snap him out of it, and when this didn't work, he continued speaking, reminding him of who he was and the way he's stuck to his values, even against Hanazawa. And after enough convincing and recollections, the esper successfully regained his memory. But that did not solve the issue at hand.

"It doesn't matter if your memory's returned to you or not," the evil spirit said, appearing alongside the bullies, "The six months you've spent here are forever etched into your heart and mind. I know you were hearing my voice subconsciously. You know who this girl really is, so do you really want to save her? She's not worth it: let her live, and she'll only continue to make other suffer. You've seen it for yourself.

"Only the strong can make the choices needed to fix this world." Stain hated the fact that this was something he would also say verbatim, how he believed himself to be strong for doing what he thought needed to be done to make society open their eyes to what they'd created. "You saved her because someone asked you to? They exploit your power when they see fit, and someone has to bear the negative consequences. Will you ignore my sincere advice and walk down the same path as me, youngster?"

At this point, Stain had no idea what Kageyama would do. He'd already fallen and chosen to use his powers for himself, and as Mogami said, this world had changed him, changed his true nature. He could see the esper begin to shake with fear. "I'm scared... It was so real...

"Maybe you're right. I've only survived this long because I was lucky. I was being treated nicely and able to live through everything. You showed me that the world can be a cruel, messed-up place, and my old self was weak in that world. I was being tortured by people, living every day in misery. From this world, I have learned one single truth that has changed the way I think."

Stain was waiting for it, the line where he accepted the darkness of the world and chose to follow the same path of Mogami, feeling that any normal person would come to that conclusion after witnessing this hell and the dark side of this world. But that line never came.

"I'm surrounded by amazing people, and I need to be more grateful for them. Once I'm back in the real world, I'll be sure to thank them for everything they've done for me."

Shigeo did a complete 180 on Stain's expectations, for not only did the esper outright reject the path that Mogami had led him towards, give into the hatred and anger that dominated his heart in this world, but actually saw it as a way to see how even more amazing the good people in his life were. He was choosing to remain who he was and not let the six months of this world change that.

"So that's how it's going to be, huh? And here I thought I'd found a kindred spirit, how disappointing."

"Oh, and one other thing: when you interact with other people, it can have an effect. And because of that, I was able to change. Thanks to them, I'm stronger, much stronger than if I'd been on my own. If I'm able to change, then anyone should be able to. We can lift each other up, no one is worthless." These words were the same words that the esper had said to Stain: now it made sense why he'd try to repeat those words to him, to try and instill the same message onto Stain as he'd tried to instill on Mogami. But the evil spirit's reaction was almost the same as the Hero Killer's reaction.

"That's enough, don't say another word. If you do, there will be hell to pay."

"The "Shigeo" you created in this world might have lost to you, but I won't. I'm not running: I've got a job to do. I still have to save that awful Minori." Stain was amazed by the esper's decision to stay and fight to save Minori, the very person who'd bullied him so relentlessly, and his respect for this child only grew. He was proving that he really deserved the title "hero". What followed was a very intense battle, with multiple evil spirits swarming the esper. Mob was able to exorcise them at first, but their numbers were proving to be a problem, and he was quickly finding himself overwhelmed.

As he fought, Mogami spoke to him, trying to tell Shigeo that life was frustrating, devoid of meaning, and painful, all in an attempt to break the esper. Stain watched as Shigeo heard the sorrowful voices of the evil spirits, haunted by their cries and anguish, and he could see more tears forming in his eyes. Was his pain and fear too much? Was he too afraid to face the world now after seeing its cruelty?

Out of nowhere, Minori's voice rang out, crying for help. This plea appeared to snap Shigeo out of his state of fear. Actually, it seemed to do more than that: it was awakening something inside the esper, some sort of fire was being lit.

"I always thought these powers were trivial, that they were no good to anybody, but I can use them to save people!" Mogami launched an army of evil spirits, but Shigeo was able to easily exorcise them. Something had changed with Shigeo: both Stain and Mogami could see it.

"You're not the same boy from earlier! Tell me: who are you?" Dimple, who'd been spectating this battle, believed it to be a power-up triggered by anger, but Stain could instantly tell this wasn't anger: it was willpower. The fear and hesitancy in the psychic's heart had pushed down, and Shigeo's eyes were now sparkling red. The Hero Killer's face split into his widest smile yet: this was courage. Against this army of spirits and the fear encroaching his heart, Shigeo Kageyama was standing tall, for he had finally found his conviction: to save lives.

It appeared this new emotional power was able to give Mob a tremendous boost that Mogami had not anticipated, for despite the evil spirit's best efforts, Kageyama was able to overpower him, exorcising the former psychic star and ending the battle. Well, that's what Stain thought...

Without warning, an even larger army of evil spirits emerged. Mogami, who'd still managed to keep his consciousness, revealed that all the evil spirits he'd taken in and controlled over were freed now that his body had been destroyed, and even he could do nothing to stop them anymore. Shigeo told Dimple to flee, who reluctantly agreed to do so, while the esper stayed behind to cast all these evil spirits out. The battle continued, with the Hero Killer shocked by the power and scope of Kageyama's powers being shown. But even with this power, the overwhelming might of the evil spirits was proving to be too much for even Shigeo, and before he knew it, he was being pushed on the ropes. The evil spirits all surrounded the esper, who was now starting to panic and fear for his life.

"No, I still have to save her! Wait, it can't end like this!" Stain's body tensed up with anticipation: was this really his end? What was going to happen now? But in a completely confusing and anti-climactic ending, they were now back in the real world. The villain was too startled by this: why had he skipped that part, the ending and most vital part of that dramatic battle? What was Kageyama's reasoning behind not showing him that?

Stain didn't have too much time to think about it, for as the teenage esper woke up, Mogami had also escaped. Stain was expecting the evil spirit to try something else, to make another move of some kind as a desperate attempt fueled by anger and frustration, but he simply floated off.

"You made your choice, kid. I'll keep watching from afar, to see if you made the right one." But out of nowhere, one of the other psychics trapped him in some jar, thanking Kageyama for the unexpected trophy before leaving. Shortly after, Minori, who was finally freed from possession, woke up. She greeted the esper, who proceeded to ask if she was just the same in real life as she was in that world. She replied that she was, before patting Shigeo on the shoulder and giving him the most pathetic apology he'd ever heard in his life. But as it so happened, the grief and guilt quickly spewed out of her in the form of tears.

"I'm sorry. Really sorry. I was so awful, I'm SO sorry!"

Here, Stain was ready for Kageyama to fiercely reject the girl's apology. The esper had already done more than enough by saving her from Mogami's clutches; he didn't have to forgive her for what she'd done. That wasn't a hero's responsibility. Honestly, the Hero Killer would be astonished if Shigeo EVER forgave her.

"It's okay: I know."

"Know what?"

"That people are able to change. Mogami and Minori both taught me that it's possible. The people around me changed me as well. Now I understand that I can do the same thing for others to. So I get it, and I'm glad we were able to meet."

All the breath left the Hero Killer's lungs. Even after all that pain and torture, those months of agony that she'd put him through, he didn't hate her? He was able to expunge those negative feelings from his heart? Shigeo didn't even seem to hate Mogami for putting him in that mental world either. It was almost as if the esper was actually GRATEFUL for being put in that world, for learning the lesson that people could change. Such purity of heart...

This memory had dealt a great blow to the Hero Killer's psyche: it had shown him that Shigeo could've walked down the same path as Mogami, as the Hero Killer, to change society, and yet he rejected that path, choosing to remain who he was and believe in a person's ability to change. Could the Hero Killer have chosen this path as well? Could he have tried to continue being a hero and change people the way that Shigeo was doing? Most importantly, could a person's nature REALLY change so easily? These questions were racking Stain's brain, dealing heavy damage to his conviction.

Stain expected this to be the last memory, but there were still more coming. But the next memory, the Hero Killer felt he already knew what was going to happen, because Kageyama had already told him. Shigeo was standing in front of a burning house, with several people crowding around him, wondering what could have happened. Was this really the moment the esper had spoken of, when he felt he was ready to burn the world to ashes?

Stain watched as the esper looked through the house, and he couldn't help feeling more and more uneasy as the seconds passed. Dimple, who was also there, informed him that there was a struggle at the door, that someone had broken in. From that reasoning, the esper assumed that this same person had kidnapped them. Shigeo decided to begin looking for clues to his family's location and opened an adjacent door, and guess what was on the other side of that door?

Stain thought he had a good idea of the anger Shigeo would show based on what the esper had said. He couldn't have been more wrong. Shigeo's neutral face twisted with unparalleled malice: he released a burst of energy, dispelling the flames around him. Even though this was a memory, it was as if Stain could feel the unbridled aura of rage surround him, and despite the Hero Killer's own iron will and intimidating aura, it was absolutely dwarfed in size and intensity by Shigeo. The Hero Killer felt his entire body freeze up with fear: it was as if he'd been paralyzed himself. There was no way Stain could stand up to this. Such anger... it was something inhuman.

But before the esper could fully unleash this monstrous rage, Dimple told him to look into his eyes. "I can tell these aren't real bodies! They're only dummies! Some esper probably put them here to try and fool you!"

"Come on, Dimple. You expect me to believe that?"

Dimple momentarily cowered before regaining his voice. "Think about everything you've seen. It's totally possible. Mob, they're still out there!"

Shigeo appeared to contemplate Dimple's words, and from his eyes, he unleashed a blue burst of energy. "I've widened my antennae: around 20 kilometers away, there're two espers with malicious aura."

The Hero Killer was startled by the way Kageyama was able to locate them so easily, expand his psychic senses in an instant. But he was more startled by what came next from the esper: tears.

"Thank you, Dimple. You stopped me, you brought me back." Shigeo was truly afraid of his negative emotions, of allowing them to control him, and the Hero Killer could see that now through those tears. He was still a child, a child struggling to face the world.

Shigeo quickly wiped the tears from his eyes after Dimple reminded him of the urgency of finding his family. "Of course. I'm going to get all three of them back right now. Whoever did this is gonna pay: it doesn't matter how far they run." Shigeo's eyes changed once again, but even now, Stain could tell that they were different than Iida's eyes, if only slightly. It wasn't vengeance that was fueling the esper: it was determination, an obsession to get his family back from the people who took them, and truthfully, Stain found that determination appropriate for a situation like this.

After the many shocks he received, Stain was hit with another one when the esper burst through the house, traveling through the sky at unimaginable speeds that let him reach his destination in seconds. If that was the kind of speed he'd used to get from Fukuoka to Hosu City, then it made sense how he got there so quickly. When he found the two espers, he proceeded to easily handle their strongest attacks, taking no interest in inflicting pain on them like someone seething with vengeance would, and instead focusing on finding his family. However, one of the espers revealed that they were simply on their way to attack his house, but hadn't done anything yet, but before he could say anything more, he passed out.

Mob decided to wait for more of their comrades to arrive to interrogate them instead, but out of nowhere, a car came in, and two people with scars on their faces told him to get in. Funny: they resembled the scars of the man who'd captured Mogami. For some reason, he didn't decline, and he almost acted as if they knew each other. The two men revealed they were going to the location of Mob's friends and master, so Shigeo used his telekinesis to fly them there. After arriving, Stain saw multiple people sitting in the room, taking note on how a few of them also had scars on their face. Reigen was there as well, and listened as Dimple told them what happened. While this happened, Stain could see the lines of worry etched onto Shigeo's face, as if his body was weighed down with fear and anxiety, which made complete sense.

After Reigen took Dimple aside and spoke to him in private, the master spoke again to Mob and assured him that his family was fine, that somebody started the fire because they knew his family was being targeted, creating the dummies to fool the people targeting his family. Stain could see the way the esper's eyes instantly widened, as if all the anxiety had been lifted. He saw the esper's body begin to fall, but as it did, the surroundings changed, and the esper was now standing an an alleyway alongside Dimple and the members of the Body Improvement Club Stain had heard of, while using his telekinesis to stop someone who appeared to be attacking them. The Hero Killer was able to deduce that Shigeo had passed out, but he didn't figure out how he'd gotten all the way out here.

The evil spirit filled both Mob and Stain on everything that had happened: apparently, an esper organization known as Claw had started an attack on this city, declaring that they would rule the world with their psychic abilities. One of their operative had kidnapped the Prime Minister to use as a hostage, while their main forces had begun their raid on the city, causing great destruction. While this had happened, one of Claw's members had found Kageyama, attempting to kill him and forcing Dimple to possess him while he was unconscious.

Now THIS made absolutely no sense to the Hero Killer. Something as large as this would undoubtedly bring the attention of several heroes, even All Might himself, and if this had indeed happened not too long ago, Stain was very sure he would've heard about it. So why didn't he? Why were there no heroes being called in to solve this situation? Was this truly such a secluded place, an area so separated from the rest of the world? And they hadn't specified which country the man who was kidnapped was Prime Minister of. So what was the answer to this?

Shigeo came across some of the enemy espers looting a store, causing the Hero Killer to scowl in disgust, for he despised criminals who chased petty dreams. To Stain's surprise, it appeared that Shigeo had developed this same kind of animosity towards people who misused their powers in petty ways, as he began explaining that having psychic powers didn't make them better. What was most remarkable to Stain, however, was the building look of anger in his eyes.

"That reminds me: never use your psychic powers against others. If you haven't come across someone who can show you why, then allow me." The esper's aura built up around him, and Stain slyly smiled. Suddenly, another individual with light purple hair appeared from behind those espers. Stain reasoned that this was some sort of higher ranking soldier, and watched as that man displayed the ability to create and manipulate plants. From there, a battle played out between Shigeo and the enemy espers.

As the battle went on, the same man who had captured Mogami appeared to lend his assistance, and proceeded to unleash evil spirits. So he had the ability to capture and command evil spirits. As this man ordered those evil spirits, Stain couldn't help but wonder if he'd managed to gain control over Mogami, if he even still had him captured.

That question was quickly answered: it seemed that one of the enemy espers had found the jar Mogami was sealed in and broke it, freeing the evil spirit. He proceeded to steal the energy of all those espers, regaining the strength that he'd lost.

"First you trapped me in the poison jar, and now you want me to devour espers. You're such lowly creatures." The plant user attempted to strike Mogami, but the evil spirit displayed superior strength, commanding the plants and using them to make a body for himself while he grabbed the enemy esper. Stain felt no pity or sympathy for this man: he was a criminal using his powers for himself, destroying the city and ruining lives just for his own ambitions, and the world would be better off without him. He waited for Mogami to deal the final blow, but before the evil spirit could squeeze the life out of him, Shigeo's voice rang out.

"No, stop!"

"Why should I? I've been watching and none of these insects deserve to live. Some people never change, no matter how many chances you give them," replied Mogami, saying something that Stain was in agreement with.

"But, they still might be able to!" Shigeo looked up to the trapped esper. "Promise you won't do anything bad ever again!"

"I, I promise I won't! Just spare me please!"

"See?" said Mob, though Stain couldn't believe how he'd be convinced by such a meaningless promise like that.

"What if he's just lying to stay alive? Are you going to personally watch over these people to see if they've reformed? Do you think you can keep an eye on them forever?"

"Well... no. But, we need to have faith in one another to get through life. If we can't do that, then we'll never get anywhere."

The Hero Killer felt this message ring out to him as well, for he had absolutely no faith in a person's ability to change, which was why he decided to embark on his mission in the first place. But what would Mogami do? Would he really listen to what Shigeo was saying and allow a criminal like this to survive? As it so happened, he would. The evil spirit loosened his grip on the esper while the plant construct he formed began to fade.

"Predictable, coming from you. But there are things in this world that can't be solved with mere kindness. Sometimes, it's necessary to be tough on people. If you can learn to do that, you will be invincible, Shigeo Kageyama."

The villain was left stunned, in disbelief by this. When Dimple suggested that Mogami had disappeared for good this time, that was an even greater shock, for that likely meant that he'd passed on to the afterlife and abandoned his mission. Mogami had actually let this man go: despite the conviction he held that the world needed to be changed by killing those who were corrupting it, the evil spirit was choosing to believe that people could change if one had faith in them, and imparted some final words of wisdom onto Shigeo before leaving. There was no other way to explain it: Mogami... had changed.

The esper appeared to contemplate the evil spirit's words before walking toward the base of operations. As he did, his aura flared up, and the debris around him was lifted up. Eventually, Stain saw a man with a red aura around him, who appeared to have noticed the presence of the esper. Stain assumed that this was another upper member of Claw, and the man eagerly waited to battle Mob, but for some reason, he completely ignored the presence of Reigen, which allowed him to land a flurry of punches that brought him to the ground.

Stain also noticed the other people with scars battered and beaten, concluding that they'd just been defeated by this man. Stain expected the man to continue fighting, to put up some kind of a fight, but to his surprise, the man immediately surrendered. When Reigen asked about the organization's plans and the reason he was giving up, Stain felt his blood boil.

"The boss is the only one gunning for that. As long as I'm having fun, I don't really care."

To cause destruction and chaos like this without any real conviction? This man was a prime example of the type of person that Stain hated the most. As it so happened, Shigeo seemed to feel the same way, the same fury.

"As long as you're having fun?" the teenager said, "You disrupted the lives of all those people just for that? Are you serious?" The enemy esper gasped with fear, before teleporting away. Stain recalled Dimple describing the kidnapping of the Prime Minister, and came to the conclusion that this was the man who did it. Who knew what would become of him now?

Mob's younger brother was among the people who were fighting that man, and Shigeo was immensely relieved upon seeing him, as well as when being informed that their parents were safe as well. The forces tried to prepare their final assault, but Kageyama stopped them, telling them that he would go in alone. Despite their protests, he insisted that their injuries were too severe, and with a tone of regret, said that they would only get in his way.

Stain could tell instantly this was his interpretation of what Mogami had told him. He was calling out his authority, telling them the truth in a brutal but honest way. Despite this, Stain could see that the esper was in pain, which meant that he was doing this in spite of the fact that it hurt him to do it. Dimple went along with him to face the enemy, and as they were walking, Dimple asked Kageyama whether or not he was scared.

"Of course," he replied, "But the thought of other people getting hurt scares me even more." Stain smiled to himself again, for this child kept finding new ways to impress him, to show his strong character and keep demonstrating why he deserved to be called a hero. While walking up, they encountered an unkempt man with an umbrella waiting for them. The man was quite an idiot, Stain could tell, because he let go of the hostage and did not even know that their hostage was the Prime Minister until Kageyama pointed it out. This man, whose name was Serizawa, filled them in on his backstory, how he was saved by the boss of Claw. Kageyama pointed out the obvious fact that Serizawa was being used, and a fight broke out.

The fight itself wasn't remarkable for Stain, but what was remarkable was the way that Kageyama tried to speak to Serizawa, to try and make him understand the error of his ways and how he was being used, remarking on their similarities, mainly not wanting to hurt others. Serizawa vehemently refused to listen, preparing a large blast of energy to fire at the enemy. But Shigeo still tried to help, and what he said was perhaps most amazing for the Hero Killer.

"Listen! I'll be your friend, you have my word!" Serizawa fired the blast of energy, but Kageyama was able to somehow absorb the blast while absorbing Serizawa's energy as well. Shigeo was using that energy to form a ball in his hand, identical to the ball that he'd thrown at Stain, and fired it back at Serizawa. Stain immediately understood that this attack was infused with his memories as well, and assumed he infused the memories of Hanzawa and Mogami as well.

Stain was able to see a better picture of the esper now: when confronting his enemies, Shigeo's intentions weren't to defeat them like any other hero would. He wanted to change them, to try and get them to become better people. Seeing the way he spoke to this man made him see this more clearly. Serizawa, who appeared to have lost his fighting spirit and was significantly affected by Kageyama's memories and actions, openly expressed his uncertainty and uneasiness, but then Shigeo, in a baffling display of compassion, actually offered the two of them to sit down while he listened to how Serizawa was feeling.

The teenager then sat in silence while Serizawa reflected to himself, stating that while he was appreciative for what his boss did, he never understood the need to hurt other people. He then came to the realization that if his happiness came at the cost of someone else's tears, then he didn't want it in the first place, before crying himself and thanking Shigeo for making him realize this. Stain was floored: through only words, through simply being there to talk to him and lend him support, Kageyama was actually able to get Serizawa to change himself. A part of Stain wanted to say that it wasn't true, that Serizawa couldn't truly change and that he'd be forever bound to Claw, but after seeing the ways in which Kageyama had changed others, as well as the genuine tears flowing down Serizawa's face, Stain felt that he had to accept it, accept the fact that Shigeo had managed to change this man.

Serizawa also informed the teenager that his boss was upstairs fighting his son, and with a downcast look on his face, remarking how he'd beaten his son so badly he couldn't bear to watch and came down, feeling so pathetic for not stepping in that he wanted to disappear. Now it came: the confrontation with the boss of Claw. Stain was sure a battle would start, but was unsure how long it would be before that battle started.

After walking up the stairs, Stain saw the son of this boss bruised and beaten on the ground while his father stood with a flaring red aura around him. The Hero Killer could instantly tell the power this man held. As Shigeo approached the man, the son of the boss remarked on his appearance, and revealed that he was the one who had set the house on fire. The Hero Killer expected Mob to be upset at this, considering the unbelievable anxiety and anguish that he'd felt believing his family was first killed, then kidnapped, but Shigeo quickly forgave him for his actions, understanding that he was likely going through much. Kageyama was showing his capacity for forgiveness once again, and Stain was again amazed by it.

The two of them engaged in some dialogue, where the boss of Claw revealed how lowly he thought of his men as well as the little value he placed in relationships with others, believing them to be empty and meaningless. Kageyama objected, stating how everyone grew because of the interactions with others, points that Kageyama had also made when speaking to Stain, while explaining that the boss would need people eventually, and he'd regret not having others there. Then, in the most shocking action so far, Kageyama proceeded to extend his hand out to his foe.

"Let me help you, when you need somebody to talk to. I'll be there." Astonishing. That was the only word Stain could think to describe this. For the Hero Killer, this wasn't even about whether or not he was right to do this, but that he actually tried to do it at all. Knowing who this man was, the destruction he was causing to his city, and his callous disregard for his soldiers and his son, Kageyama still wanted to help this man, to lend him his ears to listen to his problems. Such compassion...

The adult esper mocked his words, believing them to be ridiculous and unnecessary. His son revealed more about his father's abilities, that he possessed a twenty-year stockpile of energy, as well as the ability to give and take psychic energy, which he did for his soldiers. Kageyama noticed the teenager struggling to get up, and gave him his energy. This evoked a violent reaction from the villainous esper, who struck Kageyama with a psychic shockwave to the head. Shigeo quickly recovered, and revealed that he only came up here to talk to his foe. Dimple made the clear point that this was a man who couldn't be talked to, but he was easily kicked out into the sky.

The two then continued exchanging dialogue, though Stain was still expecting Shigeo to get nowhere, especially with such a selfish, cruel man like this. Kageyama continuing to emphasize the value of human relationships and the way that power was not the only thing that made one special. The adult esper continued rejecting his points, continuing to demonstrate his selfishness and inconsideration, how he believed himself to have no weaknesses, and to Stain's anger, revealed that his only goal in life was to leave a huge mark upon this world. This also seemed to anger Kageyama, but that anger reached its pique when the villain proceeded to deride his son, Sho, for not living up to his expectations and becoming a failure.

Shigeo used his power to restrain his foe, but the adult esper easily broke free, throttling the teenager around while he ridiculed the child for his weakness. Suddenly, his master made an appearance with a gun in his hand. Here, the memory started to blur, likely due to the damage the child had taken. Once it stabilized, the boss of Claw proceeded to launch an explosion, seemingly killing Reigen. But then, standing in front of Shigeo's master was none other than Serizawa, who was deciding to take a stand against his boss and openly stated he was trying to be courageous for the first time in his life. Stain was yet again having a difficult time accepting the idea that Serizawa's true nature had changed, but was still feeling that it was foolish not to see it, to see the way that Serizawa was openly putting his life against the very man who he so worshipped.

The adult esper warned Serizawa of what would follow next, but Shigeo, having finally seen that words were not going to do anything, unleashed his aura, his eyes now hardened and ready for battle. The boss tried to launch another attack upon Serizawa, revealing his name in the process, but Kageyama acted quickly to block the energy attack. All of them were sent flying down to the ground, but their fall was broken by large plants. Stain instantly recognized those plants: they belonged to the man that Mogami had spared.

Kageyama was one of the people who was caught in the plants, since he was forced to take most of the brunt of the explosion, and he was close enough to listen to the conversation.

"So, the boss really did cast Serizawa aside. Even though I knew from the start what relationship we were in, I still owe Serizawa one, and I don't want the boss to end his life." This man as well: he could've chosen to simply return to his boss' servitude, let his comrade be killed, go back on his word and continue the path of destruction he'd embarked on, but he was choosing to come back, value the bond with his comrade and going against the wishes of Suzuki.

Toichiro, callous as Stain expected, unleashed several beams of energy upon all the people on the ground. Kageyama's face scrunched with fury, and he proceeded to tackle his foe, but Toichiro easily knocked him down with a mere downward punch, also revealing he was using only 10% of his power. But Kageyama quickly revealed himself that he was holding back himself, taking the match to the sky so he could unleash the full extent of his rage.

"Now I'm ready to fight you with everything: all my power, and all my rage!"

Their massive fight ensued, showing a remarkable degree of power like with the battle against Kageyama and Mogami. Suzuki began maniacally laughing, something that Stain expected from a man like him, but what he WASN'T expecting was that Shigeo was actually following suit. What was he doing?

"Look at you! You're enjoying this too, aren't you?" Stain was beginning to feel some minor repulsion at the behavior that Shigeo was displaying: to enjoy the thrill of battle at a time like this, with how much was at stake, it was plain wrong. How could the child allow himself to be caught up in the rush like this?

"As good as righteous as you try to sound, deep down, you're the same as me." For a second, Stain contemplated if this man's words were true: was this really who Kageyama was, the nature he hid from everyone? Was he really just someone who lived for the pleasure of battle without considering the lives of others or stopping villains from wreaking destruction?

Suzuki slammed the esper down to the ground while yelling to him. "How does it feel to be released from your shackles? We are freer than anyone else in the world!"

Kageyama continued maniacally grinning, and the Hero Killer was just about ready to condemn him as a false hero, but then the teenage esper looked down at his younger brother, who was looking at Kageyama as if he was an entirely different person. It was almost like he was... afraid of Shigeo.

This single look from his younger brother had a tremendous impact on Kageyama. The look on Shigeo's face made it obvious to Stain that the esper understood what was wrong with his actions, though this also left Kageyama open to attack, allowing Toichiro to land a powerful blow that sent him crashing through multiple buildings. Kageyama floated through the sky on a rock while tears flowed down his face.

"How could I be so foolish? What's wrong with me? It may have only been for a moment, but I let this power control me!" Stain could see that Kageyama was filled with the utmost shame with himself. In fact, it seemed he was so ashamed of himself, he created a cloud in the sky to hide inside it. Had he seen this before all the other memories, Stain would've likely permanently condemned him as a false hero who was only interested in using his power to feel the rush of big fights, but after seeing how much this child had struggled and overcome, the Hero Killer was more forgiving of this brief lapse of selfishness. He'd also seen how difficult it was for the teenager to control his emotions at times. While in the sky, Suzuki took note of this as well.

"What's the matter with you? You're so emotionally unstable."

"This is a first for me too," replied Shigeo, "Maybe it's because I've been using too much power, but I just can't control myself." Stain could see it: for someone whose powers were based on his emotions, he was even more prone to be influenced by his feelings than other people. In the sky, the two started another conversation. Shigeo didn't understand how Suzuki's life could end up so empty, having no one in his life, though claimed that he was simply unlucky. The adult esper laughed, stating that there was no one in the whole world as lucky as him, but instead of disagreeing with his statement, Shigeo did something else entirely.

"Is that so? Then it wasn't luck that you were missing: it was bonds."

"What did you say?"

"I mean that in your world, you were the only one who existed. You lived in total solitude. I know how that feels, a life of loneliness, one I want to forget." As if it wasn't crazy enough for Stain to see Shigeo showing any sense of sympathy or pity for someone like Suzuki, now tears were streaming down his face like they did before.

"I don't understand," said Suzuki, "What is this? Why're you crying?"

"You might not believe me when I say it, but it's true: I really don't want to hurt you." The Hero Killer's entire body jerked back in amazement. This, THIS, was perhaps the most astounding thing Stain had seen thus far. Shigeo's heart was so large, his compassion so potent, that he was actually able to cry tears for his enemies, to view them as people in a way that no one else could, and his conviction of not wanting to hurt people made this all-the-more painful, for he knew he had to hurt Suzuki badly in order to stop his plans.

From the ground, Shigeo proceeded to life dozens, perhaps hundreds of buildings to try and crush his opponent, to overwhelm him and ensure that he be injured beyond fighting capacity.

"I'm sorry." The esper held his heart as he sent all of the buildings flying toward Suzuki, mashing them all together into a giant thought that the battle had ended: even someone as powerful as Suzuki couldn't survive something like this. The Hero Killer was sorely mistaken: the esper once again took advantage of the battle, landing more powerful blows and using the very ball of buildings Shigeo had created against him. What followed were unbelievably potent displays of power, leaving most of the city obliterated.

But throughout this, Kageyama was doing nothing to fight back. What was he doing? Why was he letting himself be battered like this? Suzuki demanded that the teenager stand up and fight, but Kageyama... refused.

"No, I'm done. It pains me to say it, but I'm just not strong enough. I don't have what it takes to show you a better path to follow in life. Sorry."

Stain didn't know what to think of this. To give up in such a way, it was something else he'd never expect to hear from Kageyama. Would he really let Suzuki kill him? Would he really just let this madman continue with his plans for world domination?

Kageyama answered that question for him with something else that Stain would've never expected to see from Shigeo after seeing all the memories of his pacifism and kindness.

"I give up." Thee esper's eyes, the light and compassion that he'd seen in his eyes before was completely snuffed out. Instead, there was nothing but empty, darkness. Those were the eyes of a cold-blooded murderer, and with this ruthlessness ruling him now, Shigeo proceeded to twist Suzuki's body like a wet rag. "I was desperately hoping I could change, make you turn over a new leaf and become a better person, but that hope is gone."

"It appears - that we're both influencing -GRRAAHH- each other quite a bit!"

"Yes, but I failed at being a good influence on you. So that's it: at this point we both lose." Watching this young boy ready to kill his enemy, Stain felt a weight be put on his heart. Kageyama was only doing this after trying everything to find another way, doing everything in his power to change him. This was his absolute last resort, because he now understood that he had to stop this man no matter cost. Kageyama knew that what he was doing was wrong, but he was making the choice that, sacrificing his innocence and morals to do what had to be done. And for Stain, to see a child have to make this kind of decision, to have to be burdened with committing murder at such a young age, it was a tragedy.

Toichiro, however, happened to have his own final resort up his sleeve: the villain unleashed several bursts of energy, one of which caught Shigeo. For a second, it looked like Kageyama would be the one who died, but suddenly, his master's voice rang out. His eyes were changing again: the look in his eyes was changing the way it'd changed with Mogami. A smile began to creep up again on Stain's face: was it this emotion again?

That smile widened: yes, it was. The teenager had found his deepest conviction, the bravery he'd used to stand up and fight Mogami and his evil spirits, in his defiant stand against the evil before him. Suzuki, whose body hulked to monstrous sizes and had flame enveloping his head, proceeded to clash with the esper once again, but the Heor Killer's smile faded when he saw Kageyama quickly get overpowered. So even with this strength, it wasn't enough. It almost looked like Suzuki would finish this battle once and for all, but all of a sudden, his body began to burst. It looked as though this new form was too much for him, that he was overflowing with energy.

Indeed, Kageyama came to this same conclusion, that the villain had released too much of the stockpiled energy at once, and now he would self-destruct. The esper fled toward his allies, warning them of the explosion that would likely destroy the entire city and urging them to flee. However, Stain wasn't sure that was the best course of plan: could they really outrun such a massive explosion? It seemed like too big a risk to take. No, the best way to ensure the city and his friends be saved was by stopping the explosion at the source.

Shigeo followed this same line of reasoning and walked back toward his enemy at a slow pace, as if preparing himself for what needed to be done. When Kageyama returned, Stain saw Suzuki kneeling, his eyes staring at the ground as if he was in deep thought. When he looked back up at the teenager, his expression didn't change, as if he knew what was coming next.

"You're making the right move. It's the one that has to be made: to end my life, severing the source of the energy before the explosion happens and saving the city."

Stain observed his face, his voice, his emotions. A person's true nature showed itself when on the verge of death, and Suzuki's nature was showing itself right now. This man may have been a selfish, murderous, sadistic, inconsiderate monster, but he still had honor, and he ready to accept his death, the fate that was awaiting him. It was unfortunate that Kageyama had to kill him, but Stain knew that it was the only logical choice, the thing that had to be done. The Hero Killer waited for the teenager to finish this fight, make the final move, but that move never came. Stain watched Shigeo kneel down in front of him and erect a barrier around the two of them.

"What is this? What're you doing?" said Suzuki.

"Containing the explosion."

Stain's eyes narrowed in confusion: what was Shigeo thinking? Surely he could that an explosion of that size couldn't be properly contained by a single barrier, and even if it did manage to decrease the impact, he'd almost definitely die in the process. So what was this?

"So despite your best efforts, you haven't only failed at defeating me, but you couldn't save your friends, your family, or even yourself. How tragic. With the unbelievable power you have, this situation should have been handled much better."

"I may have psychic powers, but they can't solve all of my problems. But you know what? They don't have to. Because even without my powers, I still have a choice, and I control my own destiny. I get to be the protagonist, it's my life. That's the reason I came here to be by your side. Because no matter how much I dislike you, how disappointed I may be in what you've done, I can't just leave you here to suffer on your own. That would be too sad. And that's why... I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you."

All the shock that Stain had experienced seeing these memories were absolutely nothing in comparison to what the Hero Killer was feeling right now. This was Shigeo's true nature: he was choosing to stay by this man's side, to be there to give him his support and comfort at a time for the man who'd nearly killed his master, destroyed his home town, cared for no one but himself. He was willing to likely die alongside this man just so he wouldn't be alone. This was an act of heroism beyond even Stain's wildest dreams. Was this kindness even humanly possible?

"I thought I could reunite with her once I conquered the world, that I'd finally get to meet her again. But it turns out my way was wrong, and I noticed it too late." Suzuki's eyes moved to the ground, and his body slouched forward in shame. "Now, I don't even have the chance to apologize... At least let me end it myself."

Stain's jaw dropped to the ground. It was impossible: this man regretted what he'd done. Stain knew that he had no reason to lie, no reason to hide anything at a time like this before he died, before he was ready to take his own life. In the short time that Kageyama had spent with him, this teenager had ACTUALLY managed to change someone as cruel, merciless, and self-serving as this man. He ACTUALLY did it...

"Then I'll give you that chance! This can't be your end!" Shigeo took Suzuki's hand, and the energy enveloping Suzuki now transferred over to Shigeo, though the overwhelming amount of energy was proving to be too much, and the teenager screamed out in pain. It seemed as though he might not make it, but he was still taking that risk. This child was now risking his life to save this villain from death.

"If I can absorb this," yelled Shigeo, "I can save everyone!"

"No, it won't work! You'll die if-" Suzuki was cut off by more of Shigeo's screams.

"You said you wanted to apologize to your wife, right? Then find her! Say it loud and clear! You have to! The same goes for me! I need to tell someone how I feel about them too!" The teenager let out a final scream, before the entire surrounding environment lit up in a bright white flash.

As the bright white flash cleared, the Hero Killer saw that he was back in the alleyway, that this was the last memory Kageyama had to show him.

For Stain, it felt as though he had spent a lifetime watching those memories. In reality, however, less than fifteen seconds had passed. The memories that Kageyama had compacted into a single ball worked by drastically speeding up the mind's processing power, allowing individuals to see such long memories in a short amount of time.

While Stain had been busy looking at his memories, the four teenagers, including Midoriya, who'd recovered from the paralysis though was still limping from the cut he'd received. They all began approaching the Hero Killer, believing Shigeo's attack to have knocked him out, but stopped when they all saw the villain begin to stir. They raised their fists, ready to finish the fight, but the esper held his hand out to stop them.

"Wait." Shigeo slowly approached the Hero Killer. He was probably still very confused by what he'd seen, possibly still trying to make sense of it all in his mind. He hadn't shown the Hero Killer the truth of how he'd been transported to this reality because doing so would reveal All Might's true form, and that still felt like something Kageyama had to keep a secret, no matter what.

The psychic student now stood less than a foot away from the Hero Killer, and the two of them looked into each others eyes. Looking into those red eyes, the esper could already see a massive change, the intense firestorm of hatred and determination in his eyes simmered down to less than a flicker. He could instantly tell that the memories he'd shown the villain had done the job Shigeo had wanted them to do.

"You see? I've only been able to become who I am thanks to the people around me, and I'm truly lucky to have had them in my life. Experiencing the cruelty of this world is what made me see that." The others looked at one another with confusion. What was Kageyama doing now?

"The lessons they taught me and the support they gave me is what changed me, and I've been able to teach those lessons to others, give them that same support to help them change as well. Even you've changed me." The Hero Killer's eyebrow arched up. While all the others may have simply ignored the Hero Killer's words, put all their focus on the matter at hand, Kageyama had actually digested everything the villain had said and introspected those words into his own life and thought process, deciding to express these thoughts towards Stain.

"I've never really thought about what it means to be a hero. I've always believed it to be just a title, something you carry the same way you'd carry the title of a "doctor" or "professor". But I understand now that a hero isn't just a title: it's a state of character. It's defined by the actions you take, the feelings in your heart that drive you to act. Like you said, the title of "hero" is something you earn through your actions.

"You also talked about conviction, the reason people want to be heroes. That's a question that I've been grappling with myself recently. I only chose to become a hero because other people recommended I do it, but I haven't had a reason to commit myself to being a hero. But now, the answer is clear to me: the reason for me to be a hero is so I can help people. I've been reminded just how special it is to help people, to be there in their darkest times, when they're the most lost, and how much it means to lend that hand. Now, I don't just want to be a good person: I want to be a good hero, so I can help others in the ways that others have helped me.

"It's only because of your words that I was able to realize these things. I don't know why you couldn't change anyone with your words before, but I want to try it again. Except this time," the young teenager extended his hand toward the villain, "I'll be there, to help you spread your message."

Stain could see it: the smile on his face, the look of light and compassion in Shigeo's eyes, and the hand of support being extended, they were all identical to what he'd seen with Suzuki. Even though he was a serial killer, even though he's threatened his friends, nearly sliced his arm off, this child still wanted to help him. He was the first person ever to actually value the messages he was giving, to believe that the villain's words had true meaning, and genuinely listened to what he had to say. Kageyama was acknowledging him as a human being, and wanted to help him.

For the Hero Killer, not only was this an unbelievable act of kindness and generosity, but it also served as further proof that everything he'd seen had really happened. This child had spoken with nothing but the utmost honesty and truth, and his eyes were filled with no deceit: he would not do something like creating false memories. There were still several holes in those memories, many facts that didn't add up, but it was undeniable that this had all still happened. All the trials he'd overcome were real, and all the people he had changed really did exist...

All of the other spectators felt their jaws drop open, while their eyes were widening to the size of plates. All of them were stupefied by Shigeo's words, for none of them could comprehend what reason the teenager had to do this. But for one of them, this shock quickly morphed into something much more volatile, more hateful. Iida was looking at this display and felt as though he was going to vomit his insides. The veins in his eyes were bulging with rage, while his teeth and fists were clenching with frightening fury. Watching the esper do this, speak to him in such a supportive manner, try to help the man who had hurt his older brother, it made Iida absolutely livid.

"Kageyama, WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU-"

"INCOMING!" From up in the air, the people saw someone rapidly approaching, preparing to land right in between the esper and the villain. The esper recognized that voice: it was Hawks! Shigeo jumped back a few meters to allow room for the number three hero to land. When he did, he momentarily lost his footing and nearly fell. "Dang it, Mob! I told you not to go after the Hero Killer yourself!"

The others had not expected the number three hero to come in like this, but what was more unexpected was the person in his arms. Tokoyami, who had barely managed to retain his consciousness, got himself out of the hero's grasp and proceeded to harshly vomit.

"Whichever one of you sent those coordinates to Tokoyami, you really saved us a lot of time. It took a little to figure out what you might have meant, but I knew it must've been important. Now all of you, take Tokoyami and get out of here! I'll fight the Hero Killer alone!" Hawks surveyed the situation, noticing the serious wounds that all of the teenagers had, as well as another hero, whose paralysis time had just ended and was getting back up. It looked as though they'd already been fighting for some time, and Stain had inflicted some pretty heavy damage. The number three hero grabbed his wings and took out two very long feathers, wielding them like swords.

"You're up against me now, Hero Killer!" Even though the winged hero was ready to take on the villain, everyone could tell that he was in absolutely no condition to fight. The entire time he'd been talking, it had been through heavy panting. They could see the heavy sweat marks under his armpits and the sweat pouring down his face, and he couldn't even seem to be able to stand straight. No, the others knew that they'd have to continue working together if they wanted to properly finish this battle. So the people in the alley, barring Shigeo, stiffened their bodies and prepared to resume the fight, but before any of them could make a move, Stain lifted his hands up and said the one thing no one in the alley would expect him to say in a million years.

"I surrender."

The tension that was building up again in preparation for another fight instantly vanished. It took everyone a few seconds to properly absorb what the Hero Killer just said. They must've misheard him, right?

"Ummmm, you wanna run that by me again?" said Hawks.

"I said I surrender. I'm allowing you to arrest me and turn me over to the authorities. You may also search me to deprive me of all my weapons. I have a blade hidden in my right sleeve, in case you miss it. I won't resist."

The number three hero was looking at the Hero Killer as if he was speaking another language. He came here expecting a big battle, a prolonged one-on-one duel where they'd engage in some sort of sword fight or something else, but here he was, giving himself over without even the slightest attempt to fight back. Perhaps more surprising, however, was the absolute dimness in this man's eyes. It was as if someone had sucked all of the life and fighting spirit out of him.

"Can one of you fill me in on what the hell is going on right now," said Hawks to the others, trying to make sense of this situation.

"We're just as lost as you are," replied Todoroki.

"Why're you doing this," said a confused Native, "Less than two minutes ago, you gave this big speech about how you were gonna continue your mission to purge "false heroes", that you were gonna reclaim the word "hero" and fight as many heroes as it took to do it! So why the hell would you suddenly just give up at the first sign of trouble, against a hero who looks like he can barely stand?"

"Because... I have seen just how weak I really am." The Hero Killer drooped his head down and spoke in a softer voice. "And I wish to spill no more blood than I already have."

"Ooookkkk then..." Hawks did not know how to respond to this, for it was too bizarre, too unexpected. After getting over how odd this situation was, the hero decided to hesitantly and cautiously search the Hero Killer, keeping his senses on high alert and using his quirk to send out floating feathers to strike Stain if he happened to make any sudden moves. But no such moves came, and the number three hero quickly disarmed him of all his weapons.

"One of you, go see if you can find some rope or something to tie him up. Tokoyami, get the police on the phone, and tell them to send an ambulance too." The avian teenager did as he asked and dialed the police, letting them know their location and their apprehension of the Hero Killer. At the same time, Todoroki found some rope lying around in a dumpster. All of them stood in silence, unable to come up with any words to speak after what they'd just seen, though Stain broke that silence.

"For so long, I thought that the only way to fix this society was by killing those who were corrupting it. I spent years honing my skills, strengthening my body to do this and eliminate the people whose souls had darkened with selfishness and greed. But I see now that the true path to a better society is not by killing those with darkness in their hearts, but by nurturing the light within."

The Hero Killer's eyes went toward Shigeo, and as they did, Hawks could see his dull eyes begin to lighten up. "It is this child who has enlightened me to this truth." Stain then began to slowly pace toward the esper: Hawks almost fired his feathers at the villain, but looking into the man's glowing eyes, he understood that there was no need.

"A child who's experienced the darkness of the world, and instead of hating the world for that darkness, chooses to view it as proof that the light is even more special. Who bears no malice or hatred towards anyone in his heart, even those who've wronged him. Whose conviction is rooted in helping others, changing them to make them better people. Who has the iron will and bravery of a hero, ready to act in the face of fear to fight for those he cares about. And yet, he possesses something... so much more."

The Hero Killer now stood directly in front of Shigeo, his red, glowing eyes baring deep into the esper's soul.

"His true nature, the very core of his being, is a gentle, pure soul with an OVERWHELMING kindness unlike anything I've ever seen." Stain placed both of his hands on the teenager's shoulders, and the esper felt himself momentarily lose his breath. The man's words, the look in his eyes, and the wide smile on his face all managing to deeply resonate with Mob.

"I choose to admit defeat by your hands because I will NEVER find anyone more worthy of being bested by." This statement was startling for all of the people who'd listened to Stain's speech before Mob's energy attack. Did that mean Stain thought Shigeo was even more worthy than All Might, the Symbol of Peace? This villain thought of Kageyama that highly?

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"Stain..."

"It is also why I have decided to pass my mission onto you. Change society: find false heroes and change them the way you've changed everyone else around you. Show them what it means to be a real hero."

"I... I can't." The request that was being given to him was something that he could not do, something far beyond the esper's abilities. "There're still so many more things I need to learn about being a hero, so many areas I need to improve upon. I wouldn't know how to change heroes in the way you're describing. Besides, I've still made so many mistakes that a hero shouldn't make. I'm not sure what criteria you use to judge heroes, but I don't fit it. I'm not a real hero yet."

The Hero Killer's reaction to this claim was with loud, boisterous laughter. His laughter wasn't that of a psychotic killer who took pleasure or amusement in the pain of others, but that of a hearty, jovial friend who acted as though Shigeo had just told a side-splitting joke.

"Trust me, child: you bring an entirely new definition to the word. Just continue to do what you've always done, and that will be enough.

"You are INVINCIBLE, Shigeo Kageyama."

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The Hero Killer placed his hands off of the esper and held them out toward Todoroki, waiting for him to wrap the rope around his arms. The dual quirk-wielding teenager was slow to do this, though he forced himself to recover and began to wrap the rope around the Hero Killer's wrists, while Hawks and Tokoyami came in and focused on wrapping the rope around Stain's arms. The two avian individuals were perhaps the most confounded since they hadn't seen what the esper had said and done with Stain beforehand.

Stain continued to stand immobile, the momentary light and admiration in his eyes when speaking to Kageyama having faded, and his eyes still looking down. However, the Hero Killer needed to say something, to try and do something for the crimes he'd committed.

"You, Iida." The Hero Killer's eyes now went to the teenager he'd been ready to kill only a few minutes ago, and Iida tensed his body up. "I imagine this will mean nothing to you, and it can't do anything to undo the damage that's already been done, but I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused you and your family. Tell your brother as well, that I'm sorry for what I did to him."

The blue-haired teenager's mouth gaped open, and he took a step back. Normally, Iida would've growled, shaken with rage, and begin to ruthlessly pummel the Hero Killer for even thinking of trying apologize after what he'd done, forcing his friends to hold him back, but Iida was too stricken with to properly react in that way.

"The same goes for all of you," Stain added, looking at the rest of the people who he'd attacked. After seeing everything he had, Stain felt as though he'd been hit with a train of shame and guilt. The memory of Shigeo's time in the mental mindscape had been the most damaging for the Hero Killer. In his eyes, Mogami served as a reflection of what Stain was going to become, or perhaps what he had already become without even realizing it, how little he started to care about innocent lives and what little boundaries he'd placed on himself. He also began to truly comprehend just how deep the pain he'd inflicted through his actions had been, the suffering he'd put so many people through, and how deep their misery was.

"I vilified this young man for doing the very thing I had allowed to happen to myself: I was consumed by hatred. To kill those with darkness in their hearts, I used the darkness in my own heart to do it. All this time, I thought that I wielded that darkness as a weapon, a blade of justice that was in my total control. But I failed to see just how much it had spread, how much it would've continued to corrupt me until my humanity had all but vanished, how "conviction" became just another word for hatred. That hatred I held for false heroes blinded me to everything else, to the truth that people could change.

"But perhaps worst of all, was that I betrayed my younger self, the young boy who aspired to be a hero like All Might, to help people and give them hope. Instead, this is who I became: a murderer ready to kill and maim even children. I did not have the inner strength that Kageyama possesses, to do that dream justice and become a good person the way I wanted to.

"For the crimes I have committed, my inability to see the goodness in the human heart, and betraying the dream I once had, I will accept my punishment." As before, everyone in the alleyway was stiff from the shock of the Hero Killer's words, the way he was able to feel sincere regret and remorse for his actions. After shaking his head to snap himself out of his disbelief, Hawks took the Hero Killer and began to guide him out of the alleyway.

"What in God's name just happened?" Tokoyami said.

"Stain changed," Shigeo replied, "That's what happened."

That's how this ends, people! I'm sure there're gonna be people who complain about how more than half of this chapter was just retelling the story of Mob Psycho 100. I get it, and I tried my best to make it as short as I could without entirely copying all the scenes down to the dialogue, only adding important lines when I thought were necessary. I don't really expect anyone to read it word-for-word, but I still thought it was important to see Stain's thought process as he witnessed each of these memories, since they're all pretty important and they all served to teach Stain valuable lessons as well.

Fun fact: I've had the last scene with Stain and Mob in-mind for a long time. Actually, it was kind of part of the reason why I even started writing this story in the first place, just so I could put this scene in my mind into words, because I thought it was so cool. Well, you'll see the aftermath of this fight in Chapter 26!