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Tenya can’t really say he’d been very present since his brother was attacked and injured so badly that his time as a hero is over. Mostly he’s just been coasting by, waiting for his chance at revenge. But now that he’s here he finds himself woefully out of his league.
“You and your brother are both weak.” Stain says, his blade pinning Tenya to the ground. “Because you’re both fakes.”
“Shut up Villain!” Tenya chokes out, ignoring the pain in his shoulder to yell. “He’s paralyzed from the waist down due to spinal cord damage! He can’t work as a hero anymore!” Tenya’s eyes drip tears that mingle with the growing pool of his blood on the ground. “Tensei was an excellent hero who saved many people… and led them until now…” he chokes back a sob to scream. “THERE WAS NO REASON FOR YOU TO CRUSH HIM!!”
Silence rings out after this statement until it's broken by Stain’s chuckle.
“No reason you say?”
The Hero Killer crouches down, meeting Tenya’s glare with a calm stare of his own. “Listen here little hero. What was your brother most known for?”
Tenya’s voice is an angry hiss. “He was a hero of the people, a good man! He was-“
“Most well known for his extremely large number of sidekicks.” Stain says and Tenya falls silent at the man's darkening tone.
“Sidekicks. Generally they operate as partners to a seasoned pro until they can gain enough experience to strike out on their own. But Iidaten is the exception. Almost everyone employed there is a sidekick and they all operate under the umbrella of Ingenium’s authority.”
Stain slides a small blade along the edge of a fingernail.
“And when that many heroes aren’t being held accountable to their own reputation, well,” Stain’s face twists. “There are bound to crop up a few leeches.” He taps the knife against Tenya’s armour. “You’re right about Ingenium being well liked. And that’s why so many of the complaints against his sidekicks just… disappeared. Nobody wanted to hurt such a nice guy's reputation… So you see mini-ginium. Something had to be done.”
“Y-You- You had no right- THAT WASN'T HIS FAULT!!!”
“Tell me little one. Do you know what your brother's plans are? Now that he can’t be a hero?”
“NOW THAT YOU STOPPED HIM FROM BEING A HERO!?!”
Stain hums thoughtfully, knife sliding along Tenya’s neck just lightly enough not to cut through the gap in his armor.
“You’re not listening. How disappointing…” The Villain lets out a sigh “letting your emotions control you is how you wound up here you know.”
The Hero Killer reaches for Tenya’s chin and the paralyzed boy can’t stop him from lifting his head to meet his eyes as he says. “Ingenium no longer has a name for those false heroes to ride on. Instead, your brother will be taking over the administration of Iidaten, and you can bet that an honest man like him will soon weed out the fakes himself.”
Stain huffs a laugh and condescendingly ruffles Tenya’s hair. “Or did you think it was a mistake that a seasoned killer like myself let him survive.”
“D-Don’t listen to him kid. He’s just trying to make himself sound justified!”
Stain’s face turns dark and an aura of menace surrounds him. “Still alive then. I’ll have to rectify that. Native.”
“H-have to s-silence me so I c-can’t speak the truth?” The hero’s voice wavers even as it challenges.
Stain stands up slowly, stretching leisurely like he has all the time in the world, before finally pulling his long blade from Tenya’s shoulder. “You. One of the worst offenders. Such a slave to your obsession with a ‘mystical and exciting foreign culture’ that you are willing to let innocents die simply because an old time native would not have carried a cell phone! How many have suffered while you shoot a pathetic flare into the sky and wait for backup? You haven’t even made any effort to learning the culture; your headdress full of feathers is enough to tell me that! You have reduced an entire people to a mere aesthetic!” Stain’s lip curls in a snarl of fury. “I should end you right now!”
Stain’s blade stabs Native in the shoulder and the paralyzed pro screams.
Tenya feels like he's shaking with hatred and fear but he still cannot move.
“...no. I have a better idea.” The Killer meets Tenya’s gaze and smirks cruelly. “I’ll tell you what boy. Here’s your chance to settle an argument for me. See, my apprentice says I shouldn’t kill students. He says your experiences now can still shift the kind of pro you will become and that I shouldn’t be so quick to judge the young. I disagree with him but what can you do.”
The Killer shrugs and his aura turns dark again.
“So I’m going to go stand over there.” He gestures with his knife towards the dead-end of the alley. “And when your paralysis wears off you’ll have a choice to make. You can go to Native and get him help before he bleeds out. Or you can try to kill me again.”
The villain makes a show of throwing his blade down and spreading his hands as he backs away. “Choice is yours... hero.”
Time seems to pass slowly and yet all too soon Tenya can curl his fingers.
Stain still stands unarmed as promised, whistling nonchalantly to himself as he leans against a wall.
Tenya briefly entertains the idea of trying again but…
But Native has fallen silent, his wounds still bleeding and…
And Tenya knows what his brother would want him to do.
He slowly gets to his feet, hissing through his teeth as his shoulder protests and stumbles towards the unconscious pro.
There’s a muted thud behind him and he can’t stop himself from turning around. Fear chokes him at the thought that the killer had lied to him.
Tenya's gaze lands on a small form in dark clothes crouched before the Hero Killer and holding out a phone. “Looks like Shiggy doesn’t take rejection well. These things are attacking all over Hosu.”
Stain takes the device with a frown. “Wanting to upstage me or something? Is he trying to make enemies? That stupid kid.”
The smaller form straightens up revealing a boy in a dark green sweatshirt with the hood pulled up. His teeth flash as he smiles widely. “Well I’m feeling kind of guilty now Sensei. With Endeavor still out of commission, Hosu just doesn’t have the necessary-” a brief pause “-firepower to deal with this.”
Stain groans. “Could’ve done without the pun Kid.”
The boy flashes his teeth again.
Stain sighs. “You’re a bad influence on me Hostility.”
The younger villain tosses something at a too-stunned-to-move Tenya, and a roll of gauze flies passed him to smack Native in the head.
“Yeah yeah, what a shame.” He walks forward and picks up Stain’s abandoned weapon while Tenya can do nothing but stare. “Come on then. Let’s go make the news.”