My League Of Villains

He couldn't stop himself. His body moved before he could even think about what he was doing. Like an agile cat, he climbed the walls and balconies, keeping himself unseen. No matter what, he had to catch him. He didn't know why, but he felt, growing inside him, an urge to grab that monster and kill him. It wasn't strange. After all, Stain killed Jinnai, his master, the sole person who believed in him. But it wasn't anger, nor revenge, which was driving him into this crazy frenzy. It was the hunt. The danger. Excitement coursed through him, sharpening his senses. Every cell of his being was focused on the same thing: following the Hero Killer. The villain was moving at an unbelievable speed, but so was he. He could see every single movement of his. He could smell the blood in the air around him. His steps, the beating of his heart, the noise of his many blades rubbing against his clothes and armour, all these sounds were ringing in his ears as thunderous as cannons. His breathing became ragged. The amount of adrenaline in his veins went higher and higher, threatening to give him a cardiac arrest. An annoying thought crossed his mind, and he signalled on the radio his position and the designated number for sightings of Stain, in Morse code. He couldn't be bothered to speak. His mind had never been clearer. All those complicated matters, morals, doubts, lies and insecurities, they didn't matter. What mattered was this moment. Second for second, he and his target. He realized, after so long, what he really wanted to do in his life. The real reason he chose the PSIA. The reason he stole those Top Secret data. Ever since that day at the Exams, he wanted to fight again, but with his life on the line. The rush of the battlefield, the quirks and the shots fired all around him. He wasn't satisfied with only saving people. He wanted to eliminate the evil with his own hands. Stain gave shape to all that. He channelled on himself his hopes and regrets and he made them blossom that night in a fountain of blood. He didn't know what the feeling was when he saw Jinnai's corpse hit the ground, but he knew now: he was feeling free. Jinnai and his own hypocrisy were the only ties to his old self and his old dreams. He had already stopped believing in those ideals for a long time. But it wasn't important. Only the chase was important.

On top of a roof, Stain abruptly stopped. Midoriya hid behind the corner of a building, wondering if he had been seen. Just as he was planning to attack anyway, he saw a familiar figure down on the street. Katsuki Bakugou. Stain licked his lips and prepared his sword. Then, he jumped. Another scene played in Midoriya's mind. Another villain attacking Bakugou, and he, putting himself between him and his certain death. He remembered his ungratefulness. And he remembered his thoughts from just a few days ago. [What if some people didn't deserve to be saved?] With coldness in his eyes, he remained motionless, waiting for the villain to pound on him. He took out his gun and called for reinforcements. Stain was about to behead Bakugou, but he stopped, adjusted his aim, and slashed at his right arm.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

The shriek and the sight of blood froze the entire crowd. After a second, like someone gave a signal, everyone started panicking and running away. Bakugou's right hand immediately released an explosion in Stain's direction and sprinted away from the civilians. Midoriya saw him disappear into the shadows of a back alley, closely followed by the Hero Killer. [Bad move] He was about to go after them when he saw Watabe gliding towards him. He clicked his tongue.

"Stop there! He has a hostage, we are waiting for reinforcements!"

Watabe folded his wings and looked at him nervously.

"You didn't say anything and were running so fast, I thought..."

"That I lost my mind? Don't worry, I'm lucid."

As his partner breathed a sigh of relief, a manhole cover used as an improvised sledge came down from the sky. Crouching on it there was Sakura. She had a magnetic skeleton, partially controlled by her will, but only her arms were powerful enough to be useful. "Midoriya...!" her words were cut by a cry of pain.

"All three of us are here. It seems like there is no more time to wait. We are going after them."

There were no objections. They pulled their guns out and ran behind him in silence. Sounds of explosions and steel hitting concrete echoed in the night, closer and closer until they almost arrived at the scene.

"ARRRGH! STOP TALKING AND DIE!

"I see, you are ignoring my words. You aren't half bad, kid. You have a powerful quirk, but that alone is not enough to become a hero! I'll end your path here before it's too late. A violent hypocrite like you is undeserving to be called a hero!"

Bakugou stopped in mid-air and fell on the ground, paralyzed. Izuku knew that feeling. Apparently, it was that man's quirk. Stain's sword hovered above his head. "Too bad you didn't want to listen to my advice"

At that moment, a manhole cover hit him in the back and rolled him for a couple of meters.

Without even looking at them, he stood back up and took cover behind a wall. Two knives darted through the air. Sakura deflected one with her hand, but the other poked a hole in her stomach.

"Sakura!"

Watabe flew to her side and deflected the other incoming knives with hid wings. His feathers were so hard he took no damage at all. He threw his feathers against him. Stain jumped and recovered a knife while rolling. He jabbed at Watabe, knowing well he couldn't evade because he had to protect Sakura. His wings came down like a meat grinder, but to no avail. Stain dodged and scratched his leg. That was all he needed. While falling to the ground, he watched powerlessly, but Midoriya didn't waste the chance and slid past him, just to be met with a kick in the stomach.

"You... We meet again, little hero. Are you here to avenge your master?"

He spat a bit of blood. "No, I'm on duty."

With those words, he emptied a whole magazine on him. They were rubber bullets and he was wearing body armour, but he aimed at the b.a.r.e parts. Most of them were avoided, but hitting wasn't their main purpose. It was just a distraction. Midoriya's punch crashed into his face with an incredible force for such a young teen. Stain smiled and with his hand, he removed a bloody tooth from his mouth. The two stared at each other, then, in instant, they closed the distances and started the fight. Midoriya carefully analyzed his enemy. His fighting style was strange. He obviously had enough skill, but he was careless and reckless, taking unnecessary damages in all-out attacks, sometimes not even targeting any vital points. However, any possible critical hit was avoided by him with little effort. Every attack he did set himself up for the next one, not giving him enough time to take the initiative or form a strategy, forcing him on constant defence. He had already given up on the gun and tossed it aside, but he stayed close to Watabe and Sakura. He was wary of the paralyzing quirk, but he couldn't let them die. As the sword painted stranger and stranger archs, he suspected something. Stain's purpose was to cut him, regardless of the consequences. This meant, if his intuition was right, that an injury, no matter how small and insignificant, would automatically cause his defeat. Maybe, that was how his quirk worked. Midoriya gritted his teeth. He chose to take the risk. He pretended a few times to miscalculate an attack, and then, he 'slipped', offering Stain an easy opening. As he suspected, indifferent to any counters or feints, Stain took the bait and with all his strength he stabbed at him. Like it was made of rubber, Midoriya's leg rotated, putting him in an advantageous position. Grabbing the villain by his arm and face, he disarmed him and smashed his face against the dusty bricks of the wall. When he saw it wasn't enough to take him down, he swiftly retired to avoid any assaults. Stain's face without his mask was hideous, and now full of blood, but he was still smiling.

"It was a good fight. You are full of surprises, but you lack experience."

His long tongue licked something on the ground. It was spit mixed with blood. His eyes filled up with fear as he realized too late. [Blood! He needed my blood!] But he was already dropping on his knees. With slow steps, Stain returned to Midoriya's side.

"Risking your life just to save this sc.u.m. You didn't come after me for revenge, hatred or anger, but for duty! This is the heroism I was looking for! But look at him, instead!" his fingers pressed on his cheeks and turned his face towards the other end of the street, where there was Bakugou crawling away. "See, he would rather save his life and abandon you, than sacrificing himself for yours... He's just a fake, like all the ones I slaughtered before him!"

Midoriya ignored the fury and disgust he felt, to focus on one thing. Bakugou was moving. So, there was a time limit on the ability. He and Watabe were under the effect of the quirk for almost the same amount of time. If he was already at the opposite end of the street in his critical condition, and Watabe was still unmoving, he was released earlier. Why? What was the difference? [Of course! Blood type! Different blood types, different limit.]

"Stay away from me!"

Bakugou sent out an explosion. Stain ignored the pieces of concrete grazing his already bruised face and strode forward. The aura around him was menacing and terrifying, it was oozing so much killing intent Izuku didn't know if he could have moved, even if he wasn't paralyzed. His bloodshot eyes fell on the crawling boy. He was about to cut his head off. A gunshot was heard in the alley.

"Freeze, TMPD! You're under arrest!"

The Hero Killer twitched. With a somersault he disappeared in the darkness, climbing onto another roof. The police officers ran towards the injured teens.

"Be careful he could still be around!"

"Don't worry, it's all under control! The heroes and the ambulance will be here soon!"

The smiling man put the gun on the ground and checked Midoriya's body. "Thanks...!"

The relief he felt was immediately washed away when he saw a shadow falling from above.

"Behind-"

The twinkling of the blades shined. Too late the kind officer grabbed his gun when the knife penetrated in his throat. The gurgling noise of the dying man beside him was everything Izuku could hear for the next few minutes. It was deafening. He was barely aware of the massacre happening around him. The light of life slowly faded away from the officer's eyes. Izuku absent-mindedly raised his hand and touched his wrist. He was dead. [I can move again]

Izuku took the gun. It was the first time he held a real weapon in his hands, but he didn't have a shred of hesitation while pointing it at Stain. All around them were corpses. At some point, Watabe probably regained the ability to move, but he was laying in a pool of blood too.

"So, your blood type is O. Well, what are you waiting for? Shoot me then!"

He didn't know why but his finger was blocked on the trigger. He couldn't kill him. It wasn't because of his morals or because he lacked the resolve to do it. Something in his head was telling him that he wasn't the one who was wrong. Despite the blood on his hands and the innocent lives ended before him. It similar to that time during the USJ incident, when he almost let a villain attack the UA freshmen. Back then he understood. He didn't disapprove the motive, just the means. Did he really change that much in such a short time? Enough to condone the actions of the monster in front of him?

"You have a strange fire in your eyes young hero. You remind of myself before I saw the truth. This society is rotten and we have to change it!"

"You murdered the guilty and the innocent alike! How are you different from them?"

"I am not a hero. I know very well that what I do is heinous and despicable. But I am willing to bear my sins! I am willing to burn in Hell for what I've done! For the sake of a better future, I will accept being called a demon. To mend this society someone has to sully his hands, and I'm willing to be the one! Villains, fake heroes, hypocrites who use their powers for their own ego and meaningless banter, I will purge them all! I can't stop now. I can't be stopped now. And you know it too. That's why you can't shoot me. You and I... are not that different. When you've stopped lying to yourself, look for me."