With "No-lens" Iida stepping in to replace me, the heated battle against the human ragdoll known as the Hero Killer shifted into something even more intense.
Iida's kicks were sharp enough to part the clouds; the "Double Dragon" Shoto unleashed a storm of fire and ice; and the Hero Killer retaliated with slashes so fast they left even sound behind.
The alleyway trembled as if caught in a natural disaster.
Watching this spectacle from the sidelines, I was... well, slacking off.
No, wait, hear me out! It's not what you think! I literally couldn't move. My body was completely paralyzed. It wasn't my fault! This wasn't a "I don't want to work" kind of thing, I swear.
...Though, I really did want to go home and eat something sweet.
"Hey! Hey, little girl! Answer me if you can hear me! Hey!"
As I was busy being useless, a voice called out to me from a direction I couldn't see. It was probably that Native American-themed hero who had been down since the start. Come to think of it, unlike Iida, who made a miraculous recovery, this guy showed zero signs of getting back up.
Aha. I see how it is. He's totally goldbricking.
"...I get it," I whispered.
"What?! What do you get?! Wait, do you think I'm slacking off?! Because I'm not! I really can't move, I'm serious!"
"You don't have to say a word. I won't tell a soul. Ho-ho-ho."
"Now you sound like some enlightened hermit! Stop it, seriously! Don't give me that 'I understand' look!"
He was being so noisy that I used my Pull Quirk to cleverly roll myself over to the other side. I could feel Native's judgmental stare burning into my back.
"You're surprisingly calm. That movement... it's your Quirk, right? You're good with it."
"Don't mention it. Later."
"Don't try to turn away from me! Wait—hey! She completely turned her back on me... Fine! Whatever! You don't have to look at me, just listen!"
I turned my focus back to the intense fight, but Native kept rambling regardless.
"I've been watching the movements! The Hero Killer's targets are me and the guy in the white armor! You and the red-and-white kid aren't the ones he's trying to kill! Well, maybe the red-and-white kid is a borderline case... Anyway! Tell them to run while things are still even!"
"But I don't wannaaaa."
"You have absolutely zero intention of telling them, do you?!"
Even if I told them, they aren't the type to back down. Expecting someone like me, who lives by the creed of never doing unnecessary work, to do that is just cruel. Besides, I was actually quite busy.
"Just listen for a sec—"
"Shut up, Native. Or I'll send you back to Route 66."
"That's not even where I'm from!"
"Don't you get it?! We're on a knife's edge here! I don't care what it is, just shut up!! I can't concentrate!!"
"...Oh. Right. Sorry."
With Native finally silent, I calmed my surging emotions. My head cooled down quickly, and I was able to focus entirely on my Quirk.
In moments like this, I'm glad my Quirk is what it is. I don't fundamentally need to move my arms or legs to use it. I only do so because it makes things easier; essentially, as long as my brain is working, that's enough.
Since things had come to this, my only job was interference. I abandoned all thoughts of attacking and focused purely on sabotage. I didn't need to stop him completely. I just needed to restrict him, even by a fraction.
I timed my "Pulls" to his initial movements—targeting his limbs, his tools, even his clothes.
The moment he swung his sword. The moment he reached for a weapon. The moment he tried to dash or leap. I targeted the split-seconds when his focus was entirely on Iida or Shoto.
Having someone mess with you right at the start of a move is incredibly frustrating. It ruins your rhythm. You can't move the way you usually do. Even if he tried to adjust to the added weight, the "Pull" was inconsistent, making it impossible to compensate.
That tiny bit of stress began to snowball, steadily eating away at his concentration and stamina. Once I reached the point where his very senses started to lag... the game was mine.
"Guh...!!"
Stain lost his footing while trying to use a wall for leverage. It was because the foot I "Pulled" slipped just an inch from where it was supposed to land.
Iida didn't miss the opening. He raced up the wall, accelerating with a Recipro Burst that Shoto had pre-cooled for him. Stain noticed him and tried to brace himself, but I wasn't having it. I used my Pull Quirk to yank Stain's neck toward me.
His hateful gaze locked onto mine.
"Sucker."
"...Gh?!"
Before he could say a word, a kick accelerated to its absolute limit by Recipro slammed into Stain's side. The dull thud that echoed through the alley told me it was a finishing blow.
...And yet, I had a bad feeling. A terrible, inescapable premonition.
Todoroki seemed to feel it too; he had his arm ready. But it wasn't his right hand meant for capturing—it was his left, meant for attacking.
"Not yet!! Iida!!"
Iida reacted to the shout and jerked his head back. In that same instant, a blade flashed through the space where his face had been.
"Finish him!!"
Iida tried to launch another kick at Shoto's command, but a knife thrown by Stain was faster, burying itself in Iida's leg. Stain turned away from the collapsing Iida and looked at Shoto. His eyes were filled with a murderous intent so thick it was palpable.
"I must... purge you!!"
Using Iida as a stepping stone, Stain leapt through the air, charging straight for Shoto. Shoto unleashed a wall of flames to create distance, but Stain dove right through them as if they were nothing.
"For the sake of a righteous society!!"
A wall of ice erupted from beneath Shoto's feet to block him, but it only bought a second. Stain sliced it into ribbons without missing a beat.
"Everything!! For!! A righteous!! Society!!"
There was nothing but killing intent in Stain's eyes. Not a single other thought existed. Despite how distorted he was, there was a strange transparency to it—a pitch-black, bottomless malice.
"...Midoriya?!"
It's amazing what humans can do when pushed; I managed to yank Shoto out of the way with a full-throttle Pull. If I'd had the luxury, I would have Pulled him toward a wall or something, but the only target I could lock onto in an instant was my own palm.
My body and Shoto's crossed in mid-air. Watching him fly in the opposite direction felt oddly familiar. Then I remembered: it was just like the U.S.J. incident. I'd done the exact same thing then.
"Midoriya!!"
I heard Iida's voice, thick with panic. He probably thought I was about to be cut down. Most people would think that.
I watched the blade closing in on me and gritted my teeth, bracing for the impact. In the face of death, my heightened concentration slowed time to a crawl. My thoughts spun at a speed I'd never experienced before.
And in that frozen moment, I saw it.
In the stretching seconds, I saw the moment Stain's blade stopped dead in its tracks...
A dull impact thudded against my head. My forehead had slammed right into Stain's face.
I watched him stagger backward as I hit the ground, unable to kill my momentum. Everything hurt. I was rolling around so much I felt nauseous.
But I'd believed in him. I'd believed he wouldn't kill me.
I knew this guy's logic was insane, but I also knew he was the kind of stubborn asshole who would follow his own word to the letter. I'd known it from the moment I saw those eyes—eyes that were perfectly straight despite being completely warped.
"Guh... hah... must... purge...! Must... set it right...!"
Stain was still on his feet, though he was swaying. I didn't know what drove him this far, but I understood that physical damage wasn't going to stop him. A guy like this won't quit until you knock him unconscious.
"...!"
Suddenly, the feeling returned to my limbs. I tried moving them, and they responded. Well then, I just had to do what I could. I started to stand up to deliver the final blow... but the moment I saw what was coming, I immediately flopped back down.
I laid there like a seal washed up on a beach.
Why, you ask? Well, because I saw it. I don't know why or how he got here, but the storm that wasn't supposed to arrive was here.
"Explosive Turbo... Maximum Output: Formula One!!"
With a deafening roar, a blonde missile came screaming into the alley. The missile slammed into Stain, triggering dozens of small-scale explosions that sent him flying. Finally, he smashed into a wall and went limp, but the "Missile" showed no mercy, delivering one final blast that completely snuffed out his consciousness.
This time, he definitely looked retired. Or dead. One of the two.
Shoto and Iida stood there, speechless. They probably didn't even have words for it. They'd been struggling so much against this guy, and then some newcomer just one-shots him. It was a lot to take in.
"...Hey. You stupid woman."
I was trying to sneak away when a voice caught me. From the tone, I could tell he was beyond pissed. Yeah, I definitely didn't want to turn around.
...Wait, hang on. Why is he so mad? When you really think about it, I'm the one who should be angry! I have no reason to be scolded by this guy!
That's right! I'm the one who wants to yell! You jerk!! I haven't forgotten how you acted back then!!!
"Hey."
...I mean, I want to say that, but the atmosphere isn't exactly right for it. I get it. Little Niko is a devilishly cute girl who can read the room. I'm better at that than anyone.
So, to settle things peacefully, there was only one thing to do.
"Kacchan! Catch ya later!"
"Why the hell are you running?! Get back here!!"
"Go look in a mirror, idiot!"
"The hell did you say?!"
In the end, there was no way a exhausted, beat-up girl like me could win. It took less than five seconds for me to be caught.
Ahaha... dammit. Mission failed.
***
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