A Tarnished Hero

The day was here, the path leading to the giant stadium packed with tourists and media alike. Heroes patrolled the area while coordinating with local police force, ensuring that no dastardly villain would dare ruin the momentous occasion.

Not that they would, Izuku chuckled. Who in their right mind would try and ruin an event guarded by even the topmost hero of the country? That's not even to say the amount of ire they would get from the public population for destroying what was considered a national holiday — yes, they considered the U.A Sports Festival a national holiday. The same couldn't be said for other school's sports festival.

Plus, from a tactical perspective, it was just plain idiotic. Why stop when an enemy of yours is making a mistake? Showcasing their abilities for the whole world to see? Now that was an act that just screamed "This is my weakness!"

Sighing as he walked through the dense crowds of onlookers, some stalls set up to provide the guests souvenirs or food, Izuku found himself nearly bored to death. After having helped Nezu and his other colleagues help with the events for the Sports Festival, Izuku was shunted off to the wayside to entertain wayward guests. Patches, the scheming little rat that he was, opened a stall selling some… goods he managed to bring along with him stuffed inside his own bottomless box.

And wasn't that a shocker. Damned sleazeball was holding out on him. He'd have to give him a shakedown once they were away from prying eyes just so he could see what he had in stock.

Blaidd, meanwhile, was content roaming around the place, not being given a second glance other than kids marveling at his looks and height. At that thought, Izuku had to pinch the bridge of his nose. Of course, the adults would have to behave themselves. It was no secret that there were times normal people hated on those with… different forms just because. But if they didn't want to get their sorry asses tossed out of the school grounds, they'd have to show they were all diamonds and pearls.

Already, he could see some people eyeing Blaidd from afar, their mouths formed in a slight frown as the half-wolf was tugged here and there by the rowdy children. Seeing a hardened warrior being subjected to the whims of children somehow warmed his heart, as it did Melina's as she watched on in her spectral form with a slight smile.

Leaving the two to their own devices was in and of itself, a gamble. Have them frolic about for a bit before their inevitable return to the Lands Between, where death resides on every corner if you weren't careful enough.

"I've seen videos of gatherings such as these, and it's quite different from what I had imagined." Melina murmured, her voice being nearly drowned out by the hustle and bustle of the crowd around them. "Quite different from our festivals, although at least one of them is quite common amongst men."

She looked at the stadium and Izuku followed her gaze. With a hum and a thought, he agreed. There would always be one constant when it came to a festival of such proportions, and that was competition. It didn't matter what kind of competition, whether it be a blood sport, a tournament fight, or just plain festivities, people would be people and would be clamoring for the next set of entertainment.

Hmm… Wait a second… Wasn't there something about a festival too in the Lands Between? Izuku tried to think but couldn't for the life of him remember where he heard about it. Was it from the nomadic merchants he had come across? Or the mutterings of the insane men and women that littered the continent like pests.

"I can see trouble brewing in your mind, Izuku. You need not be shy. I can answer your question, if I have the knowledge." Melina walked closer, both of them nearly touching shoulders.

"I'm just a bit forgetful." Izuku scratched the back of his head. "Wasn't there supposed to be a festival back in the Lands Between? I think it was somewhere in Caelid."

"… Ah, you speak of the Radahn Festival." Melina hummed. "If my memory served me correctly, it is a gathering of the greatest warriors in an attempt to see who can fell the mighty general."

"Oh! Now I remember!" Izuku snapped his fingers. "Alexander told me about it. He wanted to go there too and test his mettle."

"You mean the giant living jar?" Melina asked skeptically.

"Yes, him. Why?" Izuku narrowed his eyes at the spectral girl.

"… Nothing. Just curious as to why he would want to fight." Melina turned her head back, hand cupping the bottom of her chin. She muttered for a brief while, something Izuku wasn't able to hear so he just let the girl be.

They wandered about the grounds for a good few minutes, dodging people and trying out some of the stalls — the money Nezu handed him for the day being spent like they grew on trees — before Izuku's name was called from behind him. Turning around, he saw Patches and his rinky, dinky stall, a large smile on the bald man's face.

Melina cringed in utter disgust as she stayed back, while Izuku approached but was a bit apprehensive of the bald man. He knew his tricks; he didn't want to get scammed again like last time.

"Welcome, welcome! To the brand-new Patches Emporium!" The sleazy smile on his face told Izuku everything he needed to know about what the man was going to do today.

"Patches…" Izuku sighed.

"What's with that dejected tone? Aren't you happy to see me selling again?" Patches went out of his stall and slung an arm around Izuku's shoulder. "Plus, I have top quality merchandise, only for your eyes."

"Not here." Izuku palmed his face. "What do you think will happen once it gets out, you're selling me weapons? You're lucky some of the tourists won't even come near this place just because of how your stall looks like."

"Then that's their loss." Patches shrugged, dragging Izuku along towards the front of his stall. "And I assure you, I ain't selling those to these people. Who do you think I am?"

"A greedy slimeball that would do anything to fuck someone over?" Izuku deadpanned and Patches had the gall to laugh it off.

"By the Erdtree, I would never do such a thing." Patches lied as easily as he breathed. "Also, I'm not stupid. The rat has his eyes everywhere, and it would be a major setback for my operation here to come crashing down just because I didn't want to respect the keeper of this place."

"At least you know." Izuku heaved a sigh of relief, thankful that some poor, innocent shmuck wouldn't be scammed out of his wallet by this silver-tongued devil. "By the way, have you seen Blaidd?"

"The half wolf?" Patches scratched his shiny dome, then pointed towards the stadium. "Last I saw, he was heading inside the stadium, probably wanted to see the kids punch each other. Now isn't that a line I thought I would never say in my life."

"… Who are you and what have you done with Patches?" Izuku stepped back and glared at the bald man.

"Woah, woah, woah! Easy there! I'm still your trusty ol' pal Patches the Untethered." Patches grinned, albeit shakily. "Just because I'm a greedy man, doesn't mean I'm all out of sympathy."

"… Hmmm… I'm keeping my eye on you." Izuku gestured two fingers pointing towards the bald man, before leaning in closer. "Also, let me have a see on your… quality stock once the festival's over. Need to see if anything tickles my fancy. Can't always rely on All Strike, after all."

"… I'll still never get over why you named your… Zweihander after a man in your hometown." Patches smirk never left as he went back to his stall, no doubt waiting to prey on a hapless man. "Anyway, I'll be seeing you around. Let me now if anything happens. Meanwhile, I'll be here selling some of Patches' reliable, homecooked stew."

Waving him goodbye, Izuku set his sights on the stadium, most of the people already heading inside since the event was about to start.

"I can't stand him." Melina grumbled as she followed Izuku, the spectral girl hanging close to him once he was away from the bald man.

"You don't have to, but you have to admit, he is useful." Izuku shrugged and Melina couldn't deny his words.

The halls were packed with people, the tidal wave of flesh and body odor bumping into each other as they tried to find their way out into the audience seat. Just your regular, crowded festival. At least some thought was placed as to how the flow of human people would go, with the entire hall being one way only.

Plus, it helped that the hall was incredibly empty. No doors, no obstructions, nothing. Just a simple hallway for people to move through.

It didn't take long until they finally managed to get to the audience section of the stadium, the seats nearly filled to bursting at the amount of people that showed up for the event. Looking around, Izuku spotted the VIP area where the families of the contestants would be staying at. It was also where some of the staff would be watching during their breaks.

And since Izuku was given nothing to do for the day, he might as well get comfortable with some of his colleagues.

[][][]

Blaidd was confused as to why he was in this predicament, tugged around by excitable kids who, for some reason, had animal features on their bodies. It was surreal, seeing young, cheerful faces without thinking they were a threat to either him, or his lady.

Following the children, because he didn't want to mar the smiles on their faces, along with their parents — who were wary at first because of his ragged appearance but took to him because of his polite eloquence — following them while keeping a watchful vigil over their kids.

He didn't know what the children saw in him to befriend him, but to be truthful, he missed interactions like this. Ever since his lady had started her plan, everything he'd done over the course of centuries was for his lady. Every action, every step, everything was for his lady.

It kind of gripped him in the heart, his gallivanting around in Izuku's home world wasted time fulfilling his lady's orders. He wanted to go back to the Lands Between. He needed to go back.

But for now, perhaps enjoying the festivities wouldn't hurt. So, with that in mind, he decided to shove all thoughts about his mission to the back and let loose, a rare smile overtaking his snout as he allowed the children to play with him.

The parents were oblivious to his sudden mood, their gazes never leaving from their children. Now that he was relaxing a bit, he could see them also having animal parts, sometimes something alien to even him. Seriously, the man could be compared to a Cemetery Shade with how dark he was. No doubt, if he was under the cover of night, with the moon waning, covered with clouds, then a normal person would be hard pressed to even see him.

Shaking his head from such thoughts, Blaidd went back to entertaining the kids. It wasn't long before he found himself seated, along with some of the children that were busy ooh'ing and aah'ing at their private booth.

"Blaidd?" The half wolf's ears perked up and turned his head, directly looking into Izuku's green orbs. "Huh, didn't know the kids bringing you along were siblings to the contestants."

"… Oh… I was wondering why were given preferential treatment." Blaidd hummed as he finally separated from the group, the gaggle of kids looking downtrodden for a moment before their short attention span caused them to look out onto the open arena below. "What about you?"

"Me? I'm just here to get some R&R and watch some good fights." Izuku grinned and took a seat, Blaidd taking the other one beside him. "Plus, since I did help with coming up for the events, I think you'd be quite surprised for the show."

"… Well, that livens my expectations, at least." Blaidd shrugged, intent on leaning back against the soft cushions that came with each and every seat in the VIP booth.

The two went silent, comfortable with each other's presence. Meanwhile, the other occupants of the booth were yapping on and on about who's kid going to beat who's kid. It's like the "My dad can beat your dad" but this time, the children are the dads.

The other children, siblings of the contestants, or rather students of this fine academy, were busy gushing about how their elder brother/sister would kick the others elder brother/sister butts. Seeing them argue for what felt like hours brought a smile to his lips.

"WELCOME, ONE AND ALL, TO THE INCOMING U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!" The speakers suddenly blared to life and the stadium burst into roaring cheers. "YOU ALREADY KNOW ME! COME ON, SAY MY NAME!"

"PRESENT MIC!" The stadium boomed and Blaidd had to flatten his ears against his head, his ears ringing slightly.

"NOW THAT'S A HYPED CROWD!" Present Mic said behind the microphone, the announcer's box situated right at the topmost area where they could get a clear view of the arena. "AS ALWAYS, I'LL BE GIVING YOU THE PLAY-BY-PLAY AS OUR ENTHUSIASTIC STUDENTS FIGHT AND CLAW THEIR WAY TO VICTORY THROUGH TRIALS AND HARDSHIPS! AND RIGHT BESIDE ME IS MY CO-HOST FOR THE ENTIRE EVENT! GO ON, SAY HELLO, ERASERHEAD."

"… Why'd you rope me into this again?" A tired voice echoed through the stadium, garnering a few chuckles and head tilting at the sheer gap between personalities.

"OH, COME ON, DON'T BE LIKE THAT!" The two kept on bantering for a little while, their comedic lines and well-played jokes coming off smooth like butter. They then went to giving everyone the rundown as to what to expect, not that they needed it since this was a yearly thing.

Blaidd thanked them, however, being new to this.

"NOW THEN, IT'S THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR OUR CONTESTANTS!" As Present Mic introduced the classes one by one, Blaidd had to hold in a chuckle. Clearly, all of them, save for those uninterested, were trembling like newly born fawns.

With all of them in the spotlight, Present Mic then went off to call upon another hero, one literal bombshell that was clearly unfit to be anywhere near children. She walked on stage with a confident strut, whip in hand as she cocked her hips to the side.

"And now, let's call upon the student representing the entire student body to come up on stage and give his speech. Bakugo Katsuki, come here please." She gestured sultrily and one ash blond kid grumbled as he power walked his way through the throngs of students. Looking at his side, Izuku was clearly interested at what the teen had to say.

As he began to speak, Blaidd felt something pulling him from above. It only lasted for a split second, but he was able to recognize it. Eyes widening, he looked up but saw nothing. Looking at Izuku again, the Tarnished was looking back at him, eyes focused and grim.

"Recognized the feeling?" Izuku asked, and Blaidd nodded. How could he forget that nauseating feeling of getting tossed around like a ragdoll as he flew through the air? "Still, where is it coming from?"

"… I have no idea." Blaidd said truthfully. He, and by extension Izuku, only felt it for a tiny amount of time that if one wasn't attentive enough, they wouldn't even notice it happened.

"… Shit… Alright, come with me, I need to speak with Principal Nezu… On second thought, you grab Patches and bring him by Principal Nezu's office." Izuku stood up and Blaidd followed suit. "I'll go on ahead and fill him on the details."

"Very well." Blaidd agreed and the two went their separate ways, confusing the people in the room with them. As he walked, dodging people and trash alike, he couldn't help but think that his time in Izuku's homeworld would be cut short.

At least he'll be back to serving his lady again.

[]

[]

[]

A/N: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is out, and damn do I love traversing the zone... Fuck the bloodsuckers, though, how many point blank shotgun shells do you need to put them down...?

Shameless Plugs:

patreon.com/IAmGuavaFruitFictionHub (If you want to read 10 chaps ahead, head on over.)

discord.gg/v9f5kjsfVv