Deku the Anti-Hero

A New Way of Life

A/N: Still don't own MHA. Wish I did.

Everything was uncomfortable. No matter how much he tossed and turned, his bed still felt like it was a stone slab.

"I said wake up or your training will be worse." a slightly angry voice snarled. Understandably surprised, Izuku rocketed into a seated position and took in his surroundings. He was...well, he didn't know exactly. 

"You're only making it harder for yourself." the man said. Naturally, Midoriya turned to the source and was greeted with Stain not-so-gently tossing a plate of something at him. 

Oh yeah, that happened.

Hurriedly he grabbed the plate and ate whatever it was. It didn't taste bad, mostly because it didn't taste like anything. "What's this? And what's training going to be like?" he asked between mouthfuls.

"That's a nutritional mix. And we'll start with speed and agility, and get into strength training later. Now hurry up and get your ass outside.".

Midoriya made a mental note regarding the change in attitude. Yesterday Stain was almost kind, to the point of not being what one would expect from a guy named "Hero Killer: Stain". Now he was starting to fit the name.

The green haired kid quickly finished his breakfast and skedaddled outside. Stain followed and led the boy to a long, abandoned alleyway. "Run." was all he said. Despite his confusion, instinct forced Midoriya to take off at a dead sprint. Something in the atmosphere changed, and he glanced backwards to see his mentor coming after him with bloodshed in his eyes.

If he had enough wind in him, he definitely would have screamed. But he was to busy running to waste any oxygen, so he kept running until Stain tackled him from behind.

"You're slow and clumsy. Even if you avoid fighting, you couldn't run to save your life.". The weight lifted off Izuku's back, but the dread stayed with him. Slowly he pushed himself until he was standing, and was greeted by Stain's knife pointed at his neck.

"If this was the real thing, I could have killed you twice over." he said before pointing the way they came from. 

Midoriya was already on the move before Stain could give him the order. "Fast learner." he noted, and tackled him just before the kid got out of the alley. Once again he let the kid stand before addressing him again.

"Remember what I said when we first met? About you not having what it takes to back up your dreams? Well, that's what you need to work on. So get running.". Once again Midoriya took off, and was once again tackled by his mentor.

That's the way it went for hours. Running, tackling, insult, repeat. After a few hours Stain brought Midoriya back to his hideout and pulled out some of the heavier gear.

"Put this on." he ordered while handing him his backpack. He did as he was told, and Stain filled the bag with knives, rocks, and anything else he could find until it weighted twenty pounds.

"Give me ten pushups.".

"Just ten?" Midoriya questioned.

"You want to give me more?" the villain rhetorically asked, which prompted his trainee to get into a pushup position. 

He managed thirteen before his arms gave out for the time being.

"I'll admit I didn't expect you to give me more than ten. You're dedicated, and I like that.".

Pride swelled inside the boy's chest, until it was squashed by doubt. Should he actually take the praise? He hardly actually did anything, and shouldn't it be bad to be complimented by a villain?