The Hunter Amongst Villains

Chapter 16: Hunter Meets Hero

The screen replayed Mt. Lady's humiliation. Garou stood on her fist, lasing her with menacing eyes. The Hero Hunter smacked her cheek, tilting her chin sinistrally after concaving her face. Garou seized one of her horns midairs and, channeling his weight, pulled her down, headfirst overhead his descent, and he slammed her skull deep into the pavement.

Mt Lady was watching the replay from her phone with a hung jaw, her mind refusing to digest the events her lead her bedridden in a hospital with all the other heroes. She did not know whether she should be scared or angry. She looked so stupid on the screen, drooling like an idiot as Garou walked away without giving her a second glance. How in the world was that guy Quirkless? That was definitely a Quirk right there!

"So, how was your first taste of his famous beatings?" Eraserhead spoke up beside her bed.

"Shut it, mummy! At least I'm getting out tomorrow!" She was not happy. She felt as if Garou took away her pride, and she wanted it back.

"You're quite lucky, though." Kamui woods spoke up, athwart her. His bandages only covered his face and abdomen while his right hand was casted.

"Lucky? How is losing to a 'Quirkless' guy on live cameras even lucky!? Uuuuggghhh, it's even worse when they sent me to the hall of losers..."

My Lady was fuming. Her chance to fame was even further from her reach behind a wall of shame.

"You talk big for a rookie who lost on the screen," Eraserhead commented.

"Hey, you guys told me He's Quirkless. How is that guy not Quirkless? Someone that packs a punch like that definitely has a quirk, which, by the way, thanks for lying to my face," she sniped.

"You're not the only ones with that thought, Mount Lady," Kamui rebuked with sternness.

"Are you sure it isn't because that guy's eyes aren't working, right?" Mt lady asked with brazen crass.

"Aizawa's Quirk did function." A familiar voice spoke from behind Eraserhead, from the next bed past Eraserhead.

"Hm?" Mt Lady knew this voice.

Peering over his shoulder, she spotted the battered form of the number two hero - the bandaged form of Endeavour. She saw that he was looking downcast. The fiery gaze that burned before seemed... dim. But she could see some light still flickering.

"Holy crap, it's you!" Mt Lady asked, pointing at the sullen hero. She didn't know that Endeavour was still in the same hospital as her. Heck, then all of the Manhunt Team was here.

"Yeah... it is." Endeavour sounded drained, unlike his more vigorous self. "Our being here is from a different... hubris. Our plan relied on Eraserhead's performance as our crux, but our efforts only failed - and the realization that the threat out there was more than he seemed."

His response did not match what Mt Lady knew of him by far. He sounded fatigued, drained of his passion. Whatever motivated Endeavour here seemed to be in disarray, his eyes lacking focus and wandering in a search for his missing flame.

"I... Okay. Well..." Mt Lady turned away, facing forward at Kamui across her.

"He's quite shaken that he lost, even more so when he heard that Garou's equal to All Might," Eraserhead pointed out.

Endeavour didn't retort to Eraserhead's remark.

"Oh..." Mt Lady turned to him, grasping the chance to escape the awkwardness. "What'd Garou do to him to end up here?"

Eraserhead, the mummy, glanced at Endeavour for a second before returning to Mt Lady.

"He got blasted in his ribs, multiple fractures, and heavy contusions. We couldn't even stop him from getting knocked out of the ring before he turned his fangs at us," Eraserhead sighed. "And it ended how you see. We are not exactly proud of it either, so don't take Garou's Quirklessness for granted next time."