Kenichi VS Fumika
FINALE
Point A
Feat. @Zeroth
Fumika braced herself, the brilliant green glow of her eyes rising to a fever pitch, and then...
Her opponent's only warning was a shadow suddenly being cast over his head as a new projection took form there. But, unlike her earlier usage of her Quirk, this wasn't just a clone, but rather-
A giant metal shipping crate appeared mere inches above him and immediately began to fall, and yet, as soon as it had appeared, Fumika shut her eyes tightly. The image continued in its motion in the absence of a guiding signal, but without any of its original mass or weight behind it. The intangible crate fell to cover the blue-haired boy completely quite literally in the blink of an eye, and the moment it stopped moving, Fumika opened her eyes again. The crate once more became solid, with her target now suddenly entrapped at its center.
...But even if this was an impressive trick, she couldn't keep it up for long - certainly not long enough to disqualify him. The sheer mass of the object was draining her energy at a tremendous rate, meaning she'd only have a few seconds before she'd have to dismiss it, or else risk burning herself out almost immediately. But, then again, a few seconds was all she needed! She sprinted to the left, then turned sharply, rushing in towards the box from the side. Right before she hit it, she blinked, and the projection flickered once more into intangibility, allowing her free passage through. Within the darkness of the crate, the boy wouldn't be able to see anything until she was already upon him, but Fumika had no such difficulty. Since he was already surrounded by her particles, the returning signal from her projection told her exactly where he was! Thus, blinking through the formerly-solid wall of the crate, she dive-tackled him, dismissing the projection as she did so and causing the box to shatter into dust around them. If she could just knock him to the ground and get in close on top of him, then she could keep him from bringing his speed and power to bear. Then, maybe, she could...!
They collided amidst the glittering cloud, but as Fumika's arms closed around his torso Kenichi instinctively leaned into the contact as he turned. He was shorter than her, so his center of gravity was lower, and he was heavier. He moved two quick steps without losing his balance completely, and once he brought his own muscle into the struggle the girl had no chance--he grabbed her forearms and pried her off of him with an iron grip, before pushing her away as he lunged backwards. As soon as he landed he leaned forward and dashed again, straight back at her.
"Jet Hound!"
It was just a lunging punch, but the air whipping around him gave it a howl befitting the name. Still though, the attack was one-dimensional, completely straight forward--!
Fumika gave a sharp cry as she was flung bodily backward once more, but this time, she still had her wits about her. Rolling with the impact as she hit the ground, she broke her fall and came up in a crouch... Just in time to see her blue-haired adversary launch his own attack. By the time she could comprehend the course taken by the blow, it was already too late to dodge. But, she'd still saved a recording just for this purpose! Her eyes flashed brilliantly as, right in the way of her adversary's blow, the heavy wooden pallet she'd recorded earlier appeared, standing upright in front of her for a split second. At the same time, she forced herself to her feet, as if preparing to take his blow head on.
The upper half of the wooden barrier was shattered to pieces in an instant, but this time, her creation was a bit more durable than before. The lower half didn't immediately disintegrate, but rather, remained intact for just long enough to get under his feet as he was carried forward by the force of his blow. At the same time, his fist passed through the disintegrating debris, once again headed right for her gut just like the last blow that had nearly crippled her. But... she'd seen this attack before! She twisted her body ever-so-slightly to the right, raising her left arm as she did so. She could feel his fist grazing across her side, his knuckles all but cutting into her like a blade as part of her tracksuit was ripped away by the sheer force of the air passing by her. She gritted her teeth and endured the pain as best she could. If she hesitated, then she'd only be dragged down with him, but... if her timing was perfect...!
Her arm wrapped down and around his, catching his outstretched wrist between her elbow and hip as she completed her turn. If the rubble she'd left beneath him had tripped him up, then he'd be barreling forward at full speed. Which meant that she didn't have to overpower him... She just had to redirect his momentum! She stepped past his center of mass, spinning violently as she did so and releasing his arm. Giving a wordless yell, she exerted all the force she could must to fling him bodily past her, straight towards a half-completed wall.
Kenichi hit the wall with the flat of his back, smashing right through a sheet of plaster and a timber frame in a cloud of dust. He rolled over one shoulder and came up on one knee, quickly gauging his condition. Bloody lip, scrape on the forehead, some cuts on his arm where he'd smashed through the pallet, general pain all over where that impact just now had spread out. Nothing too bad yet, and he only had to get her once! He jumped straight up, grabbing the lip of the wall and pulling himself up on top of the frame. As much as he hated to hit her too hard, he'd have to up the power to make sure he could go through whatever barrier she used next fast enough to make contact.
From up top he found her again with no problems, then with a quick breath he pushed off the wall. The half-finished construction broke off halfway down from the force his legs put on it, but by the time it collapsed into a pile of rubble he was off like a gunshot. He turned a flip in the air and leveled out with a flying, Kamen Rider style kick, coming straight at Fumika.
"Jet Eagle!"
The second attack was as unreasonable as the first. But this time, the way he moved was more familiar...
A dark shape rebounded violently off the large oak tree, the branch shattering beneath her feet as she kicked off, flipping midair to bring down a mighty kick that could split rock. "HARUKAZE HAMMER!" With this roar, the strike came down fast - far too fast to avoid. Fumika was slammed into the ground by the shockwave alone, and by the time she managed to regain her senses, her opponent was already standing over her, signaling the end of the match...Not this time. That technique was strong, but it had weaknesses, too. He had to alter his trajectory in mid-air, which meant that he needed to leap in an arc rather than a straight line. To get the right distance, he couldn't use his full speed or else risk overshooting his target. And, even so, if she could get in under him, then all those calculations would be...! She hurled herself bodily forward just as the kick descended, passing beneath his descending leg before it could reach her. She rolled once, and then-
The kick slammed into the ground below, kicking up a storm of dust and dirt, the shockwave once more carrying her into the air as the ground began to shake. She was launched away from the point of impact, but she'd been prepared for that, too. She managed to flip herself face down just before she could hit the ground, then projected a copy of herself beneath her to catch her and break her fall. Using her own image as a cushion, she managed to land without more than a few more scrapes, and rose to her feet as the image faded.
She hadn't gotten a good look at him when he'd last attacked, but she was fairly certain... That last attack of hers had definitely done some damage! His Quirk gave him speed and power, but that was its limit. The amount of punishment he could take was still finite! In that case, if she could keep whittling him down without taking a direct blow herself, then...!
...But it was too early to celebrate. Her breath was already coming in ragged gasps, and her energy was almost halfway spent. She was starting to feel sluggish - dizzy. But she couldn't give in just yet...!
Even if she couldn't see him, he had to be somewhere in that dust cloud. He probably hadn't gotten a good look at which direction she'd flown off in, which meant she had the chance to close the distance! A copy of herself appeared to either side of her, and all three of them fanned out, running at angles into the smoke towards where she knew her enemy was waiting. If she could just get a little closer, it was possible... She might be able to...!
Kenichi stood up shakily, still bent at the waist as he rubbed his aching calf--the only thing about that move was that if he missed, the landing was hard. He straightened up and licked his swollen lip absently. Should he get out of the cloud, or wait for her to come to him? She had plenty of cover if she wanted it, but he'd beaten her at an in-fight once already. He shook his arms out as he held his ground. He'd wait, at least until the cloud died down.
A shadow appeared in the cloud on his left. He darted at it immediately, raising both fists.
"Jet Wolf!" If the earlier Jet Hound had been trouble, this move was a whole
pack of trouble, hence its name. It was, in essence, the exact same as a "Gomu Gomu no Gatling," the "North Star Hundred Cracks Fist," or the good ol' "Ora Ora Ora." Kenichi launched a rapidfire barrage of punches one after the other as he pressed forward, his arms blurring until it looked like he had grown multiple limbs.
The dust cleared out of his way, and the girl's shocked face appeared in his sights. His fists barreled into her--then she burst into shards of light and Kenichi's rush passed through her.
"Tch!" He whirled on the spot, looking this way and that. How many copies had she made? Maybe she hadn't intended to come after him at all--was she setting up for something big from outside the smokescreen? He'd see soon enough, the air was starting to clear...
A sudden shockwave split the cloud of dust a short distance to her left. Using his Quirk to force dust and debris away to once more clear the battlefield... Haruka had used that trick a few times, too, so she'd been expecting it. It seemed like one of her copies had been taken out by his initial attack, too, but judging by his yell and the rapid dispersal of the cloud, she now had a good idea of where she was. She had her second copy close in immediately, charging in from his right, while she approached behind it, creating a third copy directly in front of her to cover for her while she once again moved a short distance to the side and approached at an angle. She was twenty meters from him now, now eighteen, and then finally...
Out of the disappearing smoke, another Fumika emerged, rushing silently towards her enemy and dropping into a slide across the ground, sweeping out her leg as she did so to try to catch the blue-haired boy's feet and sweep them out from under him, then turning as she rose upward to bring up a sudden punch towards his gut. She didn't expect the first attack would work, much less the second, given he must have already been aware that more of her copies were lurking in the mist. However, if she could just make contact with his leg, the particle wavelength would tell her exactly what she needed to know in that instant about his foot's position. He'd have to ground himself to launch a counterattack, and at that moment, all his weight would momentarily be on his back leg. At that exact instant, she'd project it, and bring him down...!
Sure enough, Kenichi jumped over the sliding scissor sweep, turning as he came down to follow her movement. He almost landed on her punch, but threw both palms in front of himself to catch her fist before she could hit him in the solar plexus--notably, this was the first attack he seemed intent on blocking from her. Her very first roundhouse kick he had tried to dodge, but he hadn't been too concerned with the bruise it had given him, and everything since that he had taken without letting it slow him down, although that one kick to the gut had gotten the most reaction...
Gripping her hand with both of his, he suddenly started to torque his body, dragging her across his waist. He put too much muscle into it as opposed to proper form and leverage, but it was the same kind of throw she had used on him after his Jet Hound! He sent her copy flying over his hip with a bit more oomph than she had used on him, but that moment of bodily contact had given the real Fumika what she needed.
Clink!
Kenichi looked down at the metallic sound, just as the cable and hook that had somehow spawned around his foot started to go taut. He could feel himself starting to slide, and followed the cable back to where Fumika and her copes had lined up for tug-of-war. He pulled back with his hooked leg, but even with his enhanced strength he knew her number advantage would make that futile. And just as he thought, the copies all adjusted their grips, leaned back, and gave one synchronized pull--!
He pushed off the ground, using their effort to add to his speed, and not-quite-literally flew at them completely parallel to the ground. He crossed both arms over his face in an X.
Even if I don't hit hard enough to knock her out, I'll try and get my arms around the real one!"Jet Hawk!" he shouted, before flinging both arms straight out in a flying clothesline.
She'd got him! With a mighty pull on her projected crane cable, Fumika was about to drag her opponent off his feet when suddenly-
The ground shook. She and all of her clones stumbled as the resistance at the other end vanished entirely, and the boy instead launched himself straight at her. At the back of the line, she managed to put her other copies in front of her, but they hardly so much as slowed the boy down as he plowed through them, reducing each one to dust in turn before slamming into her at full speed. Once again, she felt the air rushing out of her lungs as her whole body shook from the impact. However, it wasn't a direct hit. Still reeling from her own overexertion, she'd been falling backward when he hit her. His arms had struck her directly below the collarbone, then grazed off her and gone over her head. As a result, instead of being carried with him as he flew past, she was sent slamming down into the ground as if struck by a hammer. A scream died in her throat as once again, a fiery-hot wave of pain shot up the length of her entire back. She slammed down hard into the dirt, various small stones scraping and scratching at her as she tumbled over and shakily rose to all fours. Wave after wave of pain pounded through her head, as though her very skull were about to burst. She gasped for air, every muscle of her chest screaming in protest at the exertion. Her entire body ached... but she couldn't stop now. She'd come so close... She could still win. She would still win! She forced her glasses back up from where they'd nearly fallen once again, looking frantically back and forth. That boy... where was he?
There, crashing into the ground several meters away! Kenichi grimaced as he had to basically throw himself into a roll to bleed off the momentum, but while it looked like a tumble of limbs ragdolling across the field the impact was reduced to a dull throbbing all over his body. He pushed himself to his feet and turned back towards Fumika. That scrape above his eye had opened up now thanks to the gravel, so he had it closed while blood--a
lot of blood, actually--trickled over it and down along his cheek. Those minor cuts on his arm from punching through the pallet were bleeding more than they should be too, making his otherwise fine arm look like something out of a horror film. There were rips and scrapes and stains all over his jersey. He was breathing hard, and it wasn't intentional; the pressurized air he was exhaling even clouded up like steam in the winter. He was sweating profusely too, a sheen that made the pink tint to his skin look feverish.
When your heart was pumping this hard, and when your red blood cells were being produced so fast so numerously, even a minor scrape would bleed like hell. Body heat went up past what was normal for a human too--if he kept this up, his sweat might even start evaporating, making the comparison between his Quirk and One Piece's Gear Second even more apparent.
As far as stamina and muscle fatigue went, he wasn't actually that bad off--it was just that he had tried to ignore some hard hits, hadn't been careful enough in monitoring the damage he'd received because he was so sure it would only take one good hit to beat her. He hadn't weighed the risk of his own moves correctly--crashing into things at the speed he moved was worse than just letting her hit him.
But she looked worse off than he was. His first instinct was to call out to her, to ask if she was alright. But she had given it her all here, and he had to answer her in kind. It would be paradoxically gentler, here, to leave no questions unanswered, to make the outcome crystal clear. So he stacked his arms in front of him, forearms presented like the face of a battering ram, and he pushed off at top speed for one last run.
"Jet Stampede!"
Punches and kicks had what you'd call "penetrating power," concentrating large forces into small areas. He couldn't punch her full force because he'd break bones or rupture organs. But a move like this was just one body running into another--like when he hit the wall on the flat of his back, the force was more dispersed. So he ran--actually running, not a straight line lunging dash where his speed made him "glide" over the ground--straight at her, and although he was running fast, if he missed he could make a wide, arcing turn and come back at her again. He didn't even need a direct hit, one or two passes with a glancing blow might do it...
There was no time to think. The moment he was up on his feet, he was already running her down again. But this time, he didn't close the distance in a single bound, but rather took his time to accelerate to a dead sprint towards her. That, combined with the distance his flight had placed between them, barely gave her time to roll to the side rather than being trampled underfoot. Rising once more to all fours, she sprang upright, spinning to face him... only to find him arcing rapidly back around and rushing straight towards her again! He was faster this time - no time to dodge. So this was his plan... He'd keep accelerating and circling back in on her, pummeling her until she couldn't dodge anymore and took a direct blow. There wasn't any cover or way to distance herself from him, and he'd chase her down if she tried to run... In that case, her only option was to slow him down!
Fumika's rapidly dimming eyes flashed once again, a red haze popping out against their whites as her emerald green pupils began to glow once again, the bar around her head decreasing rapidly. Another shadow took form overhead, but this time, she didn't shut her eyes. Between her and the advancing boy, a large metal support pole came crashing down, sticking end-first in the dirt and forming a pillar in front of him, forcing him to swerve away from her at the last second or else crash headlong into it. He circled again, then came darting in from the left. Even though she'd stalled him, he was still accelerating?! Her eyes flashed once more, and another pillar slammed down between them. The ground shook, dust rapidly rising, only to split apart as a dark shape came rushing in from the right. A third pillar crashed down into the earth, but it wasn't quite quick enough. He slipped straight under it as it fell, twisting slightly to the side. Although she tried to dodge, his shoulder brushed against hers as he blurred past her, and this alone was more than enough to send her slamming once more into the ground. Her head knocked hard against the ground, and as she reached up to try to force her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose, she drew back her hand to find it stained red with blood. Something warm was trickling down from her right temple. The pounding in her head redoubled, and the whole world seemed to be spinning around her. But still, she had no time to rest. Given his earlier movements, he'd arc back around and then attack from the nearest opening, and that was...!
She rolled over, forcing herself partially up into a crouch from where she'd ended up lying on the ground. Sure enough, the smoke suddenly washed inward as something on the other side of it began to accelerate. One pillar wouldn't be enough - he'd slip through! So, driven to desperation, she released three more pillars from above, raining them down wildly upon the area in front of the boy, hoping he'd pull out of his attack rather than risk being hit directly by or running headlong into a steel beam. At this exertion, her power plummeted, and her eyelids began to feel almost irresistibly heavy. She was running on fumes at this point, and between the beating she'd taken and the amount of energy she'd been forced to use, it was difficult for her to even raise her head. And yet, she had to get up... He was coming... If she didn't stand, then she'd be...!
The three pillars crashed down, the dust cloud whirling around them as Kenichi changed his movements. As Fumika willed herself to her feet one more time, though, something was off this time. The sound of his footsteps pounding the earth had gone missing! So he had to be--
When she looked up, there he was, crouching like Spider-Man at the top of one of the pillars. His nostrils flared, the air around him whistled, ruffling his spiky hair like a battle aura. His eyes met hers, and he was still looking at her seriously, acknowledging her as his opponent.
"It's over!" he said, adjusting to a three-point stance as best he could on the narrow pipe, "But your choice...WASN'T WRONG!"
Even if she couldn't win, even if she was outmatched. She was smart, she was brave, she kept going as far as she could. She chose to fight him, she chose not to give up. She hated lying, but she lied. She hated not knowing what to do, but she chose anyway, knowing she was wrong.
No. Just because you might lose...it was never
wrong to try!"JET HUNTING!"
"HARUKAZE HAILSTORM!"He was a blue blur, bouncing off each pillar or swinging around them to slingshot himself in a new direction. The pipes made a sound like oversized wind chimes as he rattled their metal surfaces, echoing through the hollows down into the ground. He kept speeding up, until she lost sight of him just once--
It was an utterly unreasonable attack, impossible for her eyes to follow. First from the left, then from above, then suddenly from behind? When had she gotten to the right of her? She was moving so fast that Fumika's eyes couldn't even follow the direction in which the blur that was Haruka was moving. And then, suddenly-He barely grazed her, his shoulder across her back, but it was like being buffeted by storm winds. Then he did the same across her side, then her front, then it was like he was all around! At some point she'd been knocked off her feet, but she couldn't even fall because he was hitting her in a new direction over and over. Her sense of balance and spatial awareness couldn't make heads or tails of anything, her vision was just a blur of brown and white as she faced earth, sky, earth, sky, then there was a streak of blue every so often, and it just kept--
Suddenly, gold eyes appeared right in front of her, and Fumika knew it was over. Haruka's leg was already drawn back, spiraling up towards her. The ultimate, super special finishing move she'd been so proud of was about to be delivered, and then-For a split second, time seemed to stop. Fumika stared with wide eyes as the blue blur collided with one of her pillars, rebounded, and came straight at her. This was the final blow. Once this attack connected, she'd surely be...
I failed. Haruka, I'm sorry... it looks like I really can't... I can't be like you after all...!The wind was howling. He was almost upon her now. She didn't even have time to shut her eyes or brace for the impact. Her body already felt numb from the repeated impacts, and even her thoughts were getting hazy. Her uniform was ripped and torn, and she herself was covered with dust, scrapes, and bruises. All around her, her projections were crumbling to pieces. Her power was at its limit. Even if she could have dodged this attack, she couldn't keep fighting. So this was it. It had all been for nothing. She couldn't do this after all. It hurt. Losing hurt. She didn't want this. She didn't want it to end like this...!
Please... someone... anyone... Haruka...!It happened in a flash. The spring wind blew suddenly across the open field, a loud "bang" splitting the air as every single pillar around the plaza crumbled into dust and vanished. Kenichi was suddenly forcibly blown back by a mighty gale, and skidded to a stop on the ground. Then, just as quickly as this sudden storm had come, it stopped, revealing...?
A dark-haired figure was standing over Fumika, golden eyes staring down at her. At the last second, just before Kenichi's attack could connect, this person... this girl... She'd jumped in the way and pulled Fumika to safety? But who was she? She definitely wasn't someone from Alpha team, but she was clearly too young to be a teacher. With speed and power like that, he should have been able to hear her coming, but rather, she'd seemed to appear out of thin air... A projection?
Ah, this had to be her, then. The other person with a self-enhancing Quirk, the reason that so many of Kenichi's moves were being read and this girl could keep up with him. That force, that speed...even though he knew the projections could only take so much force before collapsing, and that his own moves had already put a lot of strain on them, this dark-haired girl had shattered them all at once. Had that "bang" been a real sonic boom? His top speed couldn't even approach that--could she really make a projection that powerful, with so little stamina left? He looked down at himself, down at his bleeding arm. He clenched his fist and turned his head to the sky. With a heave of his chest and shoulders, he started to draw in as much air as he could. More, so much more, enough to fill himself to capacity and go beyond that, because he was going to need every bit of it...
Fumika blinked, unable to tell anymore whether or not she was awake or dreaming. She was so tired all of a sudden, and felt like she was getting sleepier with every passing second. She could barely keep her eyes open, and yet, she couldn't take her gaze away from the familiar face looking down at her, a sad smile playing on the face of her idol and best friend. She wasn't angry at her, even like this? But she'd failed... She hadn't been able to live up to her promise. She hadn't been able to be a hero like Haruka had wanted her to be...!
And yet, in the silence following the resounding clash of battle, she could almost hear a voice - one she remembered from not too long ago.
Sorry I was late."Haruka... it hurts... I can't... I can't do it after all..." Fumika sobbed, gasping for air as she lay prone on the ground. Her breathing was ragged, although whether that was because of how much it hurt just to force the air into her lungs or because she was simply too tired to exert herself any further, she couldn't tell anymore.
Come on, Fumi, are you even trying? Haruka's image gazed sternly down at her. She wasn't angry, but the disappointment in her tone and expression hurt more than all the pain her enemy could have possibly inflicted upon her.
"What is there left to try?" She snapped back. Hadn't she done everything in her own power to win? And after all of that, it still wasn't enough! What more was there that she could do besides give up and save herself further agony and humiliation?
"I'm not strong... I couldn't beat you... I can't even beat him... It doesn't matter how hard I try to fight for myself, does it? I'll only lose in the end. Nothing has changed, except I can't hide behind you anymore...!"Was she talking to that girl, Kenichi wondered? She had to be. Haruka, huh? So this was what she was afraid of, living in this other girl's shadow? Something must have happened--had Haruka just gone to another school, or had there been some kind of accident? And now, this girl had to learn how to stand on her own two feet, and make her own decisions. And Kenichi knew that no matter what he could say or do for her in the present moment, it was up to her to make those choices and follow her own path.
You did a bit better that time. Good job. Haruka's tone changed to a more placating one, and Fumika couldn't help but feel ashamed of herself. Still, what did it change? Even if she had improved, she was still...
"But I still can't win! I let everyone down..." She protested weakly. Haruka shook her head sternly, reminding her of a lesson she already should have learned.
Give it your all! If you don't come at me with everything you've got, then you're letting yourself down!"But what can I do?" She pulled her hair down over her eyes, tugging on it for consolation like it was the only protection she had left.
"I'm scared... if I get up, then I'll just..."What's there to be scared of?! Haruka's voice rang in her ears, cutting off any attempt she might make to excuse herself.
You've got an amazing Quirk, and you passed the entrance exam to one of the best Hero schools in the country, for crying out loud! As somebody who's fought against you before, I can safely say that you've got nothing to be afraid of. She was right. Of course she was right. The only reason she was losing was because she herself was weak. But, with her Quirk... There might still be a chance. She hadn't wanted it to end like this. She hadn't wanted to hide behind others, to compensate for her own weakness with cowardice, to embrace her own powerlessness. But, if it meant upholding Haruka's dream... if it meant vindicating the confidence that the person most important to her had placed in her...!
"So then... I should be able to win here, right?" She asked, clinging now to one last desperate hope. Even if it wasn't what she'd wanted...
"Even if it means relying on my Quirk..." She could still...?
Let me ask you this. What is it that you want, Fumi?Despite herself, Fumika found her hand clenching into a fist. Her vision cleared, and her head stopped spinning. Even though all that was left of the bar around her head was nothing more than a single pinprick of light, even though her power was entirely spent, she'd never felt more clarity, more certainty, ever before. The pain was still there, but suddenly, that didn't seem to matter anymore.
"I want... I want to win."Haruka's image smiled down at her, reaching out a hand. She'd given the right answer, it seemed. Fumika hesitated for only a moment, and then took hold of it. Although she could hardly stand by herself, if Haruka was there to help her... Even if it was impossible, she'd definitely be able to make it happen!
Then you have a goal. No matter what happens, don't give up on it, okay?Fumika took her feet, the dying glow in her eyes somehow seeming brighter than ever before. Sparks flew from the ends of her hair as the green arrow surged back into view, lighting up like a star. Releasing her friend's hand, Fumika took a step forward, ignoring the stinging protest of her leg as it struggled to so much as support her weight.
"Then let's do it. Together... Let's win together!" Haruka's image nodded, and stepped forward in front of her, while Fumika settled into her usual spot, bringing up the rear. As the pain faded and her thoughts grew clearer, Fumika realized full well that what she was seeing couldn't be real. Whether it was a trick played upon her by her own Quirk, or simply a dream to comfort her when she'd already lost, it didn't matter. It wasn't possible that Haruka was really there, really telling her what she needed to hear at that moment. Of course there was nobody by her side. She was as alone as she'd always been. But, for just this one moment, she wanted so desperately to believe... to believe that Haruka believed in her, to believe that she still had a chance, to believe that, in this moment, she wasn't useless, but rather...
Motome Fumika wanted to believe that she'd really managed to become a hero.
Kenichi gritted his teeth. He would be facing her, and the projection of someone who matched, maybe even surpassed his own abilities. If she could use that to its full extent, then he needed something that could meet that level of force head on and overcome it, and still have enough left over to win. In other words, a force great enough to cancel out whatever "Haruka" did, break the projection, and then go past it to knock out Ahoge-chan. Between breaths Kenichi smirked to himself--he really needed to learn her name. But for that kind of force, he only had one move--and he doubted he could use it more than once.
The UA practical exam wasn't much after the initial shock factor. Sure, all these robots the size of bulldozers chasing you, but they weren't as tough as they looked. He had earned plenty of points by the time they started counting off the last minutes, and now he had to hope and pray that he'd do as well as this on the other parts of the exam.
Then that one showed up. It was the size of a goddamned sky-scraper, nobody in their right mind was going to take that thing on without a plan. Even Kenichi hadn't jumped out in front of it--he'd been considering trying to climb one of the buildings and jumping on it from there--but then...
Some wimpy-lookin' kid--well, he had that whole "total loser" kind of presence to him, but if you actually looked at him he was pretty built under the tacky tracksuit he'd worn--moved before any of them even saw the girl trapped under the rubble. Everyone had written this guy off after the ruckus he'd made earlier, even that hardass kid with the glasses and the engine-legs. But this wimp just straight up jumped at least fifty fucking stories, stared that titan of a machine right in the face, and yelled one word before blowing it to pieces with one punch...Everybody knew who All Might was, knew his moves and his style and recognized his power. Everyone wanted to be him. But the thing about All Might was, he never broke. That wimp Kenichi had seen back then...he'd absolutely mangled both his legs and one arm. And he'd done it without a second thought to save that girl.
Kenichi had decided that he had to keep going further too, beyond his limits. He couldn't just train his Quirk, he had to
push it. So he came up with this one move.
Anyone who has seen someone be cut deeply, or open an artery, knows that the more oxygen and nutrient rich the blood is, the redder its color. The corollary to that is that the more carbon dioxide is in the blood, and after the blood has deposited its oxygen stores and begins returning to the heart to pick up more, the darker the blood gets. All the oxygen in Kenichi's bloodstream was being pumped rapidly throughout his system, and because systems always get less efficient the higher their power output goes, the gas exchange process was losing its balance. Those red veins all over Kenichi's body, like lightning bolts, began to darken. Maroon, purple...black. Every muscle was tight, his eyes were bloodshot around the edges, he ground his teeth together as he felt that deep, painful pressure in his chest. But he clenched his fist, and drew it back.
Here they...Here SHE comes!The ground cracked, and another wave of dust was sent flying into the air as the dark-haired blur streaked forward, Fumika herself rushing in as fast as she could from behind. Kenichi braced himself, keen eyes tracking the figure's approach. The distance between him and the projected Haruka closed in a heartbeat, but rather than ramming into him head-on, she suddenly stopped, planting her front foot and bringing up her back leg in a wide, sweeping arc almost too fast to be seen. Kenichi could feel the force that blow almost before it was even launched, like a tornado in the making. If he was going to take his shot, then the perfect opening would be...!
Behind her friend's image, Fumika grimaced. Her power was declining even faster than she'd expected just making Haruka move. As it was, if she launched this attack, not only would she be betraying her earlier vow to win with her own power, but she'd burn herself out entirely. That was why... She only needed to make her enemy think that this attack was coming!
"JET... SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!" Roaring at the top of his lungs, Kenichi forced forward with all his might. His fist closed the gap in an instant, splitting the air itself and sending a hurricane of dust and debris cascading backward as he unleashed one punch filled with all the strength he could muster. And as for the copy, it-
"Haruka, forgive me, but I have to settle this myself!"Two steps ahead of her, another Fumika took form, once more crouching with hands outstretched, ready to fling her upward. She leaped, feeling herself caught and hoisted into the air as she jumped once again, making it a good few feet off the ground. That was all she needed! With Kenichi's next attack aimed at Haruka's center of mass, most of the force of his blow would be applied beneath her, which meant...!
The copy was instantly vaporized by the force of the blow, and offered no resistance to Kenichi's attack. As it faded, however, it revealed two more projections, hidden in the shadow of the first: Mina and Lysander! In the instant before both were blown away, Mina's copy released a blinding flash of light from right in front of Kenichi, while Lysander's extended his wires, forming a net that wrapped around Fumika in mid-air. She wasn't using his capture technique offensively, but rather, had created an improvised shield against the initial shockwave! The instant it had passed, the wires shattered into dust, and Fumika herself emerged, hanging as if suspended in mid-air. But, at that moment, all the air that had been displaced by Kenichi's punch began to rush back inward to fill the void left in its wake, which in turn would mean...!
An enormous backblast of wind was unleashed, catching Fumika from behind and flinging her bodily straight forward - right towards Kenichi. She had only a split second to think before she'd crash into him, and so did the only thing she could think of. Throughout the fight, his breathing had been carefully measured. First, he'd intake air, then strike, and then release his breath. Just now, he'd released all the air he had stored, hadn't he? Which meant... if she could just keep him from taking in more, then based on Sen's description of his Quirk, she could prevent him from dodging! She only had 1% of her power left, but 1% was all she needed! This last hit... would settle everything! With her remaining momentum, she flipped herself head-over-heels in mid air, her eyes alighting for a split second on her opponent's face right before she made contact.
Her eyes flashed one more time, and as the bar around her head faded to empty, for a few seconds, Sen's gasmask took form over Kenichi's face. Only able to take in as much air as could pass through the filter, it wouldn't matter how hard he tried. There wasn't enough time for him to recover! Her awareness was fading. Everything seemed to be spinning. But she would not give in. She would not give up. At the very least, she had to fight to keep her eyes open long enough to deliver her coup de grace. And so, with one last cry of exertion before her mind and body gave out, she unleashed her final attack.
"Take this...! Harukaze... HAMMER!" With this roar, she brought down her extended front leg as fast as she could, far too fast to avoid. Her technique was a perfect replica, but this was no projection, no counterfeit construction of something she admired. Her movements, her resolve, her everything... All of it was created with nothing but the strength within her own body! Even without her Quirk... she had managed to achieve for a split second the strength she had so admired. This... was the attack of a hero!
The air around them wasn't the only thing that burst from the force of Kenichi's blow. He felt his muscles tearing, felt his bones trembling under the pressure. Blood vessels under his skin burst, unable to take the pressure from over two hundred heartbeats per minute combined with the stress of throwing a punch like that, turning the entire arm the color of a nasty bruise. The cuts from earlier provided a path of least resistance, and with a popping sound sprayed a red mist into the whirling dust cloud.
But he had done it, the dark haired girl's image was blasted apart instantly, and--
Damn it, she read me again!The light blinded him, and he threw up his good arm reflexively. Where had the real one gone? He had to--
Something closed over his mouth, and he opened his eyes wide in panic. Were those flashes of color just from being stunned, or was he going to suffocate!?
The hammer came down on top of his raised arm with a crunch, and it was sheer dumb luck that he had blocked with the "meatier" underside of his forearm and not the flat side or the hard edge a martial artist might use to block. It didn't break his bones, but it came damn close, and the impact went through and rattled his skull too. Then there was the weight behind it, she wasn't just kicking him she was
falling on him--
They hit the dirt, Fumika too spent to even stand up anymore and Kenichi too off-balance to stop himself. He grunted and turned his head to keep from bouncing the back of his skull on the ground, and threw his arms out to the side as he hit flat on his back. Luckily Fumika was lighter and less dense of frame than he was, so having her fall on top of him didn't even hurt.
She was also taller than him, though, which meant that even though they'd been facing each other, they were not actually face-to-face. Indeed, Kenichi was now uncomfortably aware that he was instead face-to-
something-entirely-too-soft. His face turned beet-red, even more than when he used his ability, and somehow his heart went from two hundred beats a minute to a complete flatline. But goddammit he didn't have time for this he had to
breathe--!Ah, she smells nice--FOCUS, MAN!He started to use his arms to pull himself out from under her, but the incredible pain lancing through both limbs nixed that idea.
Well...at least she's unconscious? ...No, no that doesn't make it better.Fumika, for her part, hardly even twitched, or seemed to notice where she was or what had happened. Her body, battered by the strain of the fight, ached far too much to move, and she herself was far too exhausted to care. Even through the haze that clouded her mind, however, there was one thing she still knew.
"I did it, Haruka," She mumbled, snuggling closer to what in her semi-conscious state she thought was a pillow. Her voice came out faintly, half-muffled as her face buried itself against Kenichi's shoulder, and her words slurring like a drowsy child asking the one who woke her for five more minutes.
"See? You were right... I really can be... strong..."When her awareness finally slipped away, Fumika lapsed into a dreamless sleep, the smile she'd worn at her first victory still playing upon her lips.
Lemons
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Supermaxx
Izurich
pkken
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Asura
