Izuku's Quirks:
1) One For All
2) Blackwhip
3) Float
4) Danger Sense
5) Smokescreen
6) Fa Jin
7) Gearshift
Izuku's Moveset:
Full Cowl - Izuku allows the power of One For All to flow through his body instead of focusing it in one location, vastly enhancing his strength, speed, durability, mobility and agility. The more power he adds, the greater boost he attains.
Full Cowl: Spark Punch - While using Full Cowl, Izuku can throw a powerful punch at a tenth of a second speed. He can throw the punch even faster if he focuses more power from One For All. When using this move, bioelectricity created from One For All travels along his arm, giving off the image of throwing a fist made of lightning.
Full Cowl: Spark Barrage - While using Full Cowl, Izuku throws a barrage of punches. The more power he uses from One For All, the faster, stronger and more numerous the punches.
Full Cowl: Seismic Toss - While using Full Cowl, Izuku grabs his opponent and throws them with all his strength. The more power he uses, the greater the throw.
Full Cowl Plus Ultra: Spark Barrage - While using Full Cowl and combining both One For All and Fa Jin, Izuku can throw a thousand punches in a near instant. This is considered an Ultimate Move.
Full Cowl Plus Ultra: Rainbow Overdrive - Combining One For All, Fa Jin and Gearshift, Izuku undergoes a transformation where his hair spikes and changes into a mix of moving colours, just as his eyes do. The transformation is so powerful that anything in his vicinity gets destroyed, though it is incredibly straining on the body to keep up the form for long. When in this form, Izuku gains an immense boost in strength, speed, durability, mobility and agility, to the point where he can mostly keep up with Boros while he is in his Meteroic Burst form.
One For All: Flick Bolt - Focusing One For All into his finger while he flicks it, Izuku can accurately fire a condensed beam of pressurized wind.
One For All: Big Bang Blast - Izuku concentrates the full power of One For All into his fist and then throws a fast punch. The combination of releasing all that pent-up power while throwing the punch at great speeds results in an effect similar to a combustion explosion but at a much grander scale. The explosion creates a blinding bright light whilst the target, as well as everything else for miles, is destroyed down to the atomic level. This is considered an Ultimate Move and is only used when necessary, due to the large amount of destruction it causes.
Smokescreen: Full Blast - Izuku activates Smokescreen at maximum force and explosively emits a large amount of smoke which can cover an entire city within seconds.
Enjoy.
( Monster Association HQ )
Above the stadium, Gyoro Gyoro watched everything through his spy drone. He hummed to himself as he eyed the Demon Cyborg sitting in the stands. "No, no. That won't do at all." They couldn't exactly force the competitors to become monsters if there was an S-Class Hero nearby. For starters, they would need to take the Demon Cyborg out of the equation. "Time to lure out the S-Class." The one-eyed monster looked over its shoulder to the Executive member who was standing behind him. "That's your queue. Once the Demon Cyborg is dealt with, I'll send the expendables out to lure out Deku. That'll be your moment to shine. Go have fun up there!"
The Executive merely grunted out a reply before he left the room, each step causing the room to shake and dust to fall from the ceiling.
( City C - Super Stadium )
The semi-finals started with the first match between Volten and Suiryu, though to call it a match would be insulting. The moment the referee announced the start of the match, an electrified Volten charged at Suiryu fast in the hope of knocking him out with his electrical attacks. That hope was dashed when Suiryu defeated him with a single kick, just as he did with Lightning Max and Sneck. The young fighter had no problem soaking up all the praise from his many fans afterwards as he raised his fists in the air, victoriously.
Once Suiryu left the arena and Volten was brought to the infirmary, the second match of the semi-finals started with Choze and Bakuzan staring each other down. Choze stared at Bakuzan with a wide-eyed stare and a crazed grin. Bakuzan stared back with a bored expression.
"Don't blink or you'll miss it, folks! Who will win? Could it be Choze, who has been enjoying the physical destruction of his opponents more than he really should? Or could it be our two-time champ, Bakuzan who has defeated each of his opponents as quickly as he did brutally? It could be anyone's match!"
"Hehe, anyone's match he says?" chuckled Choze, his grin widening to a frightening degree. "I've never heard someone say something so funny."
Bakuzan merely raised a curious brow. "Oh? How so?"
"What you and every other commoner in this world don't realize is that I am far superior to you all in every way there is," said Choze like it was simply a fact. The white-haired man spread his arms out wide and basked in the glory of his existence. "My family has spent generations breeding superior genes. We are a chosen breed. And I am their greatest creation to date. I am a completely different species to you, commoners. I will show everyone how powerful I am and then take over the world!" he explained, clenching his fist once he mentioned his goal of taking over the world.
Bakuzan deadpanned over both the crazed lunatic's dramatics and his foolish goal to take over the world. He wanted the referee to start the fight so he could shut this guy's trap for good. "Right..."
Izuku deadpanned as well, having heard every word that came out of Choze's mouth. "He sounds like every classmate I've ever had since preschool" he thought, having heard plenty of times from those classmates about how superior they were because of their Quirks. Katsuki might've been the loudest and most abusive of them all but the others still made their opinions of him known, either through hurtful words or through violence.
Still, he did wonder if Choze was serious about his goal to take over the world. "And here I thought Katsuki was ambitious" he joked to himself while grinning. Though, that grin disappeared when he sensed a burst of killing intent aimed in his direction. It didn't take a genius to find out where it was coming from.
Watching the match from one of the tunnels, Suiryu detected the killing intent that was pouring out of Choze. Bakuzan noticed as well but both fighters were confused as to why Choze wasn't aiming his killing intent at his opponent. Instead, his killing intent seemed to be aimed towards... the announcer's booth?
Both Suiryu and Bakuzan widened their eyes as they both came to the same conclusion about what Choze was about to do.
Just as the referee was about to announce the start of the match, Choze spun to the left and started running, to the confusion of everyone watching.
"W-What is going on!? Is this Choze's way of surrendering?!" exclaimed the confused announcer.
"You best get down, for your own safety" warned Izuku who grabbed the announcer by his shoulder and pushed him down to the floor, much to his growing confusion. The Number One Hero knew exactly what Choze was about to do so he thought it best to keep the announcer down for his safety. The booth was about to have another guest.
Just as he reached the edge of the platform, Choze jumped, soaring over the many benches filled with gaping viewers. The man's crazed laugh escaped his smirking lips as his body ascended towards the announcer's booth where the real challenge was. "I can't hold myself back any longer! Why should I deal with all these peons when I can kill the World's Strongest Man right here and now!" The fighter's right hand clenched into a fist, a fist which he intended to pierce through the body of Deku.
Once Choze reached the booth, he thrust his hand through the glass window, the only thing left between him and the S-Class Rank 1 Hero. Choze's punch shattered the window without resistance and was on a direct course to Deku's undefended throat. Despite that one of the tournament's fighters just straight up attacked him with no warning, destroyed the window in front of him and was now just a foot away from him, Deku never once reacted, even as broken glass bounced off his face.
"With your death, I proclaim my right to rule this wor-!" Choze's moment of triumph was cut short. Just when his first was about to smash into Deku's adam's apple, the Hero's hand blurred and Choze soon found a finger about to flick him in the face. A harmless gesture to be made by a normal man but most knew that such a gesture made by Deku was by no means harmless. From how Choze's eyes widened, he knew the severity of a finger flick made by Deku.
The last thing Choze saw before unconsciousness overtook him was Deku's powerful green eyes.
Then Deku flicked his finger into Choze's face and shot the fighter out of the booth and straight back down to the arena with the speed of an iron ball fired out of a cannon. Choze impacted the centre of the arena in an explosion of dust and rubble, creating a miniature earthquake to shake the foundations of the arena, something which was felt by everyone attending. Bakuzan was forced to cross his arms to prevent any dust or rubble from blinding him and to help reduce the strength of the shockwave which was created by the collision. It might have pushed him back a few feet and knocked the wind out of him but at least he was still standing and not out of bounds of the arena.
The same couldn't be said for Choze as everyone saw once the dust settled down. The supposed Superior Human was now lying in a crater in the middle of the arena platform, unconscious.
The announcer was quick to regain his senses once the violence was over. "What a shocking turn of events folks! I'm sure I don't need to say it but I will anyway, Choze is hereby disqualified! Not that he could fight even if he wanted to." The announcer turned to the Hero who hadn't so much as budged from his seat during the attempt on his life. The only evidence that something happened was the broken window and all the glass littering the floor. "Are you alright, Deku? You're not harmed, are you?"
"No need to fret, I am fine" Izuku laughed off the announcer's concern, as well as the concern he could see from many in the audience. "I'll admit, I never thought someone would be so bold as to attack me in the middle of a tournament that is being broadcast worldwide, but Choze was just that bold. Still, no need for that little incident to delay this tournament any longer than necessary."
The announcer nodded in agreement and went back at it. "You heard it from Deku himself folks! With Choze eliminated, Bakuzan is now heading to the finals to face off against Suiryu. It's legend against legend in possibly the greatest match-up in Super Fight history! We'll take half an hour for a break so get yourselves settled before the big match begins!"
As Choze was dragged out of the crater and the spectators all left their seats to get food or go to the bathroom, Suiryu watched on from one of the tunnels, body shaking. The martial artist held up his shaking left hand and couldn't stop himself from chuckling. "I've never felt so excited," said Suiryu, having witnessed something truly spectacular. Choze might not have been on his level but he was still in a higher league than most of the other fighters.
And Deku took him down with a flick of his finger.
Suiryu clenched his shaking fist and looked on, knowing what he had to do.
He wante-no, he needed to fight Deku.
xXx
One of the few who stayed in their seats, Genos had his arms folded and glared at nothing in particular. He was lost in his thoughts regarding Choze's assassination attempt on his sensei. He was also mentally berating himself for getting caught off guard and not immediately moving to stop Choze.
The cyborg's berating thoughts were interrupted when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Taking out his flip phone, Genos answered the call that he saw was from the Association. "Yes?"
"Demon Cyborg, we've got word of a monster sighting near your location. You and Deku are the only Heroes in the area to deal with it" told the console operator on the other side of the call.
Genos nodded in understanding. "Very well, I'll deal with it. Send me its location."
"Of course. Thank you again."
Genos hung up the call and contemplated informing Izuku about the monster. "There's no need to disturb sensei. I'll head out, defeat the monster and come back before the final match is over." Nodding, Genos stood up and headed for the exit. With the monster's last known location, it shouldn't take long for him to find it and kill it.
Flying overhead, Gyoro Gyoro's spy drone watched as the Demon Cyborg left the stadium, its owner smiling at the sight.
xXx
"And we're back! I hope you've all settled because you do NOT want to miss this match!" exclaimed the excited announcer with great enthusiasm. That enthusiasm was shared by everyone in the stadium as they watched Bakuzan and Suiryu, the two favourites in the tournament square off against each other in the arena.
"So, I've finally made it. Face-to-face with Suiryu" thought Bakuzan, looking as bored as he did throughout the entirety of the tournament. Suiryu himself simply stared back with an easygoing smile.
In the announcer's booth, Izuku watched the fight with his arms folded and a knowing glint in his eyes. From their fights, both Bakuzan and Suiryu held skills comparable to an S-Class Hero. They were both strong but he knew which one would end up victorious.
"Match, start!" called out the referee who brought his hand down to signal the start of the final match.
Neither Suiryu nor Bakuzan moved to get into their fighting stance, simply happy enough to stare at each other.
Bakuzan spoke. "Suiryu, I've waited a long time for this moment. To prove that I am the strongest fighter in Super Fight history. Finally, today is that day."
Suiryu placed his hands on the back of his head, shrugging uncaringly. "Man, sounds personal. I nearly feel bad that I'm just here for the prize money." Looking thoughtful for a moment, Suiryu then showed a big mocking grin. "Nah!"
A tick mark grew along Bakuzan's forehead. "You..."
"I can't imagine how much work you put into your training. How many years did you train to get as strong as you are now? 10? 20? Your whole life?"
Growing annoyed, Bakuzan growled. "What's your point?"
Suiryu dropped his arms to rest by his sides and lazily shrugged. "No point. Just wondered, that's all. All those years to get as strong as you are now, and yet to be so much weaker than me while I haven't trained in years."
"Uh oh" muttered Izuku, realizing that Suiryu just pushed Bakuzan to the breaking point.
Bakuzan's seemingly limitless patience finally broke as a dark aura encompassed the man. From within the darkness of his aura, two glowing red eyes pierced through. The martial artist's muscles bulged to the point that his feet left cracks in the floor and his veins pulsated all over his body. "I'm going to KILL you."
Despite Bakuzan summoning his full strength, Suiryu smirked. "Oh?"
"A-Amazing! Bakuzan nearly looks like Death Incarnate! Are we finally seeing Bakuzan use his full strength? Can Suiryu withstand the full might of Bakuzan and his Dark Hell Assassination Art style?!"
"The match will end in the first move" told Izuku as more of a fact.
Suiryu placed his hands on his hips and shot the angry Bakuzan a cocky grin. "You're strong, I'll admit but you're more of an appetizer to me. To quench my hunger, I need something a bit more filling, you understand?"
Bakuzan responded with a roar before he lunged at Suiryu at high speed. "You won't have to worry about hunger once I've shoved my fist down your th-WHAM!"
It happened so fast that those watching from the stands couldn't see what just happened. One moment, Bakuzan was standing on one end of the arena before disappearing. The next, the wall behind Bakuzan exploded. When the dust cleared, Bakuzan was shown embedded in a crater in the wall, completely unconscious. Everyone then saw Suiryu standing in the same spot in the arena, his left leg thrust out in a kick and his foot smoking slightly.
Izuku didn't say anything, having already predicted the outcome. The announcer took a minute to get over his shock and close his gaping mouth.
"I-It's over! Bakuzan has been knocked off the platform! Therefore, he is this year's Super Fight Tournament winner!" cried the announcer, holding onto his microphone with one hand while the other pumped the air.
From the sidelines, the previous fighters who were knocked out of the tournament were all just as shocked by the outcome. They expected an epic match between the two favourite fighters in the tournament but instead, it was as one-sided as the rest of Suiryu's matches.
"He didn't stand a chance!" shouted Zakos in disbelief. There was a bandage covering the bridge of his nose and the arm Bakuzan broke was in a cast and sling.
"I can't believe it. He moved so fast, I couldn't see a single one of his movements" muttered Lin Lin, rethinking her skills in the martial arts. She thought she was good but compared to Suiryu, she may as well be a novice.
Covered in a few bandages, Mentai looked disturbed by Suiryu's easy victory over Bakuzan. "Suiryu is on a completely different level."
Side by side, Lightning Max and Sneck looked on as Suiryu basked in the glory of his victory. Neither said a word but both had the same thought.
Suiryu was a Monster.
xXx
Genos landed on an empty street in a crouch. All the civilians had already been evacuated after a monster was sighted in the area. Taking in his surroundings, Genos activated his scanners to search for the monster. The stoic cyborg frowned, contemplating as to why he couldn't find the whereabouts of the Mysterious Being.
"The Association did say the monster was spotted in this area. They also mentioned the monster was said to be massive in size, yet I don't see any sig-"
Genos widened his eyes when his sensors suddenly detected something large and powerful standing right behind him. "Behind me!" Jumping forward, Genos turned in midair and aimed an Incineration Cannon at the monster standing behind him.
Only for something large and fast to hit the airborne cyborg before he could react. Sounds of metal shattering bounced off the nearby buildings as pieces of Genos broke off his body. The last thing the cyborg saw was the face of the large four-eyed Mysterious Being responsible before he faded into unconsciousness.
xXx
Once a solemn Bakuzan regained consciousness, all the fighters were brought to the arena for the closing ceremony, except for Choze, Rosie, Dave and Bazuzu who were recovering in the infirmary.
Standing alongside the fighters was the announcer, Deku and a scantily clad showgirl tasked with handing Suiryu his trophy and his cash prize which was in the form of an oversized cheque.
"Congratulations on your win, Suiryu. Tell us, what's next for you?" asked the announcer, holding out his microphone so Suiryu's answer could be heard by everyone. However, the announcer and the other martial artists noticed how Suiryu wasn't looking at the announcer but was instead making strong eye contact with Deku. The eye contact was returned by the smiling Hero.
"He's not going to do what I think he's gonna do, is he?" wondered Sneck, brows widening in disbelief. He knew the guy was arrogant but to such an extent?
"I've never seen that look in his eye before. Is he going to do it?" thought a sweating Sourface, his face scrunched up even further.
Deku's smile widened. "You look like you have something to say, Suiryu," he said, a knowing tone in his voice.
Suiryu returned the Hero's smile with a grin. "Yeah, I do have something to say actually." The young martial artist turned to the showgirl who was waiting to hand him his trophy and cheque. "Hold onto those will you, beautiful?" he asked with a wink, getting a nod from the flustered young woman. "Thanks." Turning back to face Deku, he took the announcer's microphone and pointed a finger straight at the Hero. "Deku, I challenge you to a fight, here and now!" he spoke into the microphone so everyone could hear.
The entire stadium erupted into mass gasps as they witnessed the five-time Super Fight champion challenge the World's Strongest Man. The audience soon went silent, wanting to hear the Hero's response. Could they get their hopes up on watching a fight between the two powerhouses?
Izuku's smile neither lifted nor fell. "Oh? After all your fights today, you now want to fight me? How unusual of you, Suiryu. I pegged you as someone who'd do as little as possible if it could be helped."
Suiryu grinned, the jab at him not going unnoticed. "Those so-called 'fights' were just appetizers. I'm now looking for the main course."
The Number One Hero's smiled widened ever so much that only Suiryu noticed the miniature difference. "You think I can fill your appetite?"
"Like no other" Suiryu answered, matching Deku's grin with one of his own. "Though, if you're too afraid to face me, that's also fair. You might not want to lose your title as World's Strongest Man to me in front of the world" egged on the martial artist, spreading a hand out towards the audience who began cheering.
Izuku looked out to the cheering crowd, listening as they chanted for a match between the two young men. He then peered back at Suiryu who had a shit-eating grin plastered over his handsome face. "I'll admit, watching the tournament did get my blood pumping a little. Choze's little stunt only added fuel to the fire. Very well, let's fight."
That seemed to be the right answer for the stadium started to shake with the amount of cheering and stomping the spectators were doing, filling the stadium with a contagious electricity that swept the whole audience. The air seemed to vibrate with all the loud noise bellowing throughout the stadium.
Grinning in excitement, Suiryu handed the microphone back to the announcer who jumped off the platform with everyone else. Instead of returning to the booth, he decided to announce from the sidelines alongside the defeated contenders of the Super Fight Tournament. Not even he wanted to miss even a second of this fight.
"In an incredible turn of events, Suiryu, our Super Fight Champion, has decided to challenge Deku, Mr. Invincible himself to a match. In an even more shocking turn of events, Deku accepted! Who could've possibly predicted this would happen!?"
Jakumen couldn't believe his eyes as he watched Deku square off against Suiryu. "This is the greatest day of my life."
"Go, Deku! Kick his ass!" shouted Lin Lin, hands cupping her mouth to make her shout louder.
"Looks like someone already has their favourite picked" deadpanned Zakos, nursing his broken arm. Despite his tone, he was also excited to witness the upcoming match.
Sneck and Lightning Max barely blinked, that was how focused they were in watching this match. "What do you think?" a serious Sneck asked, eyes refusing to shift away from the two fighters who were stretching their muscles.
"I think Suiryu isn't gonna be so smug once this match is over" answered Max, just as serious as his fellow Hero. "He definitely won't be able to finish this match with a single kick anyway."
"That's a given. Still, I am curious to see his full strength. Fighting Deku, he'll have no choice but to show it" remarked Sneck, looking forward to seeing the Hero and Super Fight Champion fight each other.
After finishing their stretches, a nervous referee stepped between the two fighters. "This is an exhibition match between Suiryu and Deku. We're playing by tournament rules. The victor is decided if their opponent is knocked out, surrenders, is incapable of fighting or is knocked off the platform. Perchance that either fighter is killed, the other will be disqualified and their win made redundant."
"That won't happen," told Izuku, seriously. They were here to spar, not to kill each other.
"Let's have some fun," said Suiryu with a smile.
"Are both fighters ready?" asked the referee, hand raised ready to drop.
"Ready" nodded Izuku.
"Same" replied Suiryu with a nod.
Once he got confirmation from both fighters, the referee dropped his hand. "Then fight!"
Suiryu was already gone, appearing before Deku with his leg already halfway through a kick. Just as the kick was about to hit the Hero's cheek, it stopped and blew a small gust of wind. Even as the wind blew his cheek and Suiryu's foot hung motionless beside his face, Deku never once moved to either dodge or block the attack. In the eyes of everyone watching, the attack would've connected.
Between the two fighters, they both knew it wouldn't since Suiryu never intended to land the kick.
"Suiryu strikes first but he stopped for some reason!?"
Suiryu thrust the same leg out, aiming for Deku's face but again, stopped right before impact. Showing off impressive flexibility and balance, the martial artist raised the same leg until it hung over his head, leaving him to perform a standing split.
Just like last time, Izuku didn't so much as flinch when his opponent's foot stopped in front of his face. Not once did Danger Sense flare up when the martial artist attacked so he saw no reason to dodge. His opponent was simply showboating.
"What's wrong? It's not like you can't see my moves?" Suiryu asked, leg still raised over his head.
"True" agreed the Hero with a nod. "But what reason would I need to dodge an attack I know wouldn't hit me?"
Suiryu's grin grew. "I knew you were the real deal. Okay then, can you see through these attacks?" Suiryu lowered his raised leg till it hung in the air in front of himself. The leg then blurred as Suiryu threw a barrage of rapid one-legged kicks. The kicks were aimed to hit Deku all over his body but like before, Suiryu stopped before they could connect and threw another kick. Even with the flurry of kicks being thrown around all around him, Deku remained standing and kept his eyes on Suiryu's own. All the kicks did was kick up a strong gust of wind that blew in the pattern of a minuscule tornado.
"Multiple kicks! But Suiryu is aborting all of them! Can he not find an opening in Deku's guard?"
The gust of wind came to an end once Suiryu stopped kicking. He glanced in the direction of the announcer. "The announcer's got no clue what's really going on. This is only a warm-up." He peered back at Deku who never once moved a muscle since the fight officially started. He pointed at the Hero. "They have no idea how strong you really are but I do. That's because I'm strong as well."
Izuku quirked a lone brow. "Oh? You're pretty humble, aren't ya?"
Suiryu rubbed his finger under his nose, looking confident in himself. "Hard to be humble when I'm stating a bonafide fact." He then pointed at his own eye. "Your eyes. I can see that you're not like other Heroes. You're not in it for the fame or glory. You're in it to help people. How odd."
"He has some keen perception there," thought Izuku, noting Suiryu's unique skill. Looked like he wasn't just a brute after all. "You make it sound like a bad thing."
Suiryu shrugged halfheartedly. "Not bad per se, just odd. You're the strongest man in the world. You could be enjoying the good life like me. You're rich, you can get any woman you want and more importantly, you're strong! So why do you run around, fighting monsters, attending meetings and running a school of all things? Come on man, live it little!"
For just a moment, Izuku studied Suiryu before he asked him a question that was on his mind. "You don't hold a high opinion of Heroes, do you?"
Suiryu blinked, surprised by the sudden question. "Well, why would I? I fought two supposedly strong A-Class Heroes but they were so weak, it was like a bad joke." He tilted his head in the direction of Lightning Max and Sneck who were watching alongside the other competitors. "Hero is just some stupid title. It's supposed to be their profession, but they won't shut up about good deeds and justice." Suiryu folded his arms and his carefree expression turned serious, showing how little Heroes meant in his eyes. "People at that level are never going to be able to save the world, though. Noble aspirations, fine thoughts, lofty ethics, heroic justice. They're just boring sentiments in my life seeking fun."
The martial artist was so focused on talking down Heroism as a whole that he didn't notice Deku's eyes narrow.
An arrogant smirk plastered itself over Suiryu's lips. "You're strong, the strongest even. You shouldn't be concerned with such trivial things. Just live free and have fun." Eventually, he finally saw how Deku's smile twisted into a frown. "Aw, did I bum you out?" he asked, mockingly. "I'm only giving you some truthful advice because I respect you." Without any warning, Suiryu swung his right leg and landed a kick on Deku's cheek, the impact summoning a gust of wind.
"I-I can't believe it! Suiryu just landed a clean blow on Deku!"
Having put a nice bit of power into his kick, Suiryu grinned, confident that he just dealt a lot of damage to the World's Strongest Man.
Suiryu's eyes widened now that he got a closer look. His foot was still pressed into Deku's cheek but the problem was that Deku was still looking straight at him despite the foot being in his face, as if his kick did no damage to the Hero. No, Suiryu knew his kick did no damage at all.
Jumping back to avoid a possible counter, Suiryu gauged the Hero's reaction, wondering why Deku didn't attack. "I was wide open for a counter. Why didn't he take it?" He then directed his gaze at the Hero's cheek and glowered when he saw no hint of damage done. "How? Fair, I didn't put all my strength into that kick but I put in more than when I beat those A-Class weaklings."
"I see now."
Suiryu's eyes narrowed when he heard Deku suddenly speak. "You see what?"
Izuku's grinned and he peered at Suiryu in a way that made the martial artist feel naked. Like as if the Hero could see straight into his soul.
"You're a coward."
It took ten seconds.
Ten seconds for Suiryu to grasp what the Number One Hero just said to him. By the eleventh second, Suiryu blurred across the arena platform and performed a flying kick aimed straight at the Hero's chest. Deku easily sidestepped the flying kick but Suiryu landed right where his opponent just stood, putting him less than a meter away from him. In that position, Suiryu threw a barrage of kicks but none made contact. It wasn't because Suiryu wasn't trying to hit him like before, because he most definitely was now, but because Deku was tilting his body away to dodge each kick. To add further insult to injury, he did so without taking a simple step.
"Suiryu is on the attack! Even when throwing so many fast kicks, Deku is easily dodging them and doing so without taking a step! Amazing!"
"With your skills and strength, you could become an amazing Hero. You could do so much good, and save so many lives. Yet, you squander your gifts to live a life of luxury and pleasure" spoke Deku, all while he kept dodging Suiryu's flurry of kicks. "But that's not the only reason, is it?" He ducked under a swinging leg and jumped over a followed-up leg sweep. "You're scared that if you went out into the big bad world, you'll realize that you aren't as strong as you think you are. That's why you keep yourself in your comfortable bubble filled with riches and women. But I've got bad news for you. One of these days, that bubble is gonna pop and on that day, you'll see that there are those out there, both human and monster, who are much stronger than you."
Deku's speech and how his kicks couldn't so much as graze the Hero quickly broke Suiryu's patience. "SHUT UP!" Just as Suiryu was about to continue his spree of kicks, Deku's voice broke his thoughts.
"Prepare herself, Suiryu." That was all the warning Izuku gave his opponent before throwing a single punch.
A punch that Suiryu struggled to see because of how fast it was moving. With no time to dodge, Suiryu crossed his arms to try and withstand the punch but he knew it was in vain. "Too strong!"
Just as Suiryu wondered if he would survive the incoming attack, the punch stopped a couple of inches away from his crossed arms. It was like how Suiryu faked his kicks against the Hero before. The difference was that whereas Suiryu's powerful kicks conjured up a strong gust of wind that could blow back a person's hair, Deku's punch summoned a burst of intense winds which ripped the martial artist's shirt and even physically pushed him backwards.
Gritting his teeth, Suiryu's planted feet left grooves into the arena's floor as he was forcefully pushed back by the strong winds of Deku's punch. Right as he was about to be pushed out of bounds, the sound of rock breaking echoed across the stadium as he slammed his feet into the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust. Now stopped on the edge of the platform, Suiryu sucked in a lungful of air, having realized he had been holding his breath. For the fans of Suiryu, they were shocked to see the undefeated martial artist champion in such a condition. Deku's attack had nearly pushed him out of the arena, tore through his shirt, took his hair out of his ponytail and left him a sweating and panting mess.
All from a punch that didn't even hit him.
"Suiryu, the man who won the Super Fight Tournament five times without getting a scratch on him, has been put through the wringer just by getting hit by the wind of Deku's attack!"
Lighting Max and the other competitors watched in amazement over Deku's feat. "I've always heard of how strong Deku was, how he could shatter mountains and cut through the ocean with one of his punches, but I always thought they were exaggerations. Now, I'm not so sure."
Sneck's facial expression never changed but the drip of nervous sweat running down his cheek spoke of his amazement over what he just witnessed. "Don't forget, this is the same guy who defeated the Deep Sea King and did so without breaking a sweat. There's a reason he's on the top of the Hero Association." Deku defeated the Demon-level monster as easily as it did them, if not more so. As much as Sneck might not like him, he'll admit Suiryu was strong. Frighteningly so. However, Deku was in a league that not even Suiryu could reach.
A very sweaty Suiryu was left there wearing the tattered remains of his destroyed shirt, arms still crossed and trying to regain his breath. Only one thing crossed his mind. "Strong."
"Come, Suiryu..."
Looking at the now serious-looking Hero from between his crossed arms, Suiryu watched Deku make a 'come hither' motion with his hands.
"Let me show you true strength. The strength of a Hero."
All his life, Suiryu believed that being strong meant that you should live your life without worry. To be strong meant that even if the world were to fall into chaos, he would survive because he was strong. So why... why was Deku, a man who had the pressure of the world on his shoulders, a man who could live a life of luxury if he wanted to, so strong? Regaining control over his breathing, Suiryu ripped off the remains of his shirt and stared back at Deku, no longer messing around. It was time to see the difference in their strengths. In their ideologies.
Izuku didn't miss the serious glint in his opponent's eyes. "You finally ready to take this fight, seriously?"
No words left Suiryu's lips. Instead, he blurred in front of Deku and for the first time today, threw a punch. A punch that connected with Deku's knee when the Hero raised it to block. The impact created another powerful gust of wind which went ignored. With the same leg, Deku swung at Suiryu who ducked under the limb before throwing an uppercut towards Deku's chin. A hand caught the attacking limb before it could make contact, not that it deterred Suiryu who spun and aimed a chop at the back of Deku's neck. He never made it because, with his grip on Suiryu's other hand, Deku slightly twisted it, not enough to damage it but enough to ruin Suiryu's balance, making the martial artist reel back. He would've fallen on his ass if not for him flipping backwards to gracefully land on his feet.
"So, you're not just brute force after all" commented Suiryu, noting a mastery of martial arts in the Hero's moves, though he didn't recognize the style. "What martial arts style is that?"
"It's the Deku Style, designed by me, for me."
"And here I thought I was conceited" chuckled an amused Suiryu.
Izuku shrugged his shoulders with an embarrassed smile. "It was the only name I could think of."
Suiryu shook his head. "Fair enough." He disappeared again and the pair were back to fighting, though to those watching, it was more of Suiryu attacking and Deku dodging or blocking his attacks.
"Why won't my attacks hit?" thought Suiryu, throwing punch after punch at the Hero but nothing stuck. At first, he was excited to fight the World's Strongest Man. After all, what better challenge for him than the man considered to be the strongest, even if he was a Hero? But now, he was growing agitated since none of his attacks seemed to do anything against Deku. It was making him feel weak.
And if there was anything Suiryu hated, it was to feel weak.
"Take this!" he roared, dropping his hand in a chop.
Deku sidestepped the chop, only to jump back when he saw Suiryu's knife-hand strike hit the arena floor instead which sliced the floor in half.
"The platform!" cried the announcer in shock and awe.
Having seen the Hero jump away, Suiryu slammed a foot on the edge of one-half of the destroyed arena platform. "You're not getting away!"
Izuku blinked when he felt his back hit the floor while he was still in midair. A glance showed him exactly how that was possible. "He stomped on the edge of the platform half I jumped over and flipped it, stopping me from gaining distance."
As he then expected, Suiryu jumped up at Deku who had his back to the now verticle floor. Just as he was about to throw a barrage of punches at the Hero, Izuku raised a leg and kicked it down on the platform behind him. The stomp not only threw him over the surprised Suiryu, putting him out of range of the martial artist's attacks but the one-half of the platform shot back down to the ground with a loud BANG!
Both fighters landed on the floor with Suiryu back on the attack the instant his feet touched the ground. He threw a flurry of punches at Deku's face, only for him to constantly move his head aside to avoid each hit.
Izuku was grinning as his head blurred with every dodge. "I thought you only fought to have fun? You're trying far too hard to be having fun."
An equally grinning Suiryu kept throwing punches. "Well, losing isn't any fun, is it?"
"True but I'm afraid there's only one way this match is going to end."
Suiryu agreed with a nod. "Yes, with your defeat!" he exclaimed before spinning rapidly and throwing a barrage of punches at his opponent. His spin and attacks had such tremendous momentum that it made him twist like a tornado in mid-air. He didn't have to worry about slowing down because the momentum he created from his repeating blows preserved his mid-air rotations. "Void Sky Dragon Fist!"
Izukus' eyes widened when he saw Suiryu summon a small twister with his spins. Then came the unrelenting blows which would have turned a normal man into a bloody waste within a few seconds. Deku used one hand to block each punch thrown his way from the spinning twister, each hit harmlessly bouncing off the palm of his hand.
"Not even Void Sky Dragon Fist can break through his defence!" thought a still-spinning Suiryu who couldn't believe one of his special techniques was nullified so easily. Even now, Deku was still harmlessly blocking each one of his punches, no matter where he tried to hit the Hero. He gritted his teeth in frustration. "If that won't work, then I'll just have to try this!"
Cancelling his technique, Suiryu backflipped away to make some distance and upon landing, the half of the platform he was on broke apart. Taking a stance, he stomped towards Deku, each step cracking the already destroyed platform even more. It was obvious he was going in for a power move but Deku didn't bother moving. In fact, Suiryu noticed the Hero didn't even bother to defend himself against his upcoming attack.
"Your funeral," he thought, stomping his last once he was face-to-face with the Hero. Then with a roar, he drove a punch into Deku's chest, placing his full strength into the punch. As proof, the metal bands that were wrapped around his biceps shattered, unable to contain Suiryu's full might. For a fleeting moment, Suiryu felt success when he heard the Hero let out a gasp of air and his feet left the floor. That glorious second of thinking he finally won left him when he saw Deku get thrown across the arena by 4 measly feet before landing, showing no harm done to his body whatsoever.
Izuku patted where Suiryu's punch hit him and laughed good-naturally. "That was a pretty good punch. Knocked the wind right out of me!"
As Izuku laughed, Suiryu could only stare at his still outstretched fist in sheer disbelief. "Even that isn't..."
For once in his life, he was left completely stunned. So proud of his strength, Suiryu never thought he'd ever experience a time where his great strength would fail him. All the answers to his problems could be answered with strength. Yet, here he stood, having been played with by the World's Strongest Man who didn't even take him seriously. For once in his life, his strength failed. Worst of all, he didn't know what to do now. What was the point of punching and kicking an opponent who could dodge his blows faster than he could deliver them?
"Suiryu?"
Having been lost in thought, Suiryu never noticed Deku moving to stand in front of him. Caught off guard, he looked up at the looming Hero and felt his lungs constrict when his gaze fell on those powerful green eyes. He was ashamed that he unconsciously took a step back just by looking up into those eyes. Before he could take anymore, Deku placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
For a moment, the two simply stared at one another in silence. A despairing Suiryu looking up with no answer to how to defeat this unbeatable opponent. Izuku looked Suiryu up and down with a serious expression. Then Izuku opened his mouth.
"Has the bubble popped yet?"
The next thing Suiryu knew, he was flying. His surroundings blurred past his vision, twisting and turning until finally, it stopped when his back collided with the wall. More stunned than hurt, Suiryu looked around and saw that he was out of bounds, having cratered the wall behind him when Deku pushed him.
"It's all over! After a tense battle, the victor, to the surprise of very few I imagine, is DEKU!" bellowed the announcer into his microphone, pumping his fist in the air. His announcement was rewarded with a plethora of applause from the audience who could only scream to show their excitement.
All of that went ignored by Suiryu who looked at nothing, contemplating his first loss in a long time. He should feel angry and frustrated that his long winning streak was finally broken. Strangely, he felt neither and he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because he lost to the World's Strongest Man? There was no shame in that defeat, or at least that would be what his grandfather would say.
"Good fight."
Blinking to regain himself, Suiryu looked up to see Deku by his side. "I lost." He didn't know why he stated the obvious but he did it anyway.
Deku nodded. "You did. Just like every other person in the world."
Suiryu scoffed. "Says you."
"Says me" nodded Izuku. "What, you think I was always this strong?" he asked, spreading his hands out to showcase his muscular physique. "Wasn't that long ago that classmates would call me names, push me around and even beat me up."
While he didn't react to his public defeat, Suiryu now openly gaped. "You got bullied?"
Izuku nodded. "All the time. Stupid reasons, of course, but what would you expect from children? The immature like to show off their supposed dominance over others by beating up the weak. Survival of the fittest in their minds."
Suiryu couldn't help but flinch, having a similar mindset like that as well. Whereas Deku's speech about heroism had annoyed him before, now it made him uncomfortable. A new feeling for sure.
Izuku glanced over at the wrecked platform where everyone was gathering to start the delayed closing ceremony. "We should get back to the others. You still need to collect your trophy and winnings."
Numbly nodding his head in agreement, Suiryu pushed off the cratered wall and followed Deku back to the arena. For winning the tournament, he didn't feel much of a winner right now.
As the trophy and cheque were handed back to Suiryu, Deku felt his phone vibrate. Taking it out and answering it, everyone watched the Hero nod his head a few times before clicking it off.
Cancelling the call, Izuku offered the group an apologetic smile. "Apologies but I've just been informed of a monster threat on the outskirts of the city. I need to go and handle it so you will have to finish the ceremony without me."
Lightning Max and Sneck stepped forward. "Is there anything we can do to help, Deku, sir?"
Izuku chuckled and waved them off. "Thanks for the offer, but this shouldn't take long. You guys enjoy the ceremony." He then waved his finger to all the competitors. "And for everyone, you all did spectacularly today. I look forward to seeing you all again next year." With everything said and done, Deku took to the sky and was out of sight in a near instant.
"He's so cool" muttered Charanko in awe as he watched the green figure disappear in the distance.
Sourface nodded in agreement beside him, watching the disappearing Hero as well. "Yes, he is."
Unseen by anyone, a one-eyed spy drone watched as the Number One Hero flew off in the distance, the owner pleased with how everything was going according to plan.
Alias: Flashy Flash
Rank: S-Class Rank 13
Stats:
Power: S++
Speed: S+++
Endurance: S+++
Durability: S++
Technique: S+++
Intelligence: A++
Cooperativeness: B
Leadership: A