Only one more after this everyone! Hold tight because we've got a hell of a ride coming up here :D
"YOU!"
Adachi barely had time to react, as Failure charged him like a mad beast after breaking free of the earth. Her body was covered in burns now, thanks to their combined assault. But she was still going strong, not that Adachi cared. Turning halfway, he swung at her with his massive tail, knowing she'd made herself lighter to move so quickly. He slammed into her with his powerful limb, sending her flying and smashing through another building.
Before throwing back his head, "HRAAAAAAH!" And charging off after her. He felt bad for her, but after seeing this destruction she was capable, what she could do if left unchecked. Adachi had to set his feelings aside and act like a Hero.
Meanwhile, DK turned to Ryou, "Find your way to an ambulance, we'll take it from here."
"Wait!" Ryou reached out with her still functional arm, the numbness slowly ebbing away, "What's your plan?"
"The doctor said something about her body being reinforced," DK explained quickly, "Steel fibers woven into her body, meaning she's probably a lot heavier too, so we're gonna try and get her to the water where her combat abilities will be less effective and maybe we can even drown her."
Ryou took a step to follow him, "Let me help!My Quirk is tapped out but-"
"No!" He turned on her sharply, "Its too dangerous, you've gone well past your limit... Let us handle this." DK ordered, before he took off running towards the battle.
Ryou lowered her good arm, watching him run back towards the ongoing battle. She looked around at all the wanton destruction, before her fingers clenched into a fist, "I can't just run away... Even if I can't use my Quirk anymore, I can still help!"
. . .
"YES!" Failure cried out gleefully, using a lamp post like a bat to smash against Adachi's hard head. The beast recoiling only briefly before snapping at her with his large jaws, she jumped over him and brought her arms together, "GIVE ME MORE!"
"Not so fast!" Adachi got his head clear just as she slammed into the street, tearing up what little was left of the road. Before he slashed at her with his clawed feet, battering Failure left and right while his talons raked her hardy hide only chipping through in a few places, "She's definitely stronger! But we're getting closer to the water! Just two streets over and we'll be at the beach!"
"HAH!" She grabbed a hold of one hand, before she spun around with all her might, "SHOW ME YOUR STRENGTH!" Pulling Adachi right off his feet, she threw him into what remained a small store. His large body crashing through the remaining frame, making to break down on top of him. In the brief moment of respite, she panted heavily to catch her breath. The adrenaline coursing through her veins had her riding a wild high, the battle was incredible and she didn't want it to end! Not until it was indisputable that she was the strongest!
"Damn she's tough," Adachi slowly rose from the rubble, all four eyes locked onto Failure. From her heavy breathing, the way she occasionally flinched and twitched, he could tell she was hurting, whatever pain killers were coursing through her after breaking out of that vat must have finally been starting to wear off. But this insane blood lust made her love every second of it, "She's already so damaged from fighting Ryou, how much more can she take? But I'm not done either, I'm just getting started!" He opened wide and unleashed another thunderous roar.
"YES! Keep FIGHTING!" Failure demanded, clenching all four fists tightly.
"Yoohoo!" The mutants eyes darted to the sound, turning just in time to see a mighty furred arm swinging at her, "KINGS FIST!"
DK nailed her, slammed her face with his augmented fist and sent Failure tumbling while she held her face. But after coming to a stop and pulling herself up, the mutant narrowed her eyes at him, blood running from her nose, "Heh... Heheheh, yes... More FIGHT!"
Adachi quirked an eyebrow as Failure started squaring up with DK, "Wait a minute... Its like she's completely forgotten that I'm here." Taking his opportunity, he lunged like a predator pouncing on his prey. Taking Failure completely off guard, his jaws snapped shut around her body. He turned and swung as hard as he could, throwing her through the air and over some of the rubble towards the water front, "She's got total tunnel vision when fighting! Maybe... Maybe we can use that to beat her!"
Adachi looked and nodded to DK, before roaring and chasing after her.
Failure hit the ground hard, tumbling to a stop in the sand before she slowly began rising to her feet, cool ocean wind blowing in behind her. Wincing in pain, she had a few teeth marks covering her body but none had actually managed to pierce her new hardened skin, "Hmmph... Annoying," She growled lowly as Adachi charged through the debris, racing towards her, "Should wait your TURN!"
The two met head on, as Adachi snapped at her with his jaws she sidestepped having read his movements. After avoiding the attack, she countered hard. Swinging two massive fists up towards the underside of his jaw, making them heavier, more dense. She hit like a truck, jarring the boys entire body with the attack and making his head snap the side. Teetering off balance he rolled forward with the momentum, sliding to a stop at the edge of the waterfront while his body started to slowly revert to his smaller form.
"RIZADO!" DK called out as he reached the scene, panting lightly before his eyes turned on Failure, "Dammit, that looked like it hit hard, gotta keep her busy while Adachi recovers, gotta try to drive her into the water!"
DK jumped down, tearing away what was left of his suit shirt as his muscles expanded. While his arms and upper torso grew bigger his legs didn't change, giving a far more ape-like body structure. Failure turned all attention to him, excited for another fight. She charged, "What can you do hairy man!?"
"This is it! All or nothing! DO OR DIE!" DK clenched his fists tightly, leading with a heavy handed punch, "I can KICK YOUR ASS!"
. . .
Ryou was following the fight from further back for safety, but as Adachi went down and DK engaged Failure she started making her way down to the waterfront. Making sure to steer clear of the area, as DK used his immense strength to try and force Failure closer to the water. Luckily all that extra fur and muscle made great protection against her attacks. The two were trading heavy handed blows left and right, Failure's injuries allowing DK to keep up with her, at this rate they might just wear her down...
"Adachi, hey!" She said, nudging him with one hand as she knelt down beside him, "You still alive?"
"Ugh... My jaw, my head, my-" He looked down at his body while sitting up, "Holy crap she punched the Kaiju right out of me." The boy groaned, rubbing his jaw, "Ryou? What are you still doing here? You should have gotten to an ambulance."
"Its okay, the adrenaline hasn't stopped yet so I barely feel it." She assured, despite her body also feeling sore and tired, "Kinda starting to think a slug fest isn't the best way to handle this one though." Ryou added, watching as DK and Failure traded blows.
"Yeah... Failure, geez... She seems almost unstoppable." Adachi nodded slowly, rising to his feet.
"Failure? That's her name?" Ryou questioned, "Interesting choice, as far as combat goes she seems like a rousing success..."
"That's what she named herself, actually," Adachi muttered, before looking to Ryou, "She just loves fighting, I'm sure you noticed, and she focuses so intently on her opponent, and even learns while fighting... But her combat sense is awful, she's got tunnel vision." He explained, "I think we can beat her, but we need to focus on her weakness." But before he continued, he looked at Ryou, holding a leveled gaze, "You've already gone past your limit, so I won't ask you to help but... If you want to stay, I promise I'll protect you."
Ryou blinked, blushing lightly at the intensity of his promise. The confidence in his voice, you'd think they weren't fighting a genetic monstrosity that had already leveled a good portion of the bay area. "Heh, you know Adachi, it's moments like this with you that make me question whether... Well, you sure know how to confuse a girl."
Adachi blinked, "Wait what?"
"No time to chit chat TELL ME THE PLAN!"
"R-Right, so remember our Practical Exam?"
. . .
"HAAAH!" DK delivered one more heavy handed punch, one that sent Failure sliding back on her heels, before his arms started to shrink back to normal size, "Damn this old age..." He muttered, panting heavily.
Failure herself seemed quite tired, maybe she was nearing some kind of limit after all this time? It was hard to tell, she showed no sign of dismay just that excited look in her eyes as DK started showing his weakness, "Yes, falling apart... Weak." She growled lowly, licking her lips.
"Shit..." He spat a bit of blood from his mouth, looking around for any sign of Adachi but not spotting him anywhere, "Come on kid this would be a great time for a heroic entry... I'm at my limit here!"
"HEY!" Both DK and Failure looked towards the source, spotting Ryou standing on the nearby flood wall.
"WHAT!? I-I told you to leave Megaton!" DK barked at her.
Failure narrowed her eyes at Ryou, "Hrrr... No, you are out of power, no more strength."
"That's what you think!" Ryou declared confidently, aiming her less injured left arm at Failure, "Get ready for my Ultra Hidden technique!" Her fingers sparked a small amount of energy, creating a little bit of light.
Failure's eyes widened at the gesture, she dug her heels into the sand and braced herself for the attack by raising her arms before her, "Still have power? That's-"
"Made you look!" Ryou shouted suddenly, sticking out her tongue at Failure.
The monsters brow raised in confusion, "What? Made me-"
"GRAAH!" The attack came from behind, as a pair of powerful jaws clamped down on her ribs in the same spot her body had been pierced on the bridge. Failure hissed in pain, reaching down to try and pry him off but his jaw strength was incredible! He bit down harder and harder, even if he couldn't pierce her skin the pressure was making her bones start to crack and snap audibly. Adachi's jaw strength in croc form was enough to crush concrete, more than enough to break her down... Hopefully.
"Gnngh! Let... Me... GO!" She finally managed to rip him off, but not before Adachi tore away a meaty chunk from her side making her howl in pain. As the young hero tumbled away, he quickly rose to his feet and unleashed a swathe of flames towards her feet.
Blue fire scorched the earth around her, surrounding Failure in light, "What!?" She exclaimed, gripping her bleeding ribs. The tongues of fire licked and lashed at her body, but that wasn't the problem, her hide could take the fire. All these flames were sapping the oxygen out of her immediate area. Making it harder to focus or even breathe, realizing she was surrounded by three enemies, the bright fire also making it harder to see.
"Come on," Adachi muttered, holding his ground after spitting out some of Failure's blood, "Just go down..."
"HhrrrRRAAAGH!" She slammed her fists into the sand, blowing away the flames with wind pressure and erupting sand, panting heavily for breath while the heroes watched her closely for a counter attack, "Gnngh!" She stumbled suddenly, wincing in pain nearly collapsing beneath her own weight, one of her four arms holding her bleeding side to try and staunch the blood flow.
But that simple movement was enough to bolster their confidence.
She could show weakness.
She could be beaten!
"She's teetering, nice work you two." DK nodded, as Ryou and Adachi gathered at his position, "We can do this, just one more strong push! I'll take lead while you two-"
"No," Adachi cut him off sharply, "I'll take the lead," He added, holding a leveled gaze, "You're at your limit, both of you, I've still got some kick left... I can take whatever she dishes out." He assured, shrinking down to skink form, "I've got enough stamina, I'll heal whatever she breaks."
Ryou looked at him worriedly, understanding what he was offering, "Adachi you don't have to put yourself through that."
"I've still got my physical strength." DK argued as well.
"Then use it to hit her as hard as you can, I'll take the beating." Adachi answered firmly, "Now come on! She's not going to wait forever!"
"What's happening!?" Failure demanded, trying to activate her Quirk but having no luck, "Power not... Where is it!?" She grit her sharp teeth and slammed her feet into the wet sand sinking in a bit, "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY POWER!?" She screamed, voice echoing along the coast.
"You're at your limit," Adachi answered her sharply, bracing himself, "Your Quirk is tapped out."
"Limit!?" She repeated, glaring daggers at all three of them.
"Whether you want to believe it or not, the power you have isn't infinite," DK grunted, holding his position, "You've been using your Quirk non-stop, against Megaton, Rizado and myself... Your body has been battered and injured, you can't keep fighting, your body is breaking down on you."
Her fists clenched tightly, thinking about Ryou's energy fading, Adachi reverting to his smaller form and DK's muscles shrinking, "No... That's... That's WEAK! I... I am STRONG!" Raising her arms over her head, they slowly began to tremble, as Failure tried forcing her Quirk to work, "I WANT TO FIGHT!"
This wasn't fun anymore, she didn't want to play this game.
The trembling slowly shifted to her entire body, her eyes wild with fury, "AAAAAAAAAGH!" But her screaming had the opposite effect on them this time, rather than unnerve the heroes, it bolstered their confidence!
"HAAAAH!" All three Heroes cried out defiantly in response, charging Failure head on as she launched herself at them.
Adachi took the lead as promised, meeting her flying charge with his body while the others split up. On impact, she slammed his torso with bone shattering force using her incredible strength. He was sent tumbling away, body starting to heal itself as he hit the dirt. He was focusing all of his energy into healing, to get back up. But at the same time, the moment Failure landed her attack, DK and Ryou attacked from the flanks!
"Kiloton Kick!"
"Kings Fist!"
Ryou's boot struck Failure's neck, while DK landed a blow across her jaw on the opposite side. Even with their Quirks tapped for power, they had exceptional physical strength. As blood flew from Failure's mouth, she reached out for both of them, "I'LL CRUSH Y- GAH?!" A blinding ball of fire to the face halted her strike.
"You'll have to get through me FIRST!" Adachi shouted, body not fully healed but it was enough to move. His arms were still broken but he'd regenerated enough to get moving and was now rushing her once more.
Failure swung at him blindly, the brightness of his fire leaving a lasting effect on her eyes in the dark. She swung like a made beast, but Adachi used his tail to spring clear over her attack. Landing on her shoulders, he wrapped his tail around her neck and tightened the grip attempting to choke her out. She was about to reach up to rip him off when DK attacked, driving his fist into her bloody ribs, "DON'T LET UP!"
"Take THIS!" Ryou joined in, jumping to Failure's height and smashing a knee into her face.
"GRAAAAAAAH!" Failure screamed in a mixture of pain and anger, Adachi let go and got clear before she had a chance to grab him. The beast was fighting on pure adrenaline now, no focus or reason in her eyes.
"Dammit! We need to hit her HARDER!" DK barked, jumping back as she lunged at him.
A thought came to mind, Adachi looked between them both, "I need someone to throw me!" He called out, remembering the attack he and DK had performed earlier.
"What?" Ryou questioned, wincing in pain from her own injuries.
"Just throw me at her!" Adachi ordered, moving towards her, "I've got a really bad idea!"
Ryou knew this wasn't the time to argue, she nodded and held out her left arm the one that was still uninjured, "Alright lets do it!"
Adachi offered Ryou her tail. She grabbed on tight and grit her teeth, mustering every bit of strength she had left while DK ducked Failure trying to keep her preoccupied. The girl began to spin around, picking up speed as her left arm glowed faintly through her skin. A few faint lights sparked around her, every bit of power she had left. "Hnnngh! A-Alright Adachi! GO!"
"AAAGH!" Adachi cried as he flew towards her, "MY Ultimate Move!" His body started to grow rapidly, muscles tearing as he forced the transformation.
DK realized what was happening, just as Failure landed a solid hit sending him flying. As the older Hero tumbled to a stop in the sand he cried out, "FINISH IT!"
The genetic monster turned to face her oncoming foe, just a second too late, "KAIJUUUU! IMPACT!"
The massive, tumbling beast slammed into Failure full force. Carrying Failure right off her feet, smashing through a nearby wooden dock and all the way into the side of a docked fishing boat. The impact sent waves through the water, wood debris flying everywhere along with an explosion of sand and sea water from Adachi's incredible weight laying into her.
As the noise died down, and both Ryou and DK looked on with baited breath daring to hope that it was finally over...
Adachi groaned in pain, slowly shrinking down to his skink form again, "Ow... I think I got a splinter..."
"Gnngh..." If his body wasn't so tired, he would have jumped when Failure groaned. Her body twitched slightly, but the beast had been broken by the weight of Adachi's Kaiju Form.
"Adachi!" Ryou and DK called out, moving towards him slowly but it was clear they were both tired and battered as well.
But before they could get much closer, a wave of flames spread across the sand between them. Both heroes stood on guard, following it to the source as an all too familiar voice spoke up, "I think we can end the show here, it was such a lovely finale." Her voice was filled with amusement, "Time for the after credits scene~"
"No..." Adachi muttered, eyes going wide with fear as he stared up at her, "I was so focused on Failure... I forgot all about-" It wasn't just her either, both Fenix and Vector stood by her side along with another man that had darker skin, textured like rough dirt. The group descended nearby stairs that ran alongside the docs to the waters edge.
"Zodiac!?" DK barked in anger, "What the hell do you want!?" Their victory had turned into a crisis, they couldn't fight Zodiac and her gang in this condition.
"Oh, I just came for a little pick up," She assured, walking across the sand towards Failure and Adachi, while Fenix and Vector moved to hold a position between the other heroes and their leader.
Ryou's eyes widened, "STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" She shouted, fearing for Adachi's safety.
Zodiac paused, looking back at her with a glimmer of amusement in her eyes, "No need to be so fussy, nobody here is going to die."
Ryou clenched her fists and moved closer to DK, "She was watching the whole time... She was waiting for the perfect moment to swoop in and-"
"Smart girl," Vector cut her off with a sly grin, "Now be quiet."
Zodiac knelt down, picking up Adachi by his wrists and holding him up to eye level, "You put on a great show, I look forward to when you and I really fight..."
But Adachi remained silent, staring into her eyes with fear filling his own.
Failure stared up at Zodiac, more confused than ever as the villain tossed Adachi roughly to the side. She didn't know who this woman was, but she had a commanding presence, and the look in her eyes was... One she didn't recognize. As the woman knelt down in front of her, and when she reached out, Failure flinched away slightly, "Easy now," She said in a soft tone, "I won't hurt you..." The way she spoke, it made Failure believe her, and as the Zodiac rested her hands on Failure's bloodied cheeks, it was a feeling she had never experienced. Gentle, soft...
"What... What is this?" Failure wondered, staring into her eyes.
"You poor, beautiful creature... You and I are one in the same, you live for the fight, the rush of dancing between life and death... But you are unrefined, a diamond in the rough," She said in a soothing tone, Failure's initial fears had completely vanished, "Join me, and I will make you unstoppable."
Failure felt something new inside of her, a strange sensation she had never experienced from her times as an experiment or fighting these Heroes. But it made the answer easy, it made her believe everything this strange woman was telling her, "Y-Yes..."
"NO!" DK lunged forward, "I WON'T LET THIS MONSTER REMAIN FREE!"
"Easy old man." Vector chuckled, kicking up a bit of sand, "Wouldn't want to get hurt more than you are right?"
"Agh!" DK gasped in pain, as the sand pellets tore through her body once directed by Vector's powerful Redirection Quirk. DK hit the ground, gripping his arms and legs which were now bleeding, the sand grains had pierced clean through, "Wh-What kind of Quirk is this..."
"A good one." The villain answered smugly.
Bending down, the Zodiac enhanced her strength with various animals and started helping lift Failure up, "We'll get you back home and take away all this pain." She assured, as the group of villains slowly began walking back towards a concrete flood wall, "Krex, if you would."
"Right." The dirty man nodded, placing a hand on the wall. It began to ripple and mold into a doorway, though there should have been nothing on the other side instead it was lit up and filled with equipment! Many other faces were visible watching on the other end of the portal.
"A warp Quirk!?" Ryou exclaimed.
Before continuing, Zodiac stopped and looked back at Adachi, "So, what was that you said last time?"
"The next time we meet... If I'm wearing this costume, I will stop you."
Adachi felt his heart sinking, and couldn't even look up at her, "..."
Zodiac's smug grin faded completely at his lack of a response, "Hmph, and here I had high hopes for you, what a disappointment... See you next time, Kaiji Adachi."
As they stepped through, Fenix looked back at the young heroes, smirking beneath his bandages, "Enjoy your life while you can, the Queen will return stronger than ever before..." And with that, he stepped through as well, the doorway melding back into a normal wall after Krex passed through it as well.
And just like that, their long fought battle came to a terrible end.
