I don't own One-Punch Man
(All of this Belongs to the one and only: ONE)
Chapter 10: Co-op Mode
A Champion's Challenge
The Third Match of the Event...
Unyielding
A feeling coursing through each hero's veins during this match, as all of them weren't going to bow down to anyone, or anything. Each hero was willing to go the extra mile for this match, to get the point across on what needs to be said, and to show which hero was the strongest amongst them. People within the arena seats shook with excitement, as they were about to witness the very ground beneath them shake, and the air about to be filled with both sweat and the pure intentions of people wanting to win.
Inside of the Arena: Genos's Perspective…
Genos and Sweet Mask could be seen running parallel from each other, at very fast speeds, keeping a certain between themselves, as both heroes were readying their first attack. Genos's arm cannon was priming up, streaks of dark orange were seen appearing against the black arm piece, while Sweet Mask tensed up his hands, which grew a considerable amount. After few minutes of running, both heroes were now a couple of feet away, Genos's arm cannon now facing Sweet Mask, while Sweet Mask's hand were the same distance away, struggling to get to Genos's chest. Both of these heroes were dead set on showing who was the strongest amongst the both of them, and weren't afraid to go the hospital after this, cause after all, what's a flesh wound, or broken bone, compared to a man's pride against the line?
"So, DEMON CYBORG, what are you going to do when I show you how weak you are? Are you going to cry, or are you going to quit being a hero, I wonder?" Sweet Mask taunted at Genos, rushing in Genos's direction as he did.
"That's funny, because I was thinking the same thing about you, when I leave your body charred and barren after this fight." Genos retorted back, bright blue flames dancing in eyes, arm cannon at the ready.
"Foolish machine, that's assuming if you can hit me, Genos!" Sweet Mask, now stopping his charge, and took a stance just a foot away from Genos, to which Genos spoke.
"Special Move: INCINERATE!" Genos called out, now having his arm cannon open itself, projecting a very large jet of bright red, superheated flames towards Sweet Mask.
"Tsk, Tsk, too slow, Genos!" Sweet Mask laughed, as he seemed to disappear before the flames came into contact with him, and appearing just above the powerful jet.
Genos's fire was so hot, that the ground that the jet touched, scorched the very earth beneath it, almost setting the very snow on fire. The jet went for a few more seconds, before dying down, and turning the ground into a trail of fire. Sweet Mask soon landed when Genos's attack ended, and quickly rushed Genos again. As Genos was running, he caught a glimpse at Sweet Mask, who looked at him with a mad man's smile, one high on power.
"Still too slow, Genos!" Sweet Mask sang, as he now disappeared from sight again, and reappeared right in front of Genos.
"Pretty Boy Maneuvers: Beauty Shot!" Sweet Mask yelled, throwing a lightning quick punch towards the center of Genos's face.
Genos, however, managed to dodge the punch with faster reflexes. Though, he wasn't able to dodge all of it, as Sweet Mask's fist grazed Genos's right cheek. What Genons felt from the graze was terrible pain, as if he was hit square middle in the face. It felt as if his entire skin on his face was being scorched off by his own flames, the sheer intensity was downright difficult to put into words. Genos, however, wasn't going to let the pain get to him, so he took the pain like a man, and waited for Sweet Mask to stop his follow through in the punch. When Sweet Mask didn't feel his fist make contact with Genos's face, he quickly jumped back, and prepared another stance, While Genos was reeling from the attack he just took.
"Aw, is the machine running out of gas? Your little engines telling you that they can't do it anymore? Pffft, I only grazed you, but I will admit, not a lot of people can dodge a punch from me." Sweet Mask said, taunting Genos with a smug grin.
"What the hell was that, Mask?" Genos yelled, priming up his right arm for another attack.
"Oh Genos, my attacks simply let you feel the strength of beautiful people. Putting it in a way where you might understand, my attacks make you feel your ugliness." Sweet Masked grinned innocently at Genos, his grin growing by the second.
"Based on how I judge someone, or something on it's beauty, my attacks might feel like a tickle to some, or a gunshot to others. The more pain you feel, the uglier I deem you in my eyes. So if you're feeling something, I think you're smart enough to fit the pieces together." Sweet Mask smiled even darker, letting Genos take a minute to process the insult.
Genos didn't care what Sweet Mask thought of him, but the thought that he was feeling this much pain, based on something so objective, made Genos lose his cool even more, so much that he primed up his right arm upwards, towards Sweet Mask. Genos faced downwards, and with a few swift motions, his right arm turned itself into a high-tech cannon barrel, making sounds that were like the insides of a tightly wounded clock. Genos faced upright again, and stared directly at Sweet Mask, crosshairs in his eyes giving confirmation 'dings' of locking onto him, and with Genos saying the trigger words, a massive ball of burning pitch came hurtling at Sweet Mask at bullet-like speeds.
"Hell's Machine: Annihilation Cannon!" Genos spoke aloud, as he fired his right arm cannon at Sweet Mask.
The ball of fire was almost the size of a smart car, and the speed that it traveled at made Sweet Mask think a bit to himself, as he jumped away from the ball of flaming pitch. The audience watched the whole scene, as the S-Class hero produced a literal ball of fire, and then watching that same ball follow someone like it was a missile, the audience was a mess of cheers. Genos, not wanting to create too much distance between him and Sweet Mask, followed suit, aiming his hands downwards, letting out compressed forms of flames to come out of his palms, causing him to go airborne.
"The attack should land soon…" Genos thought to himself, as he drew nearer towards Sweet Mask, hand thrusters still keeping him in the air.
"Hmm, not bad… For a robot…" Sweet Mask thought to himself, as the ball of burning pitch followed him. From anywhere he jumped to, or any distance he ran, the ball of flaming pitch came right to him, always a few yards away. Sweet Mask then came to an idea, as he was running away. He stood his ground, about a few feet away from the ball, and made a stance. Sweet Mask then curled his leg like a soccer player, and with a shout, kicked the ball of pitch as it came to him.
"Pretty Boy Maneuvers: Perfect Form!" Sweet Mask yelled, as his leg came into contact with the ball of pitch.
An explosion erupted from the contact, and Sweet Mask was consumed in black smoke. Genos, not too far behind, already knew that that attack wouldn't bring him down so easily, and prepared himself for another encounter with him. Like predicting the future, Sweet Mask arouse from the smoke, strutting down the snowy plain as if he were on a runway floor, posing as he moved closer towards Genos. Genos noticed that Sweet Mask's right leg has taken damage, as he could see charred bits of pants fused together with his leg, this was a sign for Genos, as his attack had degree of effect on Sweet Mask.
Genos wasn't done with his assault, as he brought both of his arms together in that moment, which in turn, caused both arms to latch onto each other, also causing a series of targeting lasers to pop up on Genos's shoulder, that aimed their sights at Sweet Mask. He was still walking towards Genos, while wearing a grin that made people want to punch him. Once the lasers gave confirmation for targeting, Genos's hands rotated clockwise, making both of his arms take the appearance of a barrel of a mini sniper rifle, pointing directly at Sweet Mask. It only took Genos a moment to prime up his gun, before saying the trigger words, causing his arms to fire massive beams of concentrated laser at Sweet Mask, traveling at him faster than the speed of sound.
"Hell's Machine: Disintegration Rounds!" Genos called forth, as he fired a total of 5 laser shots towards Sweet Mask, who managed to dodge all, but one, which grazed his right cheek, which made Sweet Mask wince for a second. He dodged the lasers as if he were dancing to music, much to the surprise of him when he got grazed by one of them, especially in the face no less.
The rest the shots raced across the length of the arena, hitting the energy barriers as they reached the end. Each shot left a notable impression in the energy barrier, and the way that each shot came at, showed Genos's ironic cold accuracy, as each impression was a few millimeters apart. Sweet Mask put a hand towards his face, to feel the injury he just sustained from Genos, and how it felt to be hurt.
"Not bad, Genos… But the fight is only starting, and I still have to show you what real heroes are!" Sweet Mask yelled towards Genos, his arms raised as if he were a sermon from a zealous church.
Genos, who was panting heavily, was seen back in his normal state, but a large amount of steam coming off from his body. That attack takes a lot of power to conduct, and the heat it gives off, Genos would not like to compare it to anything. So seeing Sweet Mask get grazed by a bullet in the same spot he got grazed in, gave Genos a sort of satisfaction, hoping it'll shut him up for the time being.
"Then let's fight, you knock-off brand looking Ken Doll!" Genos yelled back, seeing as how his insult made Sweet Mask's pace stumble for a minute.
"I'm nothing like that cheap toy… For I am the gatekeeper of real heroes!" Sweet Mask announced loudly, now running towards Genos, wearing a face that shouldn't be seen by the likes of other beautiful people.
Genos answered back by ramming his hands down to the ground, hard. So hard, that he made small dents at his palms, where he then conducted a massive surge of electricity from his chest. Beautiful streaks of blue electricity can be seen dancing on Genos, as electricity was being pulsated back and forth from the ground, to his body, covering his entirety in wonderful arks of engery. A few moments passed, and Genos's chest stopped giving off electricity. He lifted his hands off the ground, glowing a bright orange and blue. Like the technique he used against his training with his Sensei, but vastly improved, Genos soon rushed at Sweet Mask, his body a blur, with Sweet Mask smiling as he saw Genos an instant later, right in front of him, aiming a fully loaded arm cannon at him.
"Maybe there's more to him then I thought… Let's see if I'm wrong, Genos..." Sweet Mask said to himself, as his vision was covered in a blanket of orange.
Inside of the Arena: King's Perspective…
"What the hell are you doing?!" Child Emperor screamed to one of his creations, as he was utterly pissed at what they were doing.
You see, at the start of the fighting, Child Emperor summoned a robot from his backpack, and told it to attack King. Thing is, once the robot scanned King, it suddenly exploded into thousand pieces, leaving a heavily confused Child Emperor in its destruction. Child Emperor knew about how strong King was, hell, He asked King himself to use one of his special techniques to destroy a dragon level threat beforehand. But actually fighting him head on, it was a completely different story. When Child Emperor heard King's engine go off at the start of the match, he knew that this was going to be one the hardest battles he will ever fight in his life.
"So this is how monsters feel when they go up against King, huh?" Child Emperor thought to himself, as he looked onward towards King. The only thing he can do was to send out more of his creations, to see if they can do anything about the situation he was in, which was answered by the sound of one explosion after another.
It's been like that for the past 15 minutes, as one by one, Child Emperor's robots broke down in utter fear against King, while King, on the other hand, was having major heart problems, as he was being hit with wave after wave of robots from Child Emperor. Lucky for him, he was able to get them to self-destruct from his style alone, so King just kept up his special move. He was giving off the largest intimidation aura he could muster, larger than anything he's ever made before, so large, that Child Emperor was caught in it once, causing him to back off without a moment of hesitation. Child Emperor had to reel himself back in from the fear the aura caused him, and made sure he would get one of his creations to work, he swears on it.
"Special Move: Face of the King!" King called out, making a face that gave his intimidation a physical form. From that move alone, a visible dark red aura covered him, and several yards of the arena. Like a large, dark mist, King's aura surrounded a good portion of him, along with several feet of roaming space.
Like on cue, another one of Child Emperor's creations exploded when it found itself in King's aura, knowing full well that it would be better to blow themselves up, rather than having themselves at the mercy of King, the 'Strongest Hero'. With each passing second, and the sound of another invention blowing up, Child Emperor found himself getting angrier and angrier, until he could no longer stand the sound of his inventions exploding.
"Damn it all… King! Stop using that attack! None of my inventions can touch you because of it! Be a man, and fight me!" Child Emperor yelled, rummaging through his bag to see what else he can throw at King.
"Says the kid having things, other than himself, to fight me. What sort of joke do you think you're playing here? If you aren't going to fight me head on, and have these little toy soldiers at your beck and call, you'll keep finding yourself surrounded by bits of smoldering metal and plastic. Unless you dare come at me with everything you got, to which I would love ya to try." King spoke out confidently, hoping his bluff would work, and keep Child Emperor at bay, until his unconditional surrender.
Much to the disappointment of Child Emperor from what King said, he knew he had little choice in what his next options were. His creations weren't going to fight the 'Strongest Hero', and he knew himself that he was going to die if he were to fight King… But he had no other choice, since his robots weren't going to come within 50 feet from King in the first place. So with a loud sigh, and a flick from his wrist, Child Emperor came to a conclusion.
"Damn it all to hell! Fine, if King wants it like that, then let's go all out!" Child Emperor said to himself, now wielding his game controller, and held upward on the joystick on the controller.
Like watching an alien machine move, Child Emperor's spider-like, mechanical legs came to life, and charged towards King's direction, carrying Child Emperor gingerly, and with no effort at all. Child Emperor then started pressing a few more buttons on his controller, causing his backpack to equip machine guns to both sides, spinning up, to show that they were about to fire.
"Toy Box Edition: Upgradation Sequence!" Child Emperor said happily, watching as his backpack was gearing up for the fight to come.
And finally, just as people in the audience thought Child Emperor was done fiddling on the controller, he held down on a button for a few seconds, until a something large came out of his backpack, something that shouldn't have been inside, due to how heavy it sounded when it hit ground. It was a large mess of metal, all jumbled up in ways that were like a car crash, metal twisted, and bent out of shape. With a few motions from Child Emperor's controller, the ball of metal soon started to move on it's own, straightening itself out, until it made itself look like an actual robot. Sure, it looked a bit lanky, but it made up for it in it's height, for this robot towered over the arena, spanning about 15 feet into the air. This robot had no scanners on it, allowing it to have no trouble attacking King, when Child Emperor controlled it to do so.
"Toy Box Edition: Iron Giant!" Child Emperor yelled, seeing as how his ball of metal robot came to form.
The crowd was in awe, as they saw a large, metal robot take the arena stage, and moving towards King's position, leaving large footprints in the snow as it walked past. Everyone in the crowd was hyped to see such impressive moves from Child Emperor, so they all turned to King to see how he would respond, only to see a King with his face downcast, and his body trembling.
"How about now, King! I have everything out for you, so will finally fight me?!" Child Emperor screamed out, as both him, and his robot were closing in on King.
Spinning up his mounted guns, Child Emperor began to open fire at King, which to his surprise, managed to run from the hail of bullets. Child Emperor, although impressed, wasn't letting up, and continued firing in King's vicinity, until he landed a shot. Snow flew everywhere as bullet after bullet crashed towards the ground, making it look it was snowing to everyone watching the match. Trails were being formed on the ground by the bullet barrage, but King had no intention of being shot to death, so he kept running.
"Special Move: Backwards B Dash!" King shouted frantically, as he ran away from the Child Emperor's attacks.
King was running for his life, scared to death as he was being gunned down by a 10 year old genius. King, running from Child Emperor's attack for awhile now, had no idea how he was out running bullets… Oh wait, he knew, it was because he didn't want to die, and his very nature was self preservation. With a few more more moments of running, King managed to duck towards a large pile of snow, covering his body from Child Emperor's guns, much to his blatant dissatisfaction.
"King, you better come out, otherwise, my Iron Giant is going crush you beneath the snow!" Child Emperor shouted confidently, to which he was answered when King came out of the snow, wearing a look that screamed victory.
"Tyrant's Orders: A King's True Face!" King roared, giving off a face that made his previous aura grow ridiculously large in a very short amount of time, covering almost hundreds of feet of the arena. King's aura now took on a black hue, almost making it hard to see him on the field, but this didn't distract the robot from coming closer to him.
King's intimidation now felt like a real substance, feeling like rain, or fog. By this, King's intimidation was now taking on an actual physical form, which eats away at a person's will to fight, and replaces that will with fear, to try and dissuade people from fighting him any further. To the unfortunate few that find themselves in this aura of black, they usually run in the opposite way immediately, or curl up in a ball, and cry for their mother in a comical way. As the aura grew, it crept into the very workings of the robot that was caught in it, which was now a mere couple of feet away from King.
Like watching a worn lego structure give way, the robot fell in a very pathetic fashion, making the tiniest peep as it hit ground, scared as to not piss off King as it fell apart. Child Emperor gawked at his huge robot, now a pile of scrap metal on the ground, making subtle impressions in the snow. Child Emperor soon found himself in King's special aura, and ran in the opposite direction King was at, twice as fast as he came charging at him previously. Until he was out of King's aura, Child Emperor was hell bent as getting as far away from King as he could.
The crowd was speechless, for they saw a large robot, topple in on itself before King, without King doing as much as showing an intimidating face towards its direction, and to see Child Emperor run like that, it scared some of the people in audience, almost wondering if they want to see King fight.
To everyone looking to King, he simply stood still, his face downcasted, not showing he eyes to anyone. King, however, was scared shittless on the inside, shaking and quivering like a storm tossed puppy on a whaling ship. It was a long time since he pulled off that move, and King prayed that he wasn't too rusty in pulling it off. You see, King only uses moves like these on special reserve, for he actually needs to a have some level of confidence to use them. In order for King's style to have a much better effect on anyone that gets hit with it, he needs to use them with real confidence, Since having confidence makes his aura much more impactful, almost as if you're going to die if you get caught within it.
What gave King this confidence was when he saw Genos and Sweet Mask fight from the corner of his eye, just before Child Emperor released the ball of metal onto the arena. King caught Genos firing a huge ass fireball at Sweet Mask, which was awesome, since it reminded him of a game he played a few weeks. Seeing Genos wearing a face of pure determination gave King a reason to give a little more than he usually does, so when he got back looking at Child Emperor, and seeing a huge robot appear from nowhere, King resolved himself to use his special technique, allowing him to pull of the look only the 'Strongest Hero' could. up until now, King was high on adrenaline, but when he the Iron Giant was brought down, we can hear King's heart thumping louder than the it was at the start of the match.
It took Child Emperor a few minutes, but he managed to escape the reach of King's aura, allowing him to breath once again. Looking onwards to King in the distance, Child Emperor gritted his teeth, pissed at himself for being so weak-willed.
"W-What the hell w-was that?! Child Emperor asked himself frantically, sweating buckets, as he was now trying to figure out King's aura radius.
"To think I would run away from someone that would give me a face… Well no more! I've had enough with this match! Child Emperor yelled internally, gripping his controller ever tighter.
His guns still attached to his backpack, Child Emperor started to spin them up, aiming them straight at King. Unfortunately for him, King already noticed Child Emperor by the sound his guns made. With another breath, King looked at Child Emperor directly, and called out to him.
"Tyrant's Orders: Ultimate Hellfire Wave-motion Cannon!" King roared loudly, waving his hands in a way where he was making waves in the air.
Child Emperor, now too afraid of what King's move was going to be, dismounted his guns, and ran as far as his mechanical legs could move at. A massive gust of wind, just so happened to form at the exact time King announced his attack, and blew right past him, straight towards Child Emperor. Child Emperor kept running, but he couldn't outrun the gust of wind that was heading straight to him. Once the wind touched his back, he cried out in pain, and fell from his backpack, even though it was only wind that hit him. Child Emperor was so wrapped in King's presentation of his attack, that he simply expected to feel pain beyond comprehension when it struck him, so when he felt the wind on his back, his body reacted in way where he could feel intense pain.
King, now confused on why Child Emperor was crying in pain, stood his ground, firm and steady, waiting for Child Emperor's next move. Child Emperor still felt pangs of pain in his backsides, even though nothing happened, and got himself backup from the ground he fell onto. Feeling very small, Child Emperor looked at King with a healthy blush, feeling as if he were being toyed with, like he was a kid. In Child Emperor's eyes, King was simply playing with him, and that he didn't really put much power in his attack, that's why it didn't hurt nearly as much as King made it sound it to be. Child Emperor could only grit his teeth harder, as he again was intimidated with King's display of power, and decided that it was time to end this match, for he wasn't going to be embarrass himself anymore.
Child Emperor, several yards away from King, started to press buttons on his game controller, causing his backpack legs to retract within itself. King, who now turned his attention towards Child Emperor, was surprised to see his backpack legs go back inside his bag. What didn't settle right for King was when Child Emperor took off his bag, and threw it towards his direction. Child Emperor gave King a wide smile, as he inputted a code within the controller, which in turn caused his bag to shake violently. After a couple of seconds of intense shaking, Child Emperor's bag became still, and after a couple more seconds, it exploded, revealing a life-like robot that looked just like Child Emperor. From the top of his head, to the tips of his toes, and down to the very clothes he wore, the robot looked very much like Child Emperor's twin, only thing different were the robot's eyes, which were an eerie icy blue, whereas Child Emperor's eyes were a warm hazel color, Much to the surprise of everyone, including King.
"Toy Box Edition: Empire's Future!" Child Emperor called, as his creation was now presenting itself fully to the crowd.
"What is this pile of junk?!" King called out towards the arena, his aura still in effect.
"King, it was a good battle, if you can call this one a battle, but this fight ends here. I would like to introduce to you my heir, my protege, my best invention yet!" Child Emperor called back with passion, now playing around on his controller, to which the robotic Child Emperor bowed towards King's way, which just irked him even more than before.
"So, what's the difference between this tin can, and you?" King said to Child Emperor, ready to lay down another move the moment Child Emperor does something on his part.
"Oh, you'll see soon enough…" Child Emperor said smugly, now pressing up on the joystick on his controller, sending his robot self towards King.
King was about to laugh when Child Emperor's robot blows up again, but as the robotic Child Emperor came into King's aura, it kept moving, as if it weren't noticing the changes in air at all. This made King shut up, and stare as the robot Child Emperor was coming closer towards him. With another flick of his wrists, Child Emperor jumped for joy as his robot didn't blow up from King's aura, and started to wildly press buttons on his controller, to which the his robot self started to produce weapons from all parts of his body. From rocket launchers from his shoulders, to guns coming out from his legs and arms, even having saw-blades whirring from his hands, the robotic Child Emperor was certainly packing, and King just stood there, shaking on the inside, watching as the robot came ever so closure.
Just when the robotic Child Emperor was in firing range, King was knocked down to his sides, violently, due to Genos crashing into him during his fight with Sweet Mask. Sweet Mask also crashed into the robotic Child Emperor, causing everyone in the audience to hold their breaths.
"Damn bro, that hurt like a bitch…" King said outloud, picking himself up from the ground, only to find a badly injured Genos, lying on the ground in a heaping mess.
"What the hell happened to you, bro?!" King yelled, panicked to see Genos in such a state.
"This… This is nothing, if you think this is bad, you should see Sweet Mask." Genos said meekly, trying to pick himself up from the ground, having King help him up, an arm slung across his shoulder. When King could get a better look at Genos, he spat to ground, angry at what Sweet Mask did to him.
Genos was definitely not on the brighter side of things, considering what he said. Both of his legs were scratched up, badly, and plumes of thick, grey smoke could be seen pouring out of his chest. Both of his arms were now glowing a faint dark orange, and sound that came from the servos in his knees didn't sound too good, either. Put it short, Genos was on the shitty side of things, and that any more fighting would put his life at risk.
Sweet Mask's side of the field...
Sweet Mask, who was on the other side of the field, was helped up by the robotic Child Emperor. The real Child Emperor came rushing to Sweet Mask's side, to see the damage he had sustained, which came to a shock to Child Emperor, trying to figure out how Sweet Mask was able to move, let alone stand.
Sweet Mask wasn't looking any better than Genos, since both of his arms and legs look like they've been burnt to hell. He was bleeding from all parts on his arms, and his legs look like they could give way any moment now. They only thing that seemed untouched, apart from the seared scratch on his cheek, was his face.
"You ok Sweet Mask?" Child Emperor said, as he watched Sweet Mask get back to his feet.
"Yes, I-(Cough)* I'm fine. I don't look too bad, compared to that walking flamethrower." Sweet Mask said with a smirk, as he faced towards Genos's direction, holding at his left arm, wincing from the pain.
"W-Well, I think you should sit this one out, you look awful." Child Emperor protested, seeing Sweet Mask slowly make his way towards Genos.
"No, I must finish what I started. What kind of man would I be if I didn't see this fight through?" Sweet Mask said, surprising Child Emperor at his resolve.
"Is this because you're holding so much hate for that S-Class hero?! Will you just let go already! I am more than convinced that he has power that would suit your criteria!" Child Emperor cried out, trying to latch onto Sweet Mask's leg to stop him from moving, only to find Sweet Mask standing still.
"No, what you just said right now is the exact opposite for my reasons. You see, throughout the whole course of this fight, I was able to feel Genos's power with each attack he gave me, and I can safely say that he is, without a doubt, a strong hero." Sweet Mask said quietly, making Child Emperor shut up for a minute.
"I am humble enough to know when I'm wrong, and I was wrong to think of Genos as a weak hero, for he is not. That very fact alone compels me to end this fight, to see which of us truly is the stronger hero. I know I can't excuse my behavior from earlier, but damn it, I will grant Genos this fight. Whether I win or lose, I must see this fight through to the end, for that is the essence of both a man, and a hero, regardless of the outcome." Sweet Mask went on, now moving again. Hearing this version of Sweet Mask now, made Child Emperor think, and with much internal deliberation, he came to a resounding conclusion.
"Then allow me to help you." Child Emperor said, getting off from Sweet Mask's leg and going back to his controller.
"What can you do to help me?" Sweet Masked asked, wondering what in the world can Child Emperor do, this late in the game.
As if answering his question subconsciously, Child Emperor controlled his robotic self to walk over towards him. When the robotic Child Emperor was in handshaking distance from Sweet Mask, it broke apart in many black, metallic pieces. The pieces then flew towards Sweet Mask, covering his body in metal, until he was whole body was covered in the black substance. After a few input controls from his controller, Sweet Mask's body began to take shape, as the metallic pieces fitted itself onto Sweet Mask's being. Soon, Sweet Mask's hands and feet were encased by the substance, next his body, and after another few seconds, Sweet Mask's face appeared, his body now equipped with Child Emperor's robot, like a suit of armor.
"What the hell did you do?" Sweet Mask asked, feeling the full range of the armor that was now on him.
"I just gave you a some armor. That's all… Nah, I'm kidding, I gave you something that can withstand that cyborg's flames. It also acts as a temporary body for you to control." Child Emperor said, pulling a lollipop from his pocket.
"And another thing, I can be your wingman, meaning I can make some movements for you." Child Emperor demonstrated that, by having Sweet Mask leviate with a few thrusters that morphed on his back.
"I-I don't know what t-to say…" Sweet Mask began, only to be silenced by Child Emperor.
"Just give Genos a good fight, that's all I want…" Child Emperor said, with a thumbs up.
"Then let's give it to him!" Sweet Mask said, a genuine smile forming on his face.
And like that, Sweet Mask flew through into the air, and when got to a certain point, he began dive bombing towards Genos's side of the field, hoping to end this match once and for all. Child Emperor could only look with sigh, knowing full well that Genos is going to need an ace up his sleeve to fight Sweet Mask now.
Genos's side of the field...
"Bro, you can't keep this up, you're gonna fall apart if you do." King said angrily, holding Genos still.
"King, let me finish this, I need to prove something here!" Genos shouted at King, managing to shove off from him.
"Damn it, you tin can, why do you have to prove something so lame to the likes of him?!" King asked, full of anger now.
"Because of what he said!" Genos shouted back, now getting King's full attention.
"Hearing him constantly say I'm weak gets me so worked up, because it's true!" Genos said, pure venom in his voice.
"For years now, I've tried to get stronger, to attain power unending, in order to put down the very being that made into this! To hear someone say that I'm weak... It's like saying that the reason for me living is nothing more than a fool's journey!" Genos said, King quiet throughout all of this.
"I've always thought that I was strong, but to see others that are leagues above me, I just can't react, let alone take it! Knowing there is someone like Sensei, Bang, or even you, for that matter, makes me feel weak!" Genos said, bitter tears now forming.
"So every part of my being wants to bring down this man, to make him see that I am not weak, rather, I am one with power that shouldn't be trifled with." Genos said sadly, trying to hold back tears with the back of arm, failing miserably to that extent. Genos sat down on the snowy ground, feeling very small in that moment.
"B-Bro, don't cry like that. I've known you for awhile now, and I never seem you cry like that before. So please, stop with sappy shit." King said, putting a hand to Genos shoulder. Genos slowly wiped the tears away with this shirt, embarrassed from showing King his vulnerable side.
"Everyone that you know, 'knows' that you aren't weak, bro. Especially due to the fact that you brought down the guy that was putting you down at the start of all of this. I get it that somethings need to get proven to others, but to put your life in danger because of it, not to mention you being a good friend of mine, I gotta step in on that. There'll be other times where you can prove your worth to others, but right now, now ain't a good time, bro." King said, pleading to Genos to stop this, all to be answered with a Genos walking towards Sweet Mask's direction.
"King, I know we're good friends, but right now, I need to settle the score with this man. I am certain that he is coming here, whether I fight or not. So I need to be off, and show not only to him, but to everybody that is watching, the Demon Cyborg isn't something that can be pushed around so easily." Genos said, now standing still, as he was turning towards King's direction.
King could only stand there, taking in everything that Genos had said, feeling hints of guilt for not letting Genos vent out his frustrations. It was then King decided to do something, something that'll either kill Genos, or help him immensely, for King remembered spotting something on the back of Genos's neck as he was helping him up to his feet, which made him feel as though it was put there for a practical joke… But King had to help, knowing full well Genos might get seriously injured from what he was about to do in a few minutes.
"I need to prove something here and now… King, if you're truly a friend of mine, then you'll let me fight this one, no holds barred. Although I appreciate such concern, as to which I am not worthy of such sentiments, I must fight this one. As in words you might understand, 'I'm going to show someone up', and no one is going to stop me." Genos said finality, and started to walk again, before being halted by a hand on his shoulder.
"Damn, if you're so eager to kill yourself, then go for it bro. But at the very least, let me give you a hand with it." King said with an understanding grin, to which Genos looked at him confused.
"What do you mean, King?" Genos asked, as he saw King go through his fully pink knapsack, which he brought from the very beginning of the match.
"What I mean is that I spotted a port behind your neck when I was helping you up, which looked strangely similar to a port that I can connect my contro-" Was all King said, before Genos spoke up.
"No, no, and a thousand times no. I will not let you say your idea, let alone entertain it, absolutely not." Genos said with seriousness, knowing full well where this is going.
"Ok, I guess you don't need my help, but just remember who beats you all the time at Saitama bro's apartment…" King said, putting away a brightly colored, sticker clad controller from his hands.
Genos was having a fight internally on what King was thinking, that is that he would 'Control' him, during the fight. Genos was really back and forth on this idea, but knowing King, he was always the best man he knew when it came to controllers, and games. So with a few minutes of banter within him, Genos decided.
"Ok, you can hook up that controller…" Genos said, sighing as he did so.
"Hell ye-" King was about to say, controller in hand, all to be stopped by Genos.
"But there are 3 restrictions you have to follow!" Genos stated angrily, already regretting doing this.
"Fine, name them." King said with a smirk, confident that he can manage with the restrictions.
"1, you aren't allowed to control me when I'm the one in control. 2, you aren't allowed to me do inappropriate things while I'm under your control. Lastly, you aren't allowed to assume total control over me, unless either I, or you, deem it necessary. Do we have a deal?" Genos said, hand outstretched.
"Pffft, sure thing, tin soldier." King said shaking his hand, while also plugging in his wireless output for his control.
With a few seconds of setting up, King sat down onto the ground and fiddled with his controller, seeing what button does what, much to the displeasure of Genos. When he pressed a green button, Genos throw a punch, when a he pressed a yellow one, Genos threw a haymaker. The blue one made Genos grab, and the red one made him kick. The left joystick made Genos move a certain direction, and the right one activated Genos's thrusters, causing him to take flight. King smiled to himself, knowing full well that Genos is a living combo breaker, waiting to happen, and that this was going to be awesome.
Stretching his fingers, King began making a few basic combos, and when he pressed two, different colored buttons together, Genos did a special attack, making King giddy with excitement. He tried a multitude of button combinations, causing Genos to spew fire from his palms, to having him to do a spinning flame kick to the ground. From having his arms turn to guns, to his legs breathing out steam, even though they were damaged. King was having one of the coolest videogame experiences in his life, wondering to himself if he could keep controlling Genos, after the fight.
"Bro, you have no idea how cool this is!" King shouted towards Genos, who was currently in the air.
"Damn it King! If you're ready now, can we please fight Sweet Mask?!" Genos asked franticly, growing angrier as they wasted more time.
"Sure thing, here's control now!" King shouted, as he pressed both joysticks at the same time, causing Genos to have free access to his own body.
"Finally, Let us put an end to this match, right King?!" Genos said confidently, smiling towards King.
"Yea bro, I'm starting to get hungry. Let's whoop that pretty boy's smirk!" King said, following Genos as they made their way towards Sweet Mask's direction.
Middle of the Arena…
Sweet Mask and Genos flew through the air, to finally settle the last match between them, having been granted a second chance, due to their partners' meddling. Sweet Mask, having a new set of armor covering him, and Genos, who now has a master gamer controlling him, both heroes were dead set on winning this fight, regardless of the consequences that might follow, when fighting in the state they were in now.
Just when Sweet Mask was about to make another pass to spot Genos, he caught a glimpse of Genos in the air, and flew straight towards him, all to be shocked that Genos already spotted him, and rocketed away from his current position.
"Come Genos, let us finish this, and be done with it! Show me what you really are, Demon Cyborg!" Sweet Mask called to Genos, fully prepared for what Genos might throw at him.
"For once, I can agree with you on something, Sweet Mask! Let us put an end to this!" Genos said, as he now gave control over to King, who was a safe distance between himself, and the fight that was going to happen.
"Hell yeah! It's game time, bro!" King said to himself, extremely pumped that this was actually happening.
With a few simple button combinations, Genos was on the offensive, pummelling Sweet Mask with a series of blows and kicks, ending with a sweet haymaker that landed straight into Sweet Mask's jaw line, causing him to fly backwards. King wasn't done, as he was going to use one of Genos's special moves, rotating both of his joysticks in a clockwise fashion, and then mashing the green button, Genos conducted one his signature moves.
"Special Move: Machine Gun Blows!" Genos called out, raining down a torrent of fists directed towards Sweet Mask, as he was miserably blocking the punches that came to him.
After a straight minute of punching, Genos had to breath, so King gave back full control. Whereas Sweet Mask was floating idly in the air, his thrusters the only thing keeping him up. Child Emperor was watching the whole ordeal, and assumed control over the armor, and did a few moves of his own. While Genos was still catching his breath, Child Emperor controlled Sweet Mask to rush at Genos. Sweet Mask snapped back into reality, as he found himself against a rush of air, charging at Genos at top speeds. Sweet Mask knew knew it was Child Emperor guiding him, so he prepared himself for his own attack. He tensed up his body, and began flying faster towards Genos, and as he was a about a foot away from him, he held out a fist, which struck Genos straight in the face, causing him to fly back now.
Sweet Mask now assumed control, and spared no time for Genos, as he laid into his lower body with kicks from his knee, and punches to his face, ending with a solid front kick to Genos's torso, causing him to gasp involuntarily for air.
"Pretty Boy Maneuvers: Call Back Kick!" Sweet Mask yelled, rushing back towards Genos, who was visibly gasping for air, having the literal wind kicked out of him.
Genos tried to fight back, but Sweet Mask was simply hitting him faster with calculated punches to his face. Watching the whole ordeal, King had to step in again, and did his own combos against Sweet Mask, which proved to be too much for Sweet Mask, as he was now on the defensive, and failing to block Genos's attacks. Genos repaid Sweet Mask with another haymaker, causing him to lose consciousness for a brief second, before coming back, and gritting his teeth.
"Very good, Genos! I just lost consciousness back there." Sweet Mask said, immensely amused that there was someone strong enough for him to fight.
"You're about to lose so much more if you're going to keep talking…" Genos said, now assuming control over his body, and launched himself towards Sweet Mask.
Child Emperor had to step in, as to not have Sweet Mask lose consciousness again. With Child Emperor combinations, he was able to deter Genos, and get them both a distance between each other. Both heroes are battered and bruised now, with the crowd watching in a complete trance, wondering which team will win. Both Genos and Sweet Mask knew that they're going to fall at anytime now, and they weren't going to have the other side win, due to technicality. So with a large breath, Genos said to Sweet Mask.
"We're finishing this, NOW!" Genos called out, getting ready for one more close battle.
"I couldn't agree more! Now's the time to end it all, like true men!" Sweet Mask cried, going in a stance that he hasn't done in a very long time.
King knew what he had to do when he heard Genos, so he quietly placed the controller down, and stretched his fingers as far as he could, making sounds that resembled splintering wood. He then held the controller back in his hands, and his eyes gave off a glow that shined a pure gold, and took a few minutes to breath.
Child Emperor was going to help Sweet Mask's fight, no matter what. So, placing the controller on the ground, he prepared his hands in a way that made most people confused on what he was doing. Slowly, his hands started to bend in ways that shouldn't, and took the controller back into his hands. His hazel eyes stared directly at Sweet Mask, and resolved himself to help this man the best he could.
With all four heroes ready for one last battle, they patiently waited for one and the other, ready to strike once the trigger was set off. The snow settled, and the air grew still, all heroes steeling their hearts, without a moment further, Genos and Sweet Masked came at each other full force.
"Do it now, Child Emperor!" Sweet Mask called downwards, seeing Genos in his sights.
"Yes, get ready Sweet Mask!" Child Emperor said, making a mess on his controller.
"Feel the power of science, as the sky itself turns metal! Limit Break; Final Move: Machine Madness: Rocket Rain!" Child Emperor called out, almost destroying his controller in process, as he was pressing almost every button at once.
What followed next was almost all of the armor pieces coming off Sweet Mask, and turning themselves into tiny rockets, that scattered throughout air, all pointing towards Genos. Sweet Mask was only being held in the sky for a few armor pieces that stayed on him, that made up the thrusters on his back.
The Iron Giant's collapsed body also turned itself into miniature rockets, each piece of metal flying towards the sky as time passed. Soon the entire sky turned a darker hue, as hundreds, maybe even thousands of rockets blanketed the sky, waiting for the time to fly to their target.
"Now it's my turn." Sweet Mask said calmly, as he flew straight towards the sun, until his image looked as if he were bathing in sunlight.
"Witness the glory that is beauty! Limit Break; Final Move: God's Gift: Beauty, Divine!" Sweet Mask screamed out, while absorbing the sunlight behind, up until he glowed a subtle golden yellow, almost looking holy at that moment. He then posed himself as if he were an angel, looking more beautiful then the very sun that shined down onto the earth.
Within only moments for people to react, Sweet Mask aimed himself downwards, and shot himself at Genos, his fist glowing a holy yellow, and leaving a trail of golden wisps in his wake. What also followed him were hundreds of miniature rockets, leaving smoke that covered the sky. Everyone in the audience were on the edge of their seats, watching as how the sky smelt of smoke, and the air glowed yellow, something that most people wouldn't belief, even if you showed them video proof of the event.
"Guess it's our turn, huh, tin soldier?" King called up to Genos, which was answered with a simply nod.
"Then let's do this, bro…" King said, as he prepared his hands for what was about to happen.
"Yes, let's kick some ass, or as you would say it!" Genos said proudly, going into a stance, causing people to wonder what Genos was about to do.
"Man, Machine, whatever you throw at me, I will stand out on top, always! Limit Break; Final Move: Hell's Machine: Soldier of Hell!" Genos called out, as his entire body now opened up to reveal an arsenal full of weapons. People in the audience were scared justifiably, as panels that once covered Genos's compartments, now opened, holding lasers, flamethrowers, and even flame launchers. Genos was armed to the teeth with weapons, and each one had can fire independently from one another.
Genos flew straight towards Sweet Mask, his own fist stretched out aswell, ready to collide with him at any moment. It was then King spoke himself, ready to help Genos along the way.
"I will show you all, the real mastery of my talents! Limit Break; Final Move: Tyrant's Orders: W.I.N." King called aloud, his eyes giving off a regal look, almost as if he was an actual king. His hands moved so fast, they seemed non-existent on his controller, as he took over Genos during this time.
Genos moved in accordance to King's guidance, his built in weapons under King's control, open fired against the very sky they flew in. Explosion after explosion was what the sky looked like for the audience, almost as if the very air was set ablaze. Child Emperor was speechless, as all of his rockets were being shot down by one person, and Sweet Mask only grew more excited as Genos was drawing near, his entire body a weapon. Truly, he was very wrong about Genos, and wished he could take back some of the things that were said between them, but that would have to be for another time, as Genos was almost upon him.
"Hit me with your best shot, Genos, for you can only get one after this!" Sweet Mask called out, as he was almost in striking range for Genos.
"I could say the same to you, just make sure you don't miss…" Genos called out, as he neared Sweet Mask ever so closer.
When King was satisfied with the destruction of the sky itself, he gave control back Genos, who was about to punch Sweet Mask, and vice versa with him. A moment later, Genos managed to hit Sweet Mask first, while Sweet Mask's fist missed Genos by a millimeter or two, completely missing target he intended to hit, which was his face.
Genos's punch was so strong, he carried Sweet Mask by his face, and rocketed towards the ground beneath. When Genos was set on the speed he was going at, he threw Sweet Mask as hard as he could to the ground. When Sweet Mask hit the ground below, it left a small crater, containing an unconsciousness Sweet Mask, who laid in the snowy dirt with a slight smile.
Child Emperor let out a sigh, and put his controller down on the ground. He was bested by King, by game controller no less, the whole thought of it made him laugh a bit actually. Child Emperor then raised both of his arms out, and announced to the crowd.
"I officially surrender to the opposing team! I concede, for both myself, and my partner!" Child Emperor called out, and kneeled on the ground.
For a moment, Genos and King couldn't believe what they just heard. Child Emperor admitting defeat? That they've just won their first fight? That dinner was going to come in about 2 hours? Then it hit them, they've just won their first arena match, which made King roar a triumphant roar, and Genos subconsciously raise a single fist into the air.
The crowd was hysterical, as they have just witnessed an amazing fight. So amazing, the very air caught fire at one point. All 4 heroes had shown their worth, and let it be known, that their worth was a lot, if not invaluable. All 3 S-Class heroes showed their skills, and the 1 A-Class was nothing to scoff at either. Yes, all 4 heroes did amazing today, and with the end of the last main match of today, the arena announcer stated that the arena shall be closing within the next hour and a half, and from what everyone witnessed today, of course they're going to need the rest, especially the people that were part of the matches in the first place.
On the patio space…
"What. The. Hell…" Was the only thing Saitama could say to himself, as he watched King's and Genos's match. It was a lot more fierce than the exhibition match, and leagues more entertaining than his earlier one.
Saitama watched the entire match with dedicated eyes, as he tensed up whenever Genos got smashed in the face, or when King did his special moves. Like what the hell was that? Wasn't King suppose to be weak, or something? Albeit, he didn't do anything at all, he was just super lucky with everything...
Saitama's expectations were far exceeded for both his friends today, as they put on an amazing match, while making Saitama itching to into the arena once again. Just thinking about the match he saw today pumped him up, so much so, that he started to vibrate ever so slightly, much to the slight murmurs coming from his head.
"Oi, Baldy, stop that…" Tatsumaki said sleepily, as she was napping happily on Saitama's head. Yes, Tatsumaki was still on Saitama's shoulders, too comfortable to leave the space.
With a sigh, Saitama sat back down on his chair, waiting to congratulate the very people that won just now, while waiting ever so patiently to fight in the arena again, hoping to find his challenge soon enough.