Alright, we are here with a new chapter. I've been looking forward to the fight that starts in this chapter since I first came up with it for this arc. Not gonna say anymore so on with the chapter.

Sports Festival Arc

Chapter 44: Battle for the Top, Part 4

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLRIGHT!" Mic shouted. "With the arena now fixed up we can get back to the action! ARE YOU READY!"

The crowd roared with a resounding yes.

"Alright then! For this match, we've got the beautiful, the brutal, the big fist martial artist herself, ITSUKA KENDO!" Mic shouted.

"I think I like my first intro more." She mumbled as she walked out to the arena.

"And her opponent, the straight-laced speedster with spectacles, TENYA IIDA!" Mic shouted.

Don't comment on it Tenya, DON'T COMMENT ON IT! He mentally told himself. The crowd cheered as Tenya stepped into the arena and faced Itsuka.

"While I doubt this match will match the previous one, it's sure to be entertaining. So let's get to it! START!" Mic shouted.

Tenya's engines roared to life and he shot forward towards Itsuka. Itsuka stayed still ready to react to anything. Tenya, once close enough, leapt into the air and spun himself using the engine in one leg. He sent the spin kick right at Itsuka, who shifted her stance to brace against it and sent her palm forward. Her hand enlarged right before it collided with the kick. She grunted a bit but held fast and grabbed his legs. However Tenya fired up the engines in his free leg and sent it forward. Itsuka barely leaned back in time. She twisted her body and threw Tenya away from her.

Tenya righted himself in the air and landed skidding on his feet. He wasted little time and charged forward again. Itsuka also quickly prepared herself for him. Tenya quickly closed the distance and sent forward two kicks in quick succession. Itsuka used an enlarged hand to block them both. She quickly shrunk it, stepped forward, and sent a palm strike forward, enlarging it right before impact. Tenya brought his arms up as it slammed into him. He skidded back, but recovered quickly. Firing up his engines, he began to run in a circle around her. Itsuka keeped her eyes on him as he sped around her, shifting her stance to be ready for whenever he would attack.

I need to break through her guard. Tenya noted to himself. She's used to someone of Ruby's speed so my speed advantage is greatly diminished in terms of catching her off guard. Respiro Burst might do the trick at this short range, but I can't keep it up for long enough to mean anything. Hmm… maybe… maybe I don't have to. Tenya charged at her. He leapt into the air and spun himself like earlier. However Itsuka was ready and caught the spin kick with an enlarged hand.

"Sorry in advance." Tenya quickly spoke.

He revved up the engine in the captured leg like he was doing a Respiro Burst. Itsuka cried out in pain from the heat and released her grip on his leg. Tenya stopped the attack before it carried it with him and shifted into proper form to deliver a kick with his other leg. Itsuka gasped as the kick slammed into her side, sending her flying away. She tumbled on the ground. She recovered quickly right as Tenya was on her. He sent another kick, but she quickly caught it with an enlarged hand and threw him away. Tenya quickly recovered and rushed towards her. She ducked under a kick he sent and sent her palm forward, enlarging her hands right before it connected. Tenya flew back, tumbled along the ground, got up, and rushed forwards again. He readied his leg to kick, however instead of going for a high kick, he swiped at her legs.

Itsuka barely leapt over the attack. However Tenya used the momentum for his first kick to quickly send another one which slammed into Itsuka, sending her flying. Itsuka flipped in the air and landed on her feet, skidding across the ground. Tenya was already on her. He sent a kick right at her. She braced herself quickly and caught the kick as it slammed into her side. Fighting through the pain, she let the momentum of the kick carry her into a slight spin and threw Tenya away from her. He quickly recovered and charged her. She ducked under a kick he sent and slammed her palm into his stomach. Tenya gasped in pain. Itsuka didn't let up, she continued her assault. Tenya did his best to match her, but she snaked her way around most of his attack while he struggled to deflect or evade hers. Finally, she landed one decisive blow that knocked Tenya out. Ten seconds passed.

"Tenya Iida is down. Itsuka Kendo is the winner!" Midnight shouted.

The crowd cheered and Itsuka took some time to catch her breath. Seeing that Tenya wasn't waking up, she enlarged her hand, picked him up, and carried him off the field.

"What a match, kind of sucks that Iida and Itsuka had to duke it out though." Ochako noted.

"It can't be helped." Ruby added.

"Darn looks like I miss it." The voice of Izuku spoke.

They looked to see him hobbling down, one arm in a cast.

"Deku!" Ochako exclaimed.

"Good to see you back Midoriya." Ren greeted.

"Finally up and about." Nora added.

"Yeah, and just in time to see Kumoko and Amai's match." Izuku noted as he sat down next to Ochako.

"Yeah, I'm interested to see how the next match is gonna turnout." Ruby added.

"What do you mean? I have nothing against that Kumoko girl, heck I'm rooting for her, but let's face it Amai's just way too powerful." Denki pointed out.

"As much as I hate to say it, he's right. Kumoko's run will likely end here." Momo expressed.

"Hey now don't be like that, she's done way better than anyone would have expected, maybe she's got something up her sleeve." Nora pointed out.

"Even if she doesn't she's definitely a shoo-in for the hero course." Jaune added. "While I don't think she'll win, I doubt it'll be like… ah… you… you… you know…"

Ruby sighed.

"Stop beating around the bush Jaune, I'm over it. I got one-shot and lost, it's not the end of the world." She pointed out.

"Y-y-y-yeah…" Jaune muttered.

"Well I personally believe Kumoko will pull through and win." Mezo expressed.

"While your optimism in cheering on your crush is endearing. Ribbit." Tsuyu replied.

Mezo made no comment to deny her claims of having a crush on Kumoko, though he began to blush lightly. Mina gave him an amusing and cheshire cat-like smile.

"I don't think she'll win, we've all seen just how powerful and efficient Amai is. Bakugo and Todoroki are probably the only ones left capable of going toe to toe with her." She added.

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing." Momo noted.

"So pretty much, she's screwed." Kyoka summed up.

"Unfortunately yes." Ochako expressed.

"There's still one way she can win, in theory that is." Ruby pointed out.

"A war of attrition, the same thing Midoriya tried on Todoroki." Jaune stated. "It's a gamble given we know next to nothing of Amai's quirk; what it's limits are, how it operates. However it's the best shot she's got."

"But how would she manage that?" Momo brought up. "Even if she's not as fast as Ruby she can still react to something as fast as Ruby. That's not mentioning her power output. If she calls that blast holding back I'd hate to see what the full powered ones can do. On top of this Kumoko has been in a multitude of matches. Her opponent has had ample time to study her while she has had next to none."

"We never said it would work, just that it's the only real viable strategy she seems to have." Jaune pointed out.

"I'm telling you guys I think she'll surprise us out there." Nora expressed.

"I'm sure she'll do well enough to impress, but win is another matter entirely." Ren stated.

"No way, she's winning this!" Nora declared.

"We'll just have to wait and see." Ruby pointed out.

Meanwhile…

Kumoko made her way through the halls of the stadium towards the field. Her eyes were fixed forward. Beads of nervous sweat were running down her face. She took deep controlled breathing to try and calm her rising nerves. There were slight nervous shakes in her hands. Her steps were slow and deliberate. Her mind raced to come up with some sort of plan for attack.

The moment seemed to drag on forever as she continued through the halls, turning around corners and heading down corridors. The exit to the fields and the arena came into view. More sweat began to roll down her face as she took more breaths to calm herself. The crowd's roar grew louder as she neared the exitway. Her nervous shakes grew more intense as she did her best to calm them. Finally, she stepped out onto the fields and towards the Arena.

"ALRIGHT EVERYBODY! ARE! YOU! READY!" Mic shouted.

The crowd cheered.

"That's good, because we've got one heck of a match coming up. In one corner, we've got the spider girl from the Gen-ed course. KUMOKO!" Mic shouted.

The crowd's roar of support did little to quell Kumoko's nerves.

"This rising star has surprised us all, making it all the way to the quarterfinals, beating out plenty of tough competition on the way. But she may have just met her match with her next opponent. 1-B's prestigious powerhouse, the top scorer on the entrance exam, MEI AMAI!" Mic shouted.

The crowd continued to cheer and Kumoko swallowed a nervous gulp. The two stepped into the arena and faced each other. Amai was calm and confident, while Kumoko was failing to hide her nervousness, despite her best efforts.

"We haven't seen much of her in the tournament, but her quick and decisive victory against her previous opponent proves she's not one to mess with. It's David versus Goliath, the underdog versus the tournament favorite. Who will win? Will Kumoko continue her Cinderella run or will Amai move the clock to midnight and put an end to it all here?" Mic stated. "Let's find out now shall we?! STAAAAAAAAAAART!"

In an instant, Amai's arm shot forward and a large blast of energy rocketed forward towards Kumoko. Said girl had already been moving the second she saw Amai's arm move and narrowly dodged the attack. Close one, but now I know I can at least dodge her blasts from this distance. Any closer and I'll end up like her past opponent. She kept her eyes on her opponent. Another blast came barreling towards her. She rolled out of the way as she brought her upper two hands together. She began to weave her threads together, quickly forming a whip.

Amai eyed Kumoko as if pondering her next move, arm still out stretched. She began firing off balls of energy in rapid succession. Kumoko did her best to deftly maneuver through it all. She ducked and dodged any she could as she formered her whip, which was taking sometime due to the length of it. However a few shots managed to get in. Kumoko hissed in pain as they connected but fought through it. The blasts destroyed her gym uniform but left her skin and clothing underneath seemingly undamaged, something Amai took notice of. The barrage continued. Despite the whip still not being long enough, Kumoko began to use it. She whipped it forward using it to stop any blast she could, giving her less to dodge. She continued to lengthen the whip, albeit at a slower pace due to only using one hand.

The seemingly endless barge continued. Kumoko didn't let up however. She continued to hold out against the assault. Her eyes were fixed on Amai waiting for the moment her whip would be long enough to strike. Then Amai stopped firing, smirked, and clenched her hand into a fist. Not a second later, she felt something slam into her back. Kumoko had been so focused on Amai, that she failed to notice the fact that none of the blasts that she had either dodged or Amai had purposefully missed had dissipated. They had been floating around her, however she had been too focused on Amai to notice this. They all were converging on her at once and from nearly all directions. She screamed out in pain. The barrage stopped, but she had no time to rest. A large blast was right on her. She quickly sent out a stick thread to her left and angled herself so her left side was facing forward. The thread stuck on the ground right as the blast slammed into her. The thread began to fray but managed to hold out. She used the force of the blast with the line of her thread along with the way she was standing to carry herself out of the large wave of energy. However the thread finally snapped. The spider girl ragged dolled through the air before crashing into the ground, tumbling across it. She got up with a groan.

Smoke was coming off of her. Her gym uniform had been torn to shreds by the blast. Her top had been blown off completely thanks to the damage it received previously, revealing a black tank top which was slightly damaged, though still kept her modest. Her pants were in better shape but were still overall pretty damaged, which revealed the black short shorts underneath it. Large tears across what had appeared to be her skin revealed that it was threads made to look and feel like skin over top of her real skin, she was unable to do this for her face.

She looked up and saw that Amai had yet to notice the fact that she had escaped the blast as the beam began to fade. She probably couldn't see me due to the size of the blast. I've got a brief moment before she realizes I got out of the blast. She took those moments to catch her breath and mull over her situation. I don't have time to try and close the distance for a surprise attack, I'm too far away. I need to come up with something. Her attacks hit hard, and the more powerful ones can damage even my more defensively designed threads. She looked down to her hand to see her frayed whip. The thinner portion near the tip had been destroyed with the thicker areas still intake. I don't think trying to match her range will work, I need to wear her down and then get in close. She began to eat her whip. It sucks that I wasted the time making this but it can't be helped. I need to focus on defense rather than offense. She looked back to Amai who had just spotted her.

Amai observed the spider girl with a critical eye. I see her threads around her body aren't as strong as the ones that make up her clothes. Their purpose is meant to imitate human skin to give the illusion that she's without defense. They were strong enough to keep her mostly uninjured from the blast. Though they got destroyed in the blast, likely weakened by the barrage she received beforehand. Her clothing is made of much stronger thread and is largely intact. If I remember correctly they blocked Kamakiri's blades which could cut through steel. If I had to guess, that means there's likely a limit to how much she can customize her threads. She saw the threads that had mimicked Kumoko's skin begin to stitch themselves together. She also saw Kumoko bring one of her upper hands to her top and it began to mend itself. I see… interesting. Best not give her a moment's rest. A pink glow coated Amai's body. She shot forward faster than a normal human. Kumoko's eyes went wide.

"Your threads make impressive armor, but I can't help but not notice they aren't too good at shock absorption." Amai noted.

Kumoko clicked her tongue in annoyance. She rushed forward to meet Amai. Best not stay too close to the edge she probably has enhanced strength along with speed. I wanted to fight her head on, and it looks like I'll get it. Amai had closed the distance quickly. She sent a punch straight at Kumoko, who dodged to her left. Amai however followed up quickly and slammed her fist into Kumoko's stomach. Kumoko gagged as her breath left her.

"You probably planned on wearing me down like Midoriya did with Todoroki, not a bad strategy. I have no doubt you could have endured my energy attacks long enough to outlast me, so I decided to not give you the chance to. Unfortunately for you, using my quirk like this drains me very little." Amai stated.

Amai's quirk is [Sugar Energy]. It enables her to convert her blood sugar into energy which can be projected outwards in energy attacks and or be used to enhance her body's physical abilities. Thanks to her training, she is able to control the energy even after it has been projected out of her body to a limited degree.

Another fist slammed into Kumoko's face. She rolled with it, and retaliated with a punch from every arm on her left side. However they did little due to Amai's empowered body being more durable. Kumoko's eyes went wide. Another fist slammed into her right side. She gasped in pain. Another fist slammed into her face. Blood flew from her nose, her cheeks were swollen. Kumoko fought through it and sent out some thread towards Amai. It was met with a hand coated in a blade of energy cutting it to pieces.

"Damnit." Kumoko muttered.

She narrowly dodged another punch from Amai before bringing two arms up to block another punch. I'm running out of options. Kumoko thought to herself. She ducked under another punch and blocked a second. My threads will just get cut or destroyed if I try to bind her, and I can't out last her in a slugfest. Another punch got through her guard and slammed into her stomach. She gagged. She gritted her teeth and fought through the pain. I have one trick left. If this doesn't work I don't know what will. She ducked under another punch. I just need an opening.

She blocked another punch, her arms going slightly numb from the force of it. Before she could act, another punch slammed into her stomach. She coughed up blood. She struggled to breath. Another fist slammed right into her face. Her head whipped back, she lost her footing and began to fall back. No… She gritted. She fought through the pain and planted her foot down. She stood her ground and glared at Amai defiantly. Blood was pouring from her nose and mouth. Another fist was barreling towards her already. She didn't have time to dodge and could only roll with the blow. Now's my chance. She fought through the pain and grabbed hold of Amai's arm. I WON'T WASTE IT! She opened her mouth and bit down on Amai's wrist. Amai cried out in pain. Kumoko released her bite after a brief moment. A punch to the face sent her to the ground. Kumoko slowly pushed herself off the ground. There was a pause in the action as Kumoko took the time to catch breath and Amai inspected her wrist.

"That hurt, but there's not much blood." Amai noted.

She looked to the still rising form of Kumoko. What was her plan with that? Was that just an act of desperation, or something else? Kumoko took up a fighting stance. Hmm… no matter I'll finish this soon so it won't matter. Amai went on the attack. Kumoko dodged one punch before being forced to block a kick. She deflected one punch before narrowly moving her head out of the way of another punch. A kick slammed into her side. Kumoko stumbled and nearly fell to the ground. She barely managed to avoid another punch from Amai. However the next punch slammed into Kumoko's stomach, causing her to cough up more blood. Another punch slammed into her face. Followed by another, then another, then another, then another, and yet another. Through all of it Kumoko fought to remain standing. Her vision was becoming blurry. Another punch connected with her face. Finally she fell to the ground.

She grunted and groaned in pain. Her breaths were labored.

Get up Kumoko…

Her body wouldn't move.

I said get up…

Her body wouldn't move.

Dammit get up!

Her body wouldn't move

No… this isn't the end… I've come so far… I got my last chance in.

She looked up to see Amai seemingly towering over her through her blurry vision.

Am I…

…

…

Going to lose…

Ruby: OH goooooooooood! What's gonna happen next!

Izuku: I don't, the next chapter preview script is blank!

Ruby: BLANK! So we have no idea what's going to happen next!

Izuku: That's what blank means in this case!

Splinter: Nexts times Chapter 45: A Tale of Two Worlds.

Izuku and Ruby: WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?!

Splinter: Nots important.

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