A.N: Weeelcome back! So, still can't get over how fast this story is growing, and I can't thank y'all enough for the support. Not to mention, I recently got added to a Community! Thanks to the founder Blazing Heart Frigid Soul, I'm now in the 'writer's guild of absolute randomness'. It's a great page with a lot of amazing fics, so be sure to check them out and follow the group. Onto the reviews!
JaxTheGamer: Glad the chapter was enjoyable my good fellow! I always thought that Kendo's Quirk was a bit strange, and I came up with crazy theories as to what it would be like if he improved it, or if he had taken a Quirk-Enhancing drug. Ensure you stay safe and well on your fine trip to Fiji good sir, I must continue to peruse ancient architecture for my collection!
God Doesn't Love You: Great question, actually! And my answer to that is a... hazy no. To be clear, as of this moment, I have no plans to add in characters that are outright from other series into this. That being said however, I won't deny that there are certain elements, ideas and themes that I have borrowed from other series, or subsequently will. A prime example of that right now is actually Kaiten! I'll get more to explaining my inspirations with his character in my ending notes for this chapter.
Ultimate Hunter X: Welcome aboard my guy! I'm happy that you're enjoying this crazy concept turned actual story of mine, and I've always wanted to try and flesh out the backstories of heroes that we've seen from the current Bnha universe, like with Death-Arms being a bully in my retelling of his character. I also hope that I can bring the Festival to life, along with the rest of the story. Read on dude!
SkeenTheDream: Shhh... remember, Nighteye is just watching, a spectator of the Festival... for now ;D. Also, hate to break it to you, but nah, Yu's not gonna do anything like that, largely because she's very aware of the damage her Quirk could cause if she gets careless. However... because she's aware of that, she's made some improvements and adjustments to her Quirk. Either way, thanks for the support dude! (Also got the Ginormica reference, been a while since I saw Monsters vs. Aliens).
Longnose: Thanks for the love my man! Same here, I really hope that Kendo gets his rematch or even teams up with Kirishima, if a Prison-Break Arc does end up happening. And yes, Rumi is best girl.
Either way, back to the show, and onto ROUND 2!
Rumble, Young Man Rumble!
Chapter 15
Subversion!
He idly bounced on his toes, glad that the horrible cramping-sensation was gone for the time being. He was still reeling at the shock of learning about the new aspects of his quirk. 'Still need to be careful when I use that shit in my legs,' Kendo thought as he rolled his ankles out, 'If I cramp up in the middle of a fight, it'll definitely throw me off and leave me open. Damn, I wish I had more time to figure out how this worked! Is it a build-up of cramping the more I use it? Or is does it work based off of a cooldown? Still…' He grinned as he remembered the sensation of his body shooting forward, faster than he could have possibly done without his Quirk. He still couldn't jump as far or as high as Rumi at full tilt, but his raw speed certainly made up for it. 'I think I've got it, or at least I'm closing in on it! The 'weapon' that I need to come up to par with everyone else here!'
"Alriiiight boys and girls!" Again, Present Mic's voice never failed to catch everyone's attention. "Now that the rest-period is over, let's get right onto the NEXT STAGE! Make sure to direct your eyes over to the podium for your instructions!" Midnight was already standing there in her usual trench-coat, a big smile on her face as she gestured towards the scoreboard.
"Alright you fledglings! As you know, the top forty in the race get to move onto the next elimination-round. Everyone here knows the basics of capture the flag, right?" A few murmurs and nods were heard among the groups of students. "Well too bad, because we aren't doing that! Your goal today is to GET RID OF THAT FLAG!" The giant screen showed a cartoony image of several spheres and a roughly drawn image of a person. "This is a four-man exercise! Any of your teammates can carry as many 'flags' as you want, but they must be carried in an open area, not hidden anywhere else on your person. Just throwing the 'flags' away doesn't count as getting rid of one: your goal is to stick those flags onto someone else! Everyone needs to wear one of these special belts that have magnets in them, which should help you get them onto someone." She held up a rather simple-looking belt, black leather with iron buckles. In her other hand were the 'flags', apparently able to fold perfectly into the shape of a ball, probably half the size of a baseball, most likely for throwing. "However! You can wear these belts however you want, so long as it isn't hidden, and you don't need to place a flag on that belt for it to count. Remember, it just has to stick to that person for at least half a second!"
'Huh, it's kinda like dodgeball,' He thought with a grin, 'It ain't fighting, but it'll definitely be fun!'
"Everyone has a set amount of flags depending on their place. The smaller the amount, the more likely you are to pass! Oh, and just to make sure that everyone has a good incentive to pass…" Right beside Yu Takeyama, the number of flags she had popped up, and even Kendo could see how positively pale she got in under a second flat. "First place has four hundred flags! You're gonna have to work to get rid of those flags! You all have ten minutes to form a team!" Kendo couldn't help but chuckled at Yu's attempt to keep herself cool while also failing miserably, her search for a team going about as fruitfully as you'd expect.
"Welp… might as well," He chuckled, winking at Rumi as he passed by. She smirked and gave him a small salute, knowing exactly what he was about to do. 'Good luck Kendo.'
"Yo, Yu. Looking for someone to partner with?" He asked, grinning with a hand on his hip. She wanted to outright cry in relief, but schooled her emotions and nodded.
"Y-yes. I'd very much like that, seeing as everyone else here aren't… very willing."
"Let them shake like wusses," Kendo said seriously, "But are you gonna back down?"
"…No. I'm here to be a Hero, and something like this isn't going to change that," She said firmly, her heart a little calmer. "Still, we're two people short, and we don't have much time left."
"Make it one person short!" Someone laughed behind Kendo, He turned around and grinned: he was definitely a good addition to the team. Kaiten casually trotted up to them, hands in his pockets as he waved at them. "Figured that you'd need some help, and I'd be glad to hand it to you, Takeyama-chan."
"Hmph! I can only hope that the help you'll give is adequate enough," She said, again a bit childishly.
"Nah, he's pretty good," Kendo said with a nod. "Dude's fast in his own right, and his Quirk is great for surprise attacks from unexpected angles. He could've beaten me in the race too if I hadn't figured something new out with my Quirk."
"…Okay then," Yu said, nodding sharply. "We still need one more."
"Maybe I could help?" Yu turned and smiled as Shinji made his way to them, a shy smile on his normally stoic face. "I know that my Quirk isn't the best but…"
"Oh stuff it Shinji, you'll be just fine! You're exactly what we need to cover as much of our ranges as possible. Either way, as the defacto-leader of this team, I suggest that we get to know each other's Quirks so we can come up with a strategy."
"Now you're talkin! Kendo Rappa, and my Quirk is Strongarm. I can move the muscles in my shoulders and arms really fast, and punch really fast. I think I can use it in my legs now too, lets me cover distance quick."
"Yu Takeyama, Quirk: Gigantification. Basically, I can turn into a giant… though, I want to try something new out with it."
"Shinji Nishiya, my Quirk is Arbour. I can create wood from my body and control it while I'm still attached."
"You all have very interesting Quirks!" Kaiten said with a clap. "So, I'm Kaiten Kaibara, and my Quirk is - !"
…
One of the newer heroes that was rapidly gaining attention due to his incredible skill over the control of concrete and stone, Ken Ishiyama stepped into the middle of the arena and placed his hands on the floor. The stone and dirt promptly erupted, shocking everyone as the ground roiled and expanded outward. Rolling hills and flats of dirt gave plenty of room for the teams to move around, dive for cover, or even manipulate the terrain of they so wished.
"Thanks for the help Ken," Midnight sighed, "We weren't able to find anyone else who has this kind of Quirk."
"It's quite alright Miss," He said, the nineteen year-old bowing his head, "It's a pleasure to be able to help the school that I graduated from. Either way, shall we get started? It seems that time is about to be up and the students appear to be just about ready."
"Fair enough," She said with a grin. "Fledglings! You have thirty seconds before the timer starts! The top four Teams with the least amount of flags move onto the final event!"
…
"That's weird… I didn't see Kendo or his team anywhere out there. Did you see them at all Kubisai?" The girl that Rumi was talking to shook her head. She was completely bald, her lime-green eyes dully looking out across the field. Kubisai was quite intimidating, her face seemingly lines with a symmetrical pattern of black and red markings.
"Mmm. I haven't felt their gazes at all. It's strange."
"Whatever, when we do see them, I'll just smack them around and ram that flag down their throats," Tetsude growled, cracking his knuckles. He paused when Rumi whipped around and snatched him by his shirt, yanking his head down to her height.
"Get your head in the game, idiot," She snarled, "You do anything stupid like that and get us disqualified, I will personally kick your ass until you can't fucking walk. Am. I. Clear?" He scowled right back, slapping her hand away and straightening up, surprising Rumi. He wasn't scared at all.
"Tch, fine. I'll deal with you and him in the one-on-ones." A twisted grin stretched across his face as he clenched his fist. "I've got something new that'll be… a bit much for you all to handle."
"Now-now, I think that's enough antagonizing each-other," Sendo said with a small glare shot at Tetsude. "We'll settle each other's business when the times comes. For now, let's focus, it's about to - !"
"BEGIN!"
"…start. Right, let's go people!" Immediately, Rumi and Kubisai sprinted off, her anger forgotten as adrenaline kicked in.
"You remember the plan, right?" Rumi asked as she ducked, several flags thrown right at her chest like a dart.
"Of course. I never forget." Both of their eyes instantly locked onto the person that threw the flag at them, his eyes wide in fear at their respective grins. Rumi acted quickly, stomping her foot ont the ground as hard as she could, spraying up dirt that made the boy shriek and cover his eyes. Big mistake. "Carry these for me please," Kubisai said with a smirk as she appeared behind him, slamming a clump of flags onto the boy's belt strapped around his back. He panicked and lashed out with another clump of flags, only for her to disappear again right beside Rumi. The two of them ran off, Rumi laughing as she high-fived her.
"For a Quirk that you call simple and sneaky, that shit is amazing!"
"Thank you. Though, it is still simple. And especially sneaky." Kubisai's Quirk Blink, simply put, allowed her to 'lock onto' a target, and as long as they didn't maintain eye-contact, she could instantly teleport herself and anything on her person around them, including whenever they blinked. She had won a great deal of fights and brawls by forcing the person to blink and then appearing behind them, elbowing them across the neck. Rather than something as brutal as that however, she opted to chop them on the neck this time around, stunning those who she knew would react fast enough and allowing her to slap her flags onto their backs. Combined with Rumi's own ability to force them to close their eyes with bursts of dirt, or using the sheer threat that her strength and combat-ability had when it came to forcing their targets to focus on her, this didn't allow them to split their focus evenly. Thus, their two different styles, a head-strong approach combined with a stealthy and quick attack worked wonders for dropping the numbers of their flags rapidly as the time passed. Every once in a while, the ground shook and there was a distant booming sound, something that Rumi chalked up to Yu's Quirk, using the sound to avoid a confrontation with her and her team for the time being.
A boy from 1-B who's face was a literal skull constantly spewed burning skulls at them from his mouth, the constant explosions constantly throwing both of them off in their attempts to reach him. "Smartass seems to know your Quirk," Rumi chuckled as they hid in a small trench. "He's been keeping his eyes… fire-eyes? He's been watching you and holding me off with those skull-bombs of his. I ain't retreating from this one, we're taking him down!"
"Indeed. May I suggest an idea?"
"Shoot stone-face, whadda you got?"
"Let's switch our roles." Rumi's eyes went wide before their grins turned fierce.
"Well damn, let's go for it!" They sprang from their hiding-spot, instantly catching his attention as Kubisai sprinted right at him.
"HOOOH!? YOU'RE APPROACHING ME!?" He shouted, keeping his eyes right on her and breathing in deeply.
"I am unable to beat you without getting closer, Hinoshi."
"THEN COME AS CLOSE AS YOU LIKE!" She did just that, sprinting right at him with her fists raised in a tight guard. Her physical ability was no joke, letting her slide and dodge the burning skulls as numerous as they came. She quickly picked up a stone and pelted it at his face, yet he ddin't flinch or blink, ducking under it easily.
"IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE?!" He shouted, charging up another skull.
"Yes. That is everything that I can do."
"…" That got him to pause, cocking his head at her curiously. His eyes widened as he realized his mistake. "SHIIIII-!" Rumi's foot impacted him clean in the temple, his burning eyes rolling up into his head as he fell to his knees.
"Got 'im!" She shouted triumphantly, placing a majority of her flags on his belt before they both bolted. Rumi laughed as they high-fived each other, dodging another barrage of flags. "Nice thinking out there," Rumi said as they took cover in another trench, her face turning a bot more serious as she scanned the environment with her eyes and ears. "…Still don't see Kendo or… where the hell even is Yu? She should've gone into her giant-form a long time ago!"
"I agree. It makes no sense. Her size is the advantage against most others."
"…Something's up," Rumi muttered, a small smirk stretching across her face. "What the hell do you have planned Big-guy?" Her ears suddenly picked up a small sound off to the far right, her head quickly turning to see a group of people with very few flags on them.
"Juicy target, up to the right. They're sticking together and playing safe. Think we could take 'em?" Rumi asked.
"…Possible. Use our old formation. Best chance of success."
"Heh, let's not wait around then! I'll blast 'em with debris, you warp and do your thing-!" She trailed off as her sharp eyes caught something moving behind them, a tiny little hole that seemed to be moving on its own. A tiny rock was suddenly pelted right at the person at the centre of the group, a small yelp as she clutched the back of her head. "What the hell?" All of them turned around, looking down at the small hole for a few seconds before their eyes shot wide open in raw panic. "IT'S KAITEN, EVERYONE SCATTER-!"
She didn't get to complete her sentence: instead of Kaiten shooting from the hole, a literally giant arm slowly rose out of the hole, towering over them for a moment before it crashed straight down with a deafening *BOOM*. The ground heaved and cracked, throwing the panicking team into disarray. Kaiten popped out of the hole right after, followed by Yu in her normal size as Shijni and Kendo stormed in from another trench that they hid in. Shinji was quick to use his branches as a means of restraining the entire team while Kendo and Kaiten mashed as many flags onto them as possible.
"Have to say, this strategy is going off without a hitch!" Kaiten said gleefully. "You're not half bad at a plan, Takeyama-chan!" As per usual, she preened under the praise, though it was overshadowed by the relief that she was currently feeling. Already, thanks to their tight teamwork and Kaiten's odd Quirk, they had gotten rid of over two hundred flags, leaving them with under two hundred left.
"Yeah, this is going pretty smooth," Yu said, "But don't let your guards down. We're still mostly being avoided like the plague, so we have to play sneaky for now."
"Not my style, but if it works, can't really argue against it," Kendo chuckled. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he sprinted towards Yu, just as a barrage of flags rained down on her. His fists shot out in a barrage of his own, deflecting almost all of them before they moved to retreat. The ones that he didn't block were covered by Shinji simply creating a crude wooden shield, while Kaiten fired off a shockingly powerful nail-bullet at the attacking group on a hill. The bullet hit the floor right at their feet and seemed to rip and twist the ground beneath them, sending them tumbling everywhere.
"Eat shit assholes! Go fall off a horse!" He shouted at them. As they retreated, Kendo quickly looked behind him, his eyes meeting Rumi's. They both grinned at each other, opting to go their separate ways. Besides, they had a fight to reach in the Tournament.
"Very skilled," Kubisai stated, "We'd best avoid them. Their group tactics counters our strategy."
"Yeah… yeah, you're right," Rumi said, grinning. "C'mon, we still got a few minutes left! Let's get rid of these last few flags and win this thing!" Even as Rumi and Kubisai ran off, something bugged Rumi about the whole situation that just went down. 'Was... was it just me, or was Yu's giant arm smaller than normal?'
(To Be Continued…)
A.N: Kaiten Kaibara, Quirk: Spin!
He has the ability to utilise a unique energy-source from within his body that he calls the Spin! An incredibly potent ability, he can channel this energy source into specific parts of his body and even other objects, though his nails for some reason works best when it comes to his body. By channelling this energy into his nails, he can charge them with the 'Spin' and proceed to fire them off like bullets! It seems that the Spin has a unique effect on his body was well, allowing for faster healing and regeneration of certain body-parts, such as his nails. The more energy he charges into them, done under specific cirumstances, the more devastating the shot and the more interesting the effect! Not to mention, he can temporarily absorb similar rotational energies to power his attacks up even further! Makes you wonder, what would happen if he managed to channel an infinite amount of rotational energy...?
...
Kaiten Kaibara and his Quirk is based largely off of Jojo's Bizzare Adventure Part 7, Steel Ball Run! The use of his Quirk mostly stems from the main protagonist of the part, Johnny Joestar. You don't have to have seen the part to understand his character, but definitely give it (and the rest of the series) a read, it's one of my biggest inspirations when writing in general. Of course, he isn't Johnny, and he isn't a direct crossover into the series, but largely an inspiration to his character. (Not to mention, that last name of his seems a bit familiar...) Other characters, including canon characters will also have certain elements from other series that I feel can further flesh them, and subsequently the world, out in a way that I feel benefits them. I understand that some of you may not be happy with that direction, but I'm sticking with my guns on this one.
Now, let's see if you can figure out who Kubisai is inspired by? And it isn't Jjba! The clue is in her name...
Anyway, the Second Event isn't done just yet! Make sure you stick around for the next chapter, I've got more in store. Hope you enjoyed and peace out!