A.N: Hey-hey y'all, I'm back! Sorry for having taken so long with this one, had a bit of trouble with this chapter because I had a couple different versions of how the fight played out. Anyways, thank you all for constantly growing this crazy idea of mine, and onto reviews! (By the time that this chapter is published, the review count would have reached 81. For some reason, I'm unable to see the most recent one, and as such, I will answer it first in the next chapter).
JaxTheGamer: Once more fellow gentleman, I aim to please and impress! Honestly, I'm enjoying myself when it comes to writing emotional fight-scenes, and I'm fairly confident in producing even more cool stuff! Tally-ho good fellow, I must head off to discover El Dorado!
Ultimate Hunter X: Damn, people or picking up on me now XD. Yup, Kengan Ashura has recently skyrocketed to the top of my list, and I couldn't help but draw a lot of inspiration when coming up with this series. It started when I was re-watching Rappa's backstory in the anime, and I couldn't help but notice just how similar his facial expression looked to Ohma's when he was about to attack Overhaul. As for what Tetsude gets... well, you'll find out soon enough ;D. Thanks again dude, and glad to find another fan of Kengan!
God Doesn't Love You: Think about it like this: basically everything is a Jojo's reference. Breathing? Wheelchairs? Spinning? Punching while shouting a specific phrase? All of it is a reference XD.
SkeenTheDream: Thanks dude! Looking back, I am really sad that I wasn't able to get her to do an RKO in the fight... though, who's to say she won't do it later in the future? Anyway, I get where you're coming from with the ending of the fight. To sort of put in into perspective, have you ever seen the second Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey Jr, specifically the scene where he's dying and then suddenly freaks out when he gets pumped full of Adrenaline?... well, I won't much beyond that, everything gets explained in the chapter after the next one. Is it still sketchy? Undoubtedly, yes XD. At the same time though, still running off of anime-logic from here, so it is what it is. Thanks for the love my man!
taylorjohnjero1: Once again dude, back with the pro-level breakdown! Yup, the next generation of heroes are basically a young Pantheon, more or less in accordance with the current golden-age of heroism will All Might still in his prime. Everyone is given the opportunity to grow to incredible levels of strength during peacetime like this, so to equate someone like Tetsude to Hercules is definitely apt (along with the underlying issue of pride). Glad you picked up on where I was going with in terms of Yu's character, and you're definitely on the right track with where I'm planning to go with her! I really don't mind the long aside, it's always a pleasure to be able to read when someone gets what you're going for dude.
As I said before, I am unashamed at my cliffhangers, and will continue to do them XD. As for criticism, please don't be afraid to voice them! Intentional or not on my part, I'm still just a writer seeking to improve their craft as time passes, and as such, I really don't mind hearing something that you feel might be out of place or outright wrong, and I'll do my best to explain or fix the issue as best as I can. That being said, thank you once more for the love my man!
longnose: Always a pleasure to pump out another chapter dude!
Anon: Shhh, don't give it away juuust yet dude... the time will come soon ;D
With that being said, let's get into the show!
Rumble, Young Man Rumble!
Chapter 18
Life, spring forth!
Shinji walked forward, his stride calm and smooth. He knew what he had to do, and he felt like he was well and truly prepared. Or at least, as prepared as he could be against an opponent such as this. "Ladies and gentlemen, onto the next round of the Tournament! To one side, we've got a boy with wooden skin and a heart of gold! With plant-life at his fingertips, please welcome SHINJIIII NISHIYAAAAA!" He flinched a bit in surprise at the cheers directed his way, a shy little smile on his face as he waved to the crowd.
"On the next side, introducing the boy with strength to rival Heracles himself! With razor-blade fingertips, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome TETSUDEEEE KEEEEEN!" When Shinji laid eyes on him, immediately his heart was set uneasy. There was a massive, utterly confident grin on his face, each of his steps leaving tiny cracks on the stone floor. His eyes were like a lion locking onto its prey.
"So, wood-boy," He said, "I can give you this one chance and save you from a lot of trouble. Forfeit the match, walk away. Either that, or I'll grind you to a paste." Shinji closed his eyes, breathing out slowly and calming himself again. He opened his eyes, his own face set seriously as he crouched to the floor.
"A hero doesn't give up," He replied simply. "So why should I?"
"You're seriously going to regret this," He growled, cracking his knuckles. What shocked Shinji was that his stance wasn't loose or wild: it was a solid fighting-guard.
"… probably," He gulped.
"Fighters, are you ready?!" Midnight shouted, earning simple nods from both of the teens. Satisfied, she raised her whip, everything still before she cracked it forward.
"Match START!"
Like a gunshot, both of them rushed right at each other. Immediately, Shinji knew that Tetsu's raw physicality would overwhelm his on the get-go. 'My best bet is to restrain and tire him out. I drank as much water as possible, so I don't need to worry about drying out!' He shot his hand out, a single think branch shooting through the air and hitting Tetsude clean in the chest. 'Ensnare!' He set about forming it to wrap around the larger boy's entire body. Tetsude just smirked and grabbed at the wood, a sharp *CRACK* as he tore it from his body with his monstrous strength.
"Thought so," Shinji muttered, "Extreme restraint it is." He created weaker branches in droves, hounding Tetsude with sheer numbers for some time as he nimbly danced around. He grunted as he slashed away with his fingers, passing through them with even greater ease than the last one.
"C'mon, at least try to be entertaining or something!" He shouted, bulling forward and slamming his fist into the floor, ripping out a massive chunk of stone and tossing it at Shinji. He barely managed to get out of the way, clipping his shoulder and sending him tumbling across the floor. He created a barrier of wood out of his back, tearing through his shirt and stopping his tumble before he slid out of the ring.
"Right off the bat, it looks like Shinji is in trouble, no thanks to Tetsude's incredible strength," Vlad King stated, "How will he deal with such a task?" Shinji just grit his teeth and came right forward, wrapping his own arm in wood and ending in a sharp blade at the end. While not the most physically fit of the entire group, there was no denying that he worked hard to make up for the difference, especially when it came to raw skill in terms of his quirk-usage. Tetsude just chuckled as he drew his fist back, ready to shatter Shinji like glass: yet that was the moment the smaller boy was looking for.
'NOW!'
Before he could punch, Shinji was quick to throw his arm forward, shooting a tendril of almost flexible wood that rapidly encased his fist. Still he threw it out despite his surprise. Again, Shinji was one step ahead. 'Draw it back in!' He vaulted himself over the punch, using the wood as leverage right before he drew it back into his body, though he left the majority of it encased in wood. 'One fang muffled for now. Left one next!' As soon as he landed, he created a thick shield and threw his body back as hard as he could. Tetsude's wild swing still clipped the shield, an explosion of shrapnel launching the smaller boy back, glad that he had jumped back with protection. Still, he had a job to do. He was glad he took off his shoes, as he sharply extended thin by strong wood from the bottom of his feet, throwing him into the air and right back at the larger boy. Still off balance, Tetsude kissed his teeth and tried to back away, but raised his eyebrows in shock as Shinji threw his hand out again, three tendrils quickly wrapping around both feet and open fist, rooting him to the floor. It was only then that he realized Shinji's plan.
'The little fucker's trying to lock off my razors!'
"Little shit, this is nothing!" He shouted, bellowing as she slammed his encased hands together and easily shattering the wood. Again, he fell right into Shinji's trap. He created a massive amount of wood right as his hands collided, curling and covering the larger boy's arms all the way up to his shoulders. Shinji didn't stop there, moving to create even stronger binding around his legs and the rest of his body, making sure to root everything he could to the ground. 'Without any kind of momentum, it's impossible for you to use any real attacks, especially that razor-swipe of yours. The more you struggle against it, the weaker and weaker you'll get, no matter how strong you are!'
"You little… shit!" He growled, thrashing and yanking as hard as he could. There were a handful of cracks appearing at the weakest areas, while some of the smaller roots were yanks from the ground, but the bigger roots and tougher binds held strong.
"Shinji has managed to rein in the giant!" Present Mic yelled as the crowd cheered, heroes impressed at the skill displayed. "It looks like this may be it!"
"Testude, are you able to move?" Midnight called out.
He thrashed around for a moment longer before he suddenly stopped, stock-still in his wooden prison.
"…if you can't move, I'll call the match-!"
"Call it and I'll throw the arena at you," He snarled, his voice strained. He didn't look like he was thrashing around. He actually looked as if he was becoming… smaller. Curling in on himself, like…
'… like a spring…?' Shinji thought right before his stomach dropped. 'WAIT-!'
"BLAST CORE!"
Tetsude literally exploded from his prison like a bomb going off in a toilet. Shinji screamed in pain as shrapnel riddled his body, his body skidding across the floor before he barely rolled to his feet. Blood dripped into his eye from a gash on his forehead, but he could still see clearly enough the image of Testude standing there, his arms outstretched and his breathing heavy.
"You wanna know something cool about my quirk?" The boy cackled, popping his neck. "I figured out a couple things about it over the past month. I don't just increase my overall lifting-capacity or some shit like that." Every step of his literally left an imprint in the floor, his muscles visibly straining against his clothes. "Some people call it Superman-Syndrome, but that's a mistake. Whatever the name, I can manually increase the density of my muscles: right now, they're probably forty times what they were before. I'm literally a superhuman!" He grinned wider, sweat pouring down his face as he made his way to Shinji, the boy visibly shaking like a leaf. "Something else that I found out. When your muscles are this dense…" He raised a fist, his knuckles popping as he clenched it hard. "You can store up a shitload of kinetic energy, right down to your core, before you blast it out! That's why I call it BLAST CORE!" The threat of death literally looming over Shinji sparked his body to life as he dove between the boy's legs, just as his meaty fist crashed straight down.
Every inch of the stage in front of Tetsude shattered. It was as if the stone folded in on itself and exploded. Had Shinji actually stood there and took it… 'I'll die! I'll die if I face him!'
"What's this!? It looks like Tetsude has an incredibly powerful skill up his sleeve, one that that can split the earth in half!" Present Mic shouted, barely audible from the cheers of the crowd at the display of undeniable might.
"Tetsude Ken!" Midnight suddenly spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "If you decide to use a lethal attack like that to hit your opponent point-blank, you will be automatically disqualified! Is that clear?"
"Yeah-yeah, I hear ya' teach'!" He laughed, shaking out his fist. "Just thought it'd be fun to show my hand." Indeed, he had no intention of hitting Shinji with his absolute full-strength punch, it really would have killed him on impact, if not outright flattened him into a bloody pancake. 'Regardless of the consequences… it worked.' He thought with a grin as he laid eyes on Shinji. The boy was shaking, terror in his wet eyes as his body refused to move. 'Good. I can drop my muscle density and close the distance.' Before Shinji could react, Tetsude had shot forward, grabbing him by the neck and pinning him to the floor. It was only then that Shinji began to struggle desperately, trying to grow roots and tendrils to push him off. They were useless as the larger boy suddenly increased his muscle density, more weight pressing down on Shinji, his hand covering his mouth.
"Y'know, I can't really use my 'Razor-Edge' at a range this close," Tetsude said lowly, "But…" He took his meaty forefinger and thumb, holding one of Shinji's lower-most ribs in between them. "I can still do this." He pinched.
*SNAP*
He tried to scream through his muffled mouth as agony ripped through his side, beating his fists against Tetsude fruitlessly. Even through the lancing pain, his panicked mind fell deeper and deeper into despair. 'I haven't changed. I'm still weak, useless in the face of something like this!' Though the cameras or Midnight couldn't see it, he was crying openly. 'I'm still the same little boy in the basement. Everyone can see that now.' The pain was so blinding, he literally wasn't able to feel anything but that. Strangely, it was calming in a sense. It let him think, and a stray thought struck his head.
'…Who decided that?' He wondered. More thoughts entered his head.
'It does matter who you are, and where you came from!'
'Kick ass out there Shinji!'
'You've got guts, Shinji Nishiya!'
'We couldn't have done it without your defence, Shinji.'
'…Don't cower or flee. You're stronger than you think you are.'
Shinji lay there for a moment, his rib being ground to shreds as he realized something from those thoughts. 'I decide that I'm weak. But everyone sees otherwise.' His memory broke into his rescue, his first time seeing the sunlight. Something in his shattered, like glass. '…I survived worse than this before… I…' Tetsude froze as he saw Shinji's eyes: he'd never seen a look so sharp, so full of the will to live. 'I will not cower or flee!'
Something crashed into Tetsude's side, his own ribs groaning from the sudden impact. He rolled to his feet, massaging his side as he looked up. Shinji was slowly getting to his feet, the left side of his completely torn off… by the near-leafless tree that formed right next to him. It jut out of the ground past a forty-five degree angle to spear him from the side, yet it didn't come directly from Shinji's body. It was as if he had made it erupt from the ground itself. Though his eyes seemed unfocused and slightly glazed over, they still shined with determined light, sharping more and more as the moment ticked by. Surrounding his head like a crown was a bright green laurel-wreath, parts of it poking through his white hair, having grown from his actual skin.
"I… will move forward." He took a single step, and the stone at his feet transformed into a massive tendril of wood, spiralling right towards Tetsude. The larger boy immediately heightened his density and roared as he threw his fist out, shattering the wood, but was shocked to find that he had actually been moved back.
"Life, spring forth. So says the God of the Woods." He was quick to duck under the next massive tendril, letting go of his density to dive out of the way. Time and time again, he summoned more and more of those twisted trees to try and blow Tetsude out of the ring, the latter constantly trying to break through the vast quantity of wood being literally hurled his way.
'What the fuck is this!? He isn't capable of producing anywhere near this much wood on his best day! It's like…' He grunted as he punched through another oncoming tree, only to be forced to dodge as another tree came rushing for his head. He looked at Shinji, still standing in the same place, stock still as the very ground beneath him turned into the trees that he was attacking with. 'Yeah, I don't know how he's doing it, but it's like he can create living wood from the ground that he's standing on while still controlling it, and he's still conscious. But something that powerful out of nowhere ain without a price, right?' Indeed, Shinji's skin had begun to dry up far faster than normal, literal cracks forming across his skin as well as revealing very old and very deep scars, patch-like things that appeared as if someone had attempted to carve out his own flesh. The sight made Tetsude pause for a moment, a brief lance of something heavy in his chest.
'None of my damn business!' He thought with a scowl, crushing that feeling for the time being. 'I'll crush you here and now!' He dodged once more before rushing right at Shinji. Again, he was caught off guard when Shinji turned to face him, the smaller boy's grey eyes almost burning with sheer will, and his body was launched right at him.
"Lacquered Chain Prison." In an instant, Tetsude was wrapped in iron-like branches, his entire body restrained in an instant right before Shinji landed, standing there with his arm outstretched. Tetsude was about to struggle before his eyebrows went up, and he ceased struggled for a moment.
"Are you unable to move?" Midnight asked Tetsude. She was surprised when he promptly flexed, breaking out of the bind with ease, the wood shattering like paper. He walked right up to the boy, who didn't react at all.
"He's unconscious," He called back, before he promptly kicked his feet out from under him, the boy landing face-first limply. Shocked at the brazen action at first, Midnight was quick to rush over after she called out, "Winner by Knockout, TETSUDE KEN!" Even though the crowd missed the moment, Midnight certainly didn't, a quick glare shot towards the celebrating student's back before she called for a medic. As she watched Shinji gently placed on the stretcher, her eyes roamed across Shinji's exposed skin, observing the multiple old scars and new cracks. Even unconscious, his hooded eyes staring off into nothingness, the boy still wore the same determined stare. 'Even in loss, those eyes of yours never stray from that goal, huh?' She thought with a small smile. 'You're gonna be a great hero one day, that's for sure.'
…
"…Young man, if you keep this up, I'm not sure how long your body will hold out," Recovery Girl said lowly.
"Yeah, I know," He groaned, hissing as he felt a lance of pain through his nerves and vessels. He was worried. The major damage had been healed up without any issue, but he was already feeling the side-effects of the healing Quirk, his body a bit more tired than normal. "…I want you to heal me as slowly as possible," He said after a moment.
"Excuse me?"
"Heal me as slowly as possible," He repeated, dead serious. "Enough that I won't drop asleep and my stamina can keep up or return faster than your healing. If anyone comes in though, you take care of them before me."
"You don't mean to say that you'll continue to fight?" She admonished. "I will say it again: your body cannot keep up with this level of stress. It wasn't as bad as the first time you used this ability of yours. There wasn't any damage to your brain, thank God, but if that should happen then-!"
"I know," He stressed, steadfast in his request. "I'll do my best not to use the Advance again. I have a pretty good idea of what it does and how it works now, and I'm sure as hell not stupid enough to try and get myself killed off this early. I've got a promise to keep anyway." Recovery Girl saw that raw, unfiltered drive in his eyes, and huffed out of her nose. She knew that he'd go out to the next round, regardless of whether she healed him or not.
"…fine then. Since when did you have a name for it?"
"Oh, Advance? Yeah, it just kind of… came to me? It sorta makes sense for me because it feels like I'm borrowing power in a way. Y'know, taking out an Advance?"
"As simple as that is, it's strangely apt for you," She sighed. "At least you're aware that something like that comes at a price you can't afford to pay."
"For now, yeah," He agreed. "One day though, I swear that I'll be able to control it. It's not something I'll reject, it's already part of me… and to be honest, it's really damn cool." He was promptly whacked over the head, shrieking with laughter.
It still didn't ease the tension in his chest, wondering in the back of his mind if he could really make it to the final round, and fight Rumi with everything he had. He still had to get through away stronger Tetsude and one more person. 'Doesn't matter who's in front of me. I just need to reach her.' He owed that much to her, at least.
(To Be Continued…)
A.N: Betcha didn't expect Shinji OR Tetsude to do that, did ya? Yes, I know that Shinji and Tetsude doesn't show an ability like this in the proper anime... but where's the fun in keeping everything the same, especially in an AU? This is a playground full of ideas, an Imma run with 'em! Tetsude's new strengths are more or less explained to an extent, but Shinji's... well, I'll see what you guys come up with before it gets explained later down the line ;D. Either way, hope you all enjoyed, and peace out!