A.N: Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay, I wasn't very happy with this chapter for a while and had to do a couple revisions of it, but here it its! Onto the reviews now!
God Doesn't Love You: All in due time, my friend ;D
SkeenTheDream: Describing her as a rabbit on crack is... oddly accurate XD. In regards to the power-ups compared to the pros, realistically speaking, the students still don't really hold a candle to the current Heroes and Hero-teachers. You have to remember, because the story takes place 10 years before the proper series, so there are a LOT of heroes in their primes (or at least close to it). By this point, Aizawa is close to his physical peak and has already faced more powerful villains according to the Vigilante manga. Even with things like Kendo's Advance and Rumi's new form, Aizawa could definitely handle them. Thanks for the support dude!
Longnose: Hmm, that's a bit hard to say. I'm not going to be covering Kendo's second and third years in U.A deeply (maybe some small mini-chapters) But it really shouldn't take more than 70 chapters to reach the current timeline... I hope XD.
Seeker of Immortality: Always happy to respond and address someone's thoughts my guy. Hope I can continue to deliver, and thanks for the support!
ChernoAlpha117: Funny you should mention that, because I have something like that planned! It's isn't going to be exactly like Demon Slayer, but in most forms of martial arts or combat sports, breathing a certain way can help increase your circulatory efficiency. As for flaming punches, that might be a bit much XD, though it isn't unfeasible. In One's Justice 2, when All Might does his Ultimate Move, he throws exactly 300 punches in under four or so seconds, so that's roughly 4,500 punches per minute, and that's him after fighting All for One and being crippled. Based on the game's accuracy to the show, Rappa's Ultimate has him throw out 140 punches in three seconds or less, so at his max, he could throw about 2,800 punches every minute. Now in this version of the story, he still hasn't reached his physical peak yet, so he's probably closer to between 1,900 and 2,100. Not saying he's going to meet All Might's level of punching-speed, especially anytime soon, but it does give you an idea of what a Rappa who trains (under pro-heroes no less) could become. In terms of Rappa and Rumi having kids, well... it ain't my place to say anything about that just yet ;D. Don't mind the rant dude, it's always fun to read through thoughts like this!
And now, onto the next and last Semi-final fight! Onto the show!
Rumble, Young Man Rumble
Chapter 22
Redirection style…
Well and truly, Kendo Rappa should not be walking around. Had this been an age where there were no Quirks, especially ones that can heal, he would be in a coma right about now, at best. It took monumental effort to walk, his legs trembling with exhaustion after every step. He considered himself lucky for managing to make it out of the fight with Tetsude, his own body having automatically shut down the Advance before he went absolutely berserk with it. Still, the thirty seconds in which he did have it active still wreaked havoc within him, though surprisingly not to the extreme amount that both he and Recovery Girl expected. 'Guess pushing my body past its limits and immediately healing it afterwards lets me improve by a lot,' He thought to himself, chuckling a bit. 'Damn shame I can't abuse the hell out of that. It'd be stupid of me to push too far and die before I can even be healed.'
'You could try~,' the other him said in a singsong tone. 'Just imagine, the power to slaughter and break and destroy-!'
'Dude, please shut the fuck up,' Kendo sighed to himself. 'The whole 'Rip and Tear' thing is getting kind of old. Besides I can't and won't use the Advance in this round. If I do that with how depleted I am right now, then I'm completely screwed.'
'You're no fun,' The other him pouted for a moment. 'Oh well. Fair enough I suppose. It's quite odd actually, you going berserk actually helped us cool off a bit. We can think more… rationally. Using the Advance as you are right now would probably force your body to put you into an unconscious state for a while. Better to conserve ourselves for now.'
'…You're being weirdly calm about all of this,' Kendo wondered suspiciously.
'HA! We said 'for now', didn't we?' His other self laughed, 'Save our strength for her. She's one of the few who can satisfy us! A woman who can never be devoured is the greatest dish!'
'PLEASE don't say shit like that,' Kendo groaned, a bit red in the face. '…guess you ain't wrong though.' He forced down his embarrassment as he walked into the light, raising his fist and grinning wide. 'Let's win this thing and reach the finals!'
'Hah, damn right!' His other self agreed. 'Let's FIGHT!'
"And so, we have the final fight between our semi-finalists!" Present Mic blared, "On one side, we have someone who we heard has been given the nickname of the God of War and Wrath! Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the fierce and fast-fisted-fighter, the Ashura, KENDO RAPPA!" The name alone was enough to get Kendo's blood pumping, regardless of his condition.
'Ashura huh? We like it!'
'I guess we do, huh?' He chuckled before his eyes landed on his opponent.
"Our last competitor is the dark horse of the competition! Beating out 1-B's Kaiten Kaibara, the man with Karate-skills that I've only seen in movies! Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the one who's fists are like guns, SENDO SHIROUKEN!" The boy politely waved back to the crowd, his usual grin on his face as he turned to look at Kendo.
"Glad to see that you made it here!" Sendo said as they walked up to each other, shaking hands. "Though… it appears that you aren't in your best condition."
"Hey, what can you do about it?" Kendo chuckled. "I'm still here to win, regardless of what state I'm in."
"Hmm…" Sendo hummed, thinking to himself before he nodded. "Fair point. May the best man win then."
"Damn right!" Kendo laughed, shakily backing off.
"Are both fighters ready!?" Midnight called out, raising her whip and receiving nods from both of them.
'Okay, he's gonna whittle away at me from range. I gotta deflect as many bullets as I can and wait for the moment he tires out, then I'll cross the distance with Raging Flash!' Kendo thought, preparing himself to be riddle with bullets. 'With how tired I already am, I've got a single chance!'
"BEGIN!"
'Okay, let's do th… eh?!' He completely froze up when Sendo sprinted right at him, coming to a sudden stop right in front of the larger boy, his fists raised. "What the hell are you doin?" Kendo asked, confused.
"It wouldn't sit well with me trying to take the easy route to victory," He answered honestly. "I could just wear you out from range and call it a day, but… I'm here to push myself as a Hero. For me to take a simple route and call it a win is a sham. So let's fight it out, Kendo Rappa!"
"HAHA, you're the best Sendo!" Kendo laughed, widening his stance and tensing his toes. "Let's fight!"
The crowd roared in approval at the sportsmanship shown between the two boys as the brawl commenced, Kendo immediately firing off a sharp left-hook right-hook combination. Sendo grit his teeth as he deflected the first punch, rolling under the second one and retaliating with his own straight-right Kendo's gut, a sharp *BANG* going off as the larger boy keeled over slightly, his eyes bulging. Sendo didn't stop, deepening his stance and firing off point-blank strikes straight into his sternum at full force.
"White Tiger!"
Kendo was rocked to his core even through his tightened guard as Sendo continued to push him back with a flurry of strikes. The weight behind them was the most surprising thing to Kendo, each punch and kick met with Sendo shifting his weight forward, be it with big motions that added momentum into his attacks or small shifts for sharper strikes. 'He's improved like me!' The thought was cut off as a left hook crashed into his liver, his body almost locking up in pain as his face began to turn a faint shade of blue. Still, Kendo grit his teeth and clenched his fist, throwing it out with a sharp muscle-snap. "Wrath-Breaker!" His jaw almost dropped to the floor as Sendo's hand whirled around in a circular pattern, batting his fist aside with ease.
"Black Turtle! Normally, something like this wouldn't work on you, considering you're well over fifty pounds heavier than I am… but your punches have no weight or strength behind them anymore. With this, we're now even!"
"…heh," Kendo snickered before bursting into laughter, "HAHAHA! Alright then Sendo! Careful though, you're writing a check that your ass can't cash: you're still in my range, and all I need is one strike."
"Which will give first then?" Send asked with a grin, "Your fading stamina, or my concentration?"
"Well what the hell are we standing around for!? LET'S RUMBLE!" Kendo laughed, firing off another sharp jab-cross that Sendo deflected once more, the two of them locked in a point-blank brawl. With every exchange though, it was becoming more and more clear who had the advantage. With every punch that Kendo threw out, even with his refined and sharp technique, they truly did lack any real power behind them. Sendo dodged, parried and even began to counter more and more frequently as Kendo slowed down, sweat pouring down his face. A right cross was batted aside for Sendo to strike him in the solar-plexus, the larger boy stumbling slightly, his grin never faltering. Kendo stepped in, lowering his centre of gravity and swinging a terrifying uppercut at Sendo's chin. The other boy calmly deflected it, his fist shooting for Kendo's own chin in a sharp strike, enough to force his legs to buckle.
"Rising Phoenix!" Kendo's brain bounced around in his head as a sidekick crashed into his jaw once more before another stabbing pain to his gut hunched him over. 'Fuck, all these body blows…' He tried to take a gulp of air in, only to find that nothing was coming, his lungs locking up. 'He's not letting me breathe and taking my stamina down even further!' His body was literally screaming for oxygen that it just wasn't getting. And in spite of that, Kendo continued to fight back, his breathing shallow, sweat pouring down his face and his attacks getting slower and slower. Through it all, his nose running with a small line of blood, he kept his eyes open and watched.
…
"The idiot's planning something," Rumi said after a moment, her eyes glued to the screen along with Shinji, Yu and Ryuko.
"I dunno, it looks like he's getting his ass handed to him out there," Ryuko said, a bit worried. Sure, she wasn't close with Kendo, but he was all around a good guy and fun to talk to. For her to witness a friend getting beaten so badly was a bit discomforting. "Then again, it's Kendo we're talking about, so I'll take your word for it."
"I agree," Yu said after a moment, "But… he hasn't landed a single blow yet, and he's slowing down more and more thanks to his stamina draining out. He won't even be able to use that steaming form of his, so how's he gonna…?"
"Are you all dumb or what?" Rumi laughed, surprising everyone with the absolute confidence in her voice and eyes. "Sure, Kendo's not at his best right now… but he'll always be at his most dangerous when he's on the ropes! Just you watch," She turned back to the screen, her grin still on her face. "Because I wouldn't miss it for the world."
…
Again, Kendo shot out a textbook right-cross, only for it to hit nothing as Sendo went on to hit him, three punches to the sternum that had Kendo wobbling backward. 'Now's my chance!' Send thought as he intentionally left himself open. 'I'll eliminate him before he takes unnecessary damage!'
With every last drop of strength that he could muster, Kendo blasted his right hand forward with a roar of "WRATH-BREAKER!" His fist scraped right by Sendo's cheek as he got close, both fists shooting forward.
"Wave of the Blue Dragon."
Every ounce of force was turned right back on Kendo in a vicious, perfectly-timed counter, his ribs cracking under the pressure as he body stumbled back, the crowd roaring as he seemed ready to fall. Sendo felt the same, seeing Kendo suddenly dip his head as his body appeared to slump.
"Thanks, Sendo." At that, all the hairs on the back of his head immediately rose on end, his body freezing up in shock, almost leaving him wide open as a fist suddenly entered his vision. There was a *BANG* and his body went flying back from the sledgehammer that exploded across his hasty guard, crashing across the floor before he rolled to his feet, eyes wide and his legs shaky.
'Th-that punch was heavy! How!? He shouldn't have any stamina left at all!'
"You're probably wondering how the hell I can still throw a living punch huh?" Kendo chuckled, breathing a bit deeply as he returned to his stance, grinning slightly. "Well, you did drain all my stamina, and thanks to that…" He popped his knuckles crouching slightly. "My second wind, my spare battery kicked in!"
"…You intentionally took a beating and drain all of your stamina to get a second wind?" Sendo asked, incredulous before he laughed, getting to his feet and back into his stance. "I should've expected a crazy plan like that from you!"
"Well shit, it worked out didn't it?" Kendo laughed, though inwardly, he knew that it was nothing more than a quick fix. At best, he had about three or so minutes until his second wind wore off. Not to mention, it hadn't changed the fact that he still took some damage, his broken ribs aching.
"We'll have to see if that gamble of yours paid off," Sendo said seriously, preparing himself.
"Yeah… guess you're RIGHT! RAGING FLASH!" Kendo's feet burst from the ground, covering the distance between them as the fight was brought back in full force. Sendo grit his teeth as he barely managed to parry and dodge Kendo's punches, all of them refilled with power, speed and form. He was at a disadvantage now at close range, but wasn't going to back out on his promise to fight fairly. He swung a right roundhouse for Kendo's head, the larger boy quickly blocking and trying to counter. Still, Sendo had the advantage at better manoeuvrability on inside fighting, rapidly shifting his body and deflecting Kendo's strikes.
'Damn, he's good! He keeps moving around and parrying me, and I can't afford to use my Wrath Helix to just blindly lash out, that'll just drain the rest of my spare energy. I have to find a way to open him up for more attacks. I can see his movements, I just don't know how to counter!' Again, Kendo threw a sharp uppercut that Sendo managed to deflect, leaving his side open long enough for the smaller boy to go into offense.
"White Tiger!" Kendo was the one being pushed back from the fierce array of punches and kicks, one of them flowing into the other. 'Shit, he's actually outpacing me!' Kendo thought as he was forced to back up. 'I can't throw back, even if I block and try to counter, he'll hit me with that Blue Dragon of his… wait a sec.' Kendo came to a realization, not letting it show on his face. '…He'll always throw out that move of his when he sees an opportunity to counter, and I know what his aim is gonna be. If I block it, then he'll catch on to what I'm trying to do, so I've gotta do that thing. I've got one final chance!' Kendo intentionally allowed himself to fall back, carefully blocking and defending against Sendo's barrage. Soon, he felt him stop, and took his final gamble. 'Here goes fuckin' nothing!'
"WRATH-BREAKER!" He roared, setting his feet punching straight forward. Once more, Sendo slipped right under it, the barrels on his knuckles opening up. He was going to finish the fight with a point-blank blast.
"Blue Dragon."
His fists should've impacted Kendo square in the chest, the sheer force behind his counter enough to send him into blissful unconsciousness. Yet, his jaw dropped as he saw Kendo place his hand almost gently on the side of his arms, smoothing twisting his body and pushing… no, completely redirecting the attack to barely scrape past his ribs. 'H-he used the Black Turtle technique after only seeing it a handful of times!?'
"Weeping Dragon." Sendo stumbled forward, off balance before Kendo's fist entered his vision, covering all else. 'Ah. He didn't copy the Black Turtle technique,' Sendo's thoughts seemed to travel in slow motion, feeling Kendo's knuckles crash right into his jaw. 'He copied the concept of Redirection, and made it his own…' His body should've limply crashed into the floor, but he felt someone catch him before he fell. He barely managed to look up, seeing a tired grin on Kendo's face, one that he returned right before he slipped into unconsciousness. 'You earned this victory over me, Kendo Rappa!'
"Sendo Shirouken is unable to continue!" Midnight announced, raising her whip. "THE WINNER BY KNOCKOUT, AND OUR NEXT FINALIST, KENDO RAPPA!" Once more, the crowd cheered and roared its approval, some claps of respect heard amongst the ruckus as they saw Kendo's ignorance of the praise directed his way, opting to carry the unconscious Sendo off to the infirmary.
…
Kendo was quick to make his way to the infirmary. Sendo was off balance and completely wide open for that punch, one that landed right on his jaw. He probably had a concussion, especially considering the weight-class advantage that Kendo held over him. 'Wow, my body feels pretty light,' He wondered to himself, 'I didn't think I'd be able to pull off that Redirection-move. And hey, you were the one why named it that. I didn't know you could take over my body to speak.'
'We're one and the same idiot,' The other him chuckled. 'I am not taking over you. It's your instinct that explodes forth when you need it the most. We both decided on that name on instinct: I mean, if the Blue Dragon doesn't find its meal, then it Weeps, right? So, Weeping Dragon seemed like a good name.'
'That's… huh. Wait, if we're the same person, and I agree that we are, how the fuck am I having a conversation with you right now?'
'Dude, fuck if I know!' The other him cackled, 'Oh, and eyes up. We're here.' Looking up, he found that he was right in front of the door to the infirmary. As soon as he managed to open the door, he was greeted with a grinning Rumi, her eyes alight with joy. It was then that his victory made him realize something: he had made it to her. They were going to finally face off, and put each other to the test.
"Hey," She said.
"Yo," He replied, both of them just standing and looking at each other for a moment. Rumi looked down at Sendo, chuckling a bit as she slipped out of the way.
"I won't hold you up any longer," She said as she walked down the corridor. Before she turned the corner, she gave him one final smile. "I hope I'll see you soon enough, Kendo."
"Yeah. I'll be there," He said, smiling back at her. "I promised, didn't I?" Her cheeks turned a bit pink, and he relished the sensation of the butterflies in his stomach and his blood singing through his veins.
"We both did. I can't wait to see you keep it." With that, she turned the corner leaving Kendo standing there was a massive, goofy smile.
"…does this count as me being the third wheel?" Kendo nearly jumped out of his skin as he looked down to see Sendo grinning up at him. Though, the distant and dilated eyes immediately made him panic.
"A-ah shit, sorry for standing around man! Let's get you patched up!"
"I'd like that very much," Sendo chuckled. Even with the humorous moments shared between two, it still didn't remove the tension, the anticipation in Kendo's system.
'Finally…' He thought, 'Let's Rumble, Rumi.'
Elsewhere, Rumi felt the exact same thing, her muscles tensed and prepared. How long had it been since she'd craved a fight like this? Her childhood? Her early school-life? How long had it been since she'd found someone that was her equal? 'Never,' She realised, smiling almost giddily. 'There's nobody else who can satisfy me like he can. All my life, I've wanted someone who didn't just hold me back, someone who I could fight beside as an equal.' She clenched her fists as she sat down, barely managing to calm her heart. 'I found you, Kendo Rappa, and you've found me. Now... let's settle this.'
(To Be Continued...)
A.N: Finally, Rappa gets a glimpse into proper martial-arts techniques! Punching will always be his forte, there's no denying that. However, in order for Kendo to truly improve and become more viable as a hero, he'll have to learn about more than just using his fists, even if it's from something that appears to have gone out of style in favour of Quirks. With that being said... finally. After over twenty long chapters, we've well and truly reached the Sports Festival's Finale! Tune in next time for the ultimate showdown, the final battle between Kendo Rappa and Rumi Usagiyama!