Chapter 12: Tournament Matches Part 1
As everyone caught their breaths, and the tournament was matching people up, nerves were getting wrecked. There were plenty of names that were unknown on the board, but there were also names that were known, and everyone was nervous on who they would be matched with. Deru and Karu, Samuel and Suzuki, Haru and Bisca. There were a lot of chances for strange and unusual matchups.
"Alright everyone! And the computer has finished randomizing the results!" Kotari-sensei yelled, now in the announcers booth. "And here with me are two special guests! We have Dr. Disaster over here, and on my other side is Cole..."
Samuel didn't hear the rest though, because he practically went into shock when he realized who was here. Fetch was also a bit shocked.
""Uncle?!""
"Anyways, so now...here are the results!"
And then, the tournament results got posted. Deru noticed he had someone named Hazabe as his opponent, but Karu could not help but notice his opponent was Aza...or rather, Yurei. Samuel was also pitted against Ken, or Azaken. Fetch was pitted against Suzuki. Haru was pitted against Artemis, and Bisca was pitted against some random guy. But what might be the most notable match was that...Toshi was pitted against Tora. Other then that, everyone else seemed to be pitted up against people they were unfamiliar with.
And so, the first pair were decided...it would be Fetch vs Suzuki.
Kotari-sensei looked down at the two, while others went to the waiting areas and such.
"Suzuki against Fetch...given the Quirks, its like Samuel against Fetch. Surely, those two have noticed that...Suzuki and Samuel basically tied after all. This will be a critical fight to their psychological states".
And so, the match began...and then Fetch used her Quirk. The thing about Neon, is that its light...and so, used correctly, Fetch should be able to do just what she did...and appeared behind Suzuki. Suzuki however quickly turned to mist, but she kicked through the mist, hurting Suzuki and resoldifying her. Even if one can turn into a gas like state, there were still dangers. Such as the danger of being seperated. In fact, that would make maintaining a gas like state dangerous. Any solid object could blow you apart and deal serious damage to you if swung through you.
And then, Suzuki flooded the entire arena in mist, in order to counterattack Fetch and take her down. Samuel was somewhat conflicted though by this fight. After all, he hated Fetch, and wanted to see her lose. But he also wanted to see Mist lose. But ultimately, he decided to wish Fetch to lose, especially since at least on a sub conscious level, he understood that if Suzuki lost, so would he. And he could accept that.
However, even surrounded inside the mist, Fetch just gave off a smile...and then released a huge flurry of lights.
"Laser Lightshow!"
With that, her beams of light cut through all of the mist, including Suzuki, and knocking her back while making her solidify again. Fetch then moved at top speed, and delivered a powerful kick as she appeared next to Suzuki and sent her sprawling out of the ring.
"And the match goes to...Fetch!"
"...what..."
Samuel was sent into a bit of a shock. Still, he had gone through the USJ experience, it could be different. He would have to prove that in the next match...
However, it seemed he would have some time to work it out, as a few more matches continued. Most of them were of people he did not know, but he did spot Haruto going up. His opponent was someone who apparently was able to duplicate themselves.
And then, the next fight was...Deru versus Hazabe. The two of them took the field, and looked into each other's eyes.
"Well well, so you are the oh so famous Deru-kun. The one who experienced Twinning, and who has the Inversion Quirk. I saw you, during the hero exam".
"Oh...is that so..."
"And it was pretty obvious to see...the weakness of your Quirk!"
And with that comment, the match began. At the same time, what appeared to be several cherry like objects appeared in her hand and she threw them at him. Deru quickly covered his eyes and braced himself, as they detonated in loud and bright explosions.
"Ohhh! Flashbombs from the start! And it looks like they have seriously hurt Deru-kun!"
Kyunni Hazabe. Quirk: Cherry Bomb. She is able to create and throw cherry shaped explosives. She can even create different types of explosives.
Its just as I thought. Most likely, when he activates his Quirk, he can only invert one variable at a time. In other words, a simple flashbang is effective against him, because that contains multiple elements. Which means...
And as soon as she had thrown the flashbangs, she had started running. Thankfully, she was also immune to her own explosions.
And then, she made sure to keep him in view as she picked him up and threw him out of the field.
"...did you think I would make it this easy?!" Deru shouted as he was pulled back to her, thanks to the fact he wrapped his tail around her arm. He delivered a full force kick and knocked her back. Yet as he landed, several cherry bombs landed at his feet and detonated, high powered explosives this time with some flash grenades also.
However, when the smoke cleared, he was high up in the air and diving right towards her.
"And the weakness of your Quirk...is gravity and time!"
She could not fire linearly, but had to create and then throw her explosives. Compared to one hero he had heard about, who could create explosions from his sweat apparently, this was nothing to be amazed about. Well, it was pretty great, but not out of Deru's league.
However, she then threw some she had already created upwards.
She created some in reserve?!
"Oh! Look at that Kotari-sensei! She planned ahead! What do you think Cole?"
"I think the small one is showing quite the ferocity, but the girl is clearly planning ahead and thinking as well".
"She definently is proving her metal...however..."
"Dont think we will give up that easily! Against robots, my Quirk might not be that good with all that armor, but against people I can hold me own!"
I see...she is desperate too huh...but, I will be a hero!
Deru twisted his body around and used inversion once more...causing the Cherry Bombs to invert in directions and head back to their creator.
Damn...the disorientation must be wearing off already thanks to his second Quirk!
"I wont let you beat me!"
"Just stay down!"
She threw more Cherry Bombs as she went in herself, unphased by her own explosives. Deru had not been aware they would not affect herself, after all.
"Cherry Rush!"
"Genesis Burst!"
"Cherry Aftertaste!"
"Inversion Field!"
They used technique after technique, and then got close to each other. In terms of close combat, Deru had the upper hand, but if she could just grab him, and throw him out of the arena. This time, she would make sure the tail would not get her.
However, that was when Deru jumped up over her. She had expected him to go low...but instead, he used his tail and wrapped it around her arm as he planted his feet on the ground and used the inertia to keep the force moving, and have her get pulled by his tail over and away from him.
As she landed, she started to get up but...
"And that is game! Deru-kun wins, Hazabe is out of bounds!"
"...damn it!"
"Still, it was a good showing by all".
"They all had a lot of energy and vigor indeed".
"Hazabe had a good fight, and showed great skills in her analysis of her opponent. But Deru showed adaptability towards an opponent as well".
"One has to admire their spirit".
And so, Deru started to walk over, but then tripped and hit the ground.
"Awww...why did this happen now?"
"...so, he didn't completely recover from the effects of the flashbang".
Either way, the two eventually left the field.
And then, the next was...Toshi versus Tora.
As the two were taking the stage, Toshi could already feel the difference between the two of them. Compared to himself, Tora was far more powerful. Which meant, he would only have one chance. He would have to win with speed.
"And so...ready...set...go!"
"Lightforge: Arsenal!"
"Full Cowling!"
Toshi instantly created numerous weapons of hardlight, and launched them all at Tora. However, Tora sped past them all. Toshi turned them around though, as Tora went into him at close combat and went at him.
"And its already a close combat match!"
"Yeah! Punch each other well!"
Tora went in, but Toshi jumped to the side and grabbed his arm. Tora however planted his feet into the ground, but that was when Toshi's weapons hit into him. However, he swung his leg around and sent them all flying, while Toshi grabbed his arm and attempted to toss him out of bounds. However, Tora immediately twisted his body around mid air and grabbed a hold of Toshi, forcing himself to the ground and then doing the exact same thing.
"Oh! A reversal!"
And thus, Toshi was thrown out of bounds in an instant.
"...as expected of the son of the number one hero. I stood no chance".
"And the winner is Tora!"
And with that, they also left the field, and made way for the next few matches...until it was time for Karu's go.
Taking the field against Yurei, he understood instinctively that her Quirk was fiersome. He didn't know what it was exactly, but he understood it had mind control properties.
"THe next fight will be between Aza and Karu! And...begin!"
"I will end this quickly then!" Karu said as he charged forward.
Yurei meanwhile got into a fighting stance as he charged forward, but her face was still hidden by that mask.
However, right before he reached her, he stopped right there and kicked the ground, cracking the stage and sending debris flying...or rather, into the empty field.
"As I thought...your plan was to make me run out of the ring, right?" he said as he turned to face Yurei. "Your Quirk is truly formiddable".
"I am glad you think so" she replied. Karu then charged in, but she deflected his fist with her palm and continued to do so.
Because Yurei's Quirk is one that affects the mind, many make the mistake and think she is weak. That could not be farther from the truth. Its becuase her Quirk is purely a mental one, that she has trained herself vigorously to ensure she is able to protect herself in an actual fight. She is skilled not only in hand to hand combat, but also a sword.
Karu continued to try and get in close, but ultimate was fought back and back again and again.
Damn it...she must be manipulating my thoughts. It might be her Quirk is one that Inversion cant fight against. In which case...
Karu then backed up as he picked up a rock, and threw it full force with the power of Genesis at her. She dodged it, but then he had moved in again to defeat her.
And yet, she stepped out of the way and pushed him forward, causing him to fall out of bounds.
"I am afraid this was just a poor matchup, Karu-kun".
"Tsk..."
And so, their fight was done, others came and went...including...
"I wont let you overpower me!"
"You cannot overpower me!"
A fight between Haru and Bisca. The two had actually been on a team this whole time, even in the practice test. Even though they disliked having Quirks with the same name. Their Quirks themselves were similar. There were some minor differences though. For example, Bisca had some ability control "Demons", or rather, the bioweapons left behind after the war, the Nomu that had originally been created by villains, but data and details on them were recovered by the military and used for development.
Meanwhile, Haru possessed mroe physical ability, and so he tossed Bisca up into the air to throw her out of the match. She reached around and grabbed his arms though, and pulled herself behind him and then kicked him in the back. But right in that moment, he twisted himself around and grabbed her leg to toss her out. And yet, she wrapped her legs around his body and then grabbed the ground as she sent him headfirst into the ground. He landed on his palms though, and quickly landed on his back before rolling over and jumping up to his feet.
Five minutes in, and they were still fairly equal. However, there was an observable difference. Bisca was gettired tired faster. Haru possessed greater physical abilities then her.
"Now, lets end this!"
But at the same time, she understood that and was trying to compensate, to use his own strength against him. And so, she shifted to the side to try and punch his gun. But he pivoted around, and delivered a kick to her side, knocking her out of the field.
"Haru is the victor!"
And so, the match was concluded...which led into the final match. Betweem Samuel and Ken, or Azaken.
...I dont know much about him, but I cant lose. He seems to have some sort of body manipulation Quirk. His Quirk is flexible, and strong. Its really troublesome. I better start with a smokescreen, and beat him quickly.
"And...begin!"
"Smoke Bomb!" Samuel screamed, still filled with aggression from earlier.
After he filled the Stadium with smoke, he went in for the big punchout, to get rid of him quickly. However...the smoke then got wiped away in an instant.
"Oi oi now. This is supposed to be a friendly fight" Azaken reminded him, as he used body manipulation to enlarge his hands and clap with the power of a sonic wave, blowing away all of the smoke in an instant. "And I like your spirit, so I am not quite sure why you are angry at me...unless it something else?"
Tsk...he is right. He is not the one who deserves this anger...but, after that loss...if Fetch can really beat me...I cant hold back!
With his smoke blown away, he had to admit for a shrimp, Azaken had quite the power. Which meant, if he could beat him...
"Now...spike launch!"
Suddenly, his arm morphed and spikes of bone were shot at Samuel. He turned to smoke form, but they still hurt as he passed through his body.
Azaken enhanced the physical abilities of his body, and charged right towards Samuel, kicking through the smoke and hurting him severely, enough to knock him out of smoke form. He then launched smoke projectiles at Azaken though, scoring some hits and knocking him back, but he remained on his feet.
"There we go! Lets have some fun now!" Azaken said, letting loose a little as he rushed forward, as he kicked off his shoes and socks. In that instant, he enlarged his feet and extended his leg, increasing his range and damage as he hit into Samuel.
Damnit...even with all that said...I cant lose!
Samuel, in his frustation, unleashed an even bigger attack this time. Azaken morphed one of his arms into a shield like thing, and blocked some of the attacks, as he rooted his feet into the ground so he was not knocked out of bounds.
And then, spikes shot out of the ground from under Samuel, thanks to those roots spreading throughout the stadium.
Damnit! I...I wont lose! I cant be eliminated yet while Fetch is still out!
Samuel's smoke turned red for a moment as he pushed himself, and charged at Azaken, entering smoke form for a moment, but as he got into range retaking physical form and bringing forth his own kick. This force Azaken to unroot himself and dodge, but Samuel turned to smoke and then charged at him again, turning back into physical. He was using that ability to quickly reorient himself and keep up powerful attacks in high frequency.
Good! Good! Lets make this fun and exciting!
Azaken then charged forward himself, enhancing his physical abilties. His bare feet unphased, he had enhanced them to the point that they were stronger then his shoes anyways. He delivered a hard kick, but Samuel blocked with his arm. However, he then rushed forward and wrapped his legs around his arm as he rooted his hands into the ground, doing an upside down over the shoulder throw and sending Samuel right into the ground.
"Gah! No, I wont lose!"
"That is right! Lets make this spirited!"
Samuel smoked and then unsmoked right above Azaken, grabbing the boy and tried to toss him out. However, Azaken grabbed hold of his sleeve and then landed on his feet, going in for a gut punch. Samuel turned into smoke in that instant, but then Azaken headbutted the smoke, doing some damage to him.
Azaken then kicked his shin, before going at him with an enhanced, enlarged fist.
"Smoke Bomb!"
Samuel however created a huge burst of smoke and spread it across the whole stadium. This let him get some distance from Azaken, but he also launched a powerful attack at him to knock him out of bounds for good.
"...impressive..." he heard, as the smoke was cleared by another powerful gust of wind created by Azaken. Azaken's shirt had been wiped out, and growing out of his back were six weird apendages, almost like spider legs, with bone and skin and everything. "But, I refuse to lose this easily!"
"Tsk...come on!" Samuel groaned, as he saw Fetch wave to him from the sidelines. But whether that was a wave of teasing, or a wave of encouragement, he could not tell...but because of their past, his mind interpretted it as teasing. And then, his smoke turned red again.
"Uh oh...I might be forced to go too far is this keeps up" Azaken muttered, worried the games might get ruined if he does that. Samuel then charged right in. Yurei was about to step in herself at this point, but the one who beat them to that...was Cole. One of the announcers appeared, and with a single punch knocked Samuel out as he charged into it.
"Ehh? HOld on...what is..."
"Sorry...but at this point, it was probably going to go badly if I did not interfere" Cole mentioned. He looked back at Azaken, or Ken in this case.
That boy...if Samuel didn't kill him right there...so far, he had known to only attack the smoke form with blunt attacks, but if those back appendages pierced his smoke, he would have resolidifed skewered. Either way, one of them was going to kill the other. Maybe both.
"It was getting too dangerous, for their health".
"Ah...I see. Well, in that case...since he didn't go weird, and is still conscious, Ken wins!"
"Woot!"
Azaken was a little unsatisifed by that end, but...it was still a good fight. He gathered his shoes and then walked back to the waiting area.
"Alright everyone!" Kotari-sensei announced. "With that, all of the first rounds are done! Let us see who is advancing to the next rounds!"
The remaining sixteen people appeared at that time. Deru, Yaro, Yuki, Haruto, Ken (Azaken), Aza (Yurei), Kuro, Yousuke, Katoro, Haru, Meya, Olive, Izumi, Fetch, Juno, and Tora. And because of that, they finally announced what the brackets would be.
Round 1: Deru vs Yuki. Round 2: Yaro vs Olive. Round 3: Ken vs Haruto. Round 4: Yurei vs Kuro. Round 5: Fetch vs Izumi. Round 6: Katoro vs Yousuke. Round 7: Haru vs Tora. Round 8: Meya vs Juno. The winners of rounds 1 and 2 would face each other in the next round, as would 3 and 4. Same went for 5 and 6, and 7 and 8. It would be that sort of bracket.
The entire audiance was chattering and cheering with excitement and enthusiasm. After all, who wouldn't? These would be fights between the top sixteen here. And if the previous fights were anything to go on, it would be one for the history books.