"Tell me, Oliver. From your observations, what would be the best plan of action here, against our opponents?" Damien asked, his eyes still focused on the sky. With the sun halfway through its descent, blue was slowly beginning to gain an orange hue. Behind him, Oliver glanced at the abandoned shopping mall, it's storefronts open but completely empty. 'Feels like we're in some crappy zombie movie,' he thought absentmindedly. He assumed that their opponents were just on the other side of the large, marble fountain taking up much of the mall's main area. He then followed his partner's gaze and hummed thoughtfully. To Damien's surprise, the boy practically fell onto a nearby bench and waved his hand in the direction of their opponents.
"They started on the other side of that fountain. Therefore, they've probably gone to the upper floor to get a better vantage point. Zach is a close-range fighter while Vivienne is mainly a support type so they'll be looking to watch our progress and figure out a good way to get in close," Oliver said, resting his head against the back of the bench and closing his eyes. Damien frowned and scanned the upper level of the mall. Though most of the floor was obscured by the opaque glass of the railing, he managed to catch a bit of movement near the shoe store.
"They're to our ten o'clock."
"Once they figure out a way to get the jump on us, they'll likely come prepared. Vivienne is a dangerous variable due to how much stuff she can store in her hair but if I had to guess, flash bombs are one of the things they requested from the school. They'll start with one of those to take out any shadows before Zach moves in. He knows your fighting style and how shit you are at close combat, so you're screwed if he gets in close. Unless they were modified, which I'm not counting out, the flash bomb will only give them a few seconds to move from their position to attack. Not a bad strategy, but they're relying a lot on chance and hoping you're too thrown off by the attack." Damien took a deep breath and curled two of his fingers, feeling the everpresent chill of the shadows answering his call. 'He's right. Zach is our best close-range fighter, though I don't appreciate my admittedly subpar skills being brought into question. Given even a minute and the fight would be decided. I'll just have to be quicker than that.' He thought, listening to the echo of his opponent's footsteps. Just as predicted, their attack was prefaced with the telltale clink of metal on the marble floor. A loud pop later and, despite having closed his eyes beforehand, his vision was flooded by the flash.
"Well done, Oliver," Damien murmured. Even with his eyesight still flushed white, he stepped to the side and dodged Zach's falling axe kick and, more impressively, managed to block the boy's haymaker. The black-haired boy then took a step back and held out his arm, clenching his hand into a fist. Above them, there was a cry of surprise which managed to draw Zach's attention back to his teammate, who was ensnared by a shadow wrapping around her whole body. 'One down. I–' Damien's thoughts were cut short as a steel-toed boot slammed into his stomach.
"This is so unlike you. You're not the type to analyze a situation outside of the classroom. You're always rushing into combat pumped full of piss and vinegar!" Zach taunted, his opponent just managing to dodge his jab but leaving himself open for his following uppercut. The shadow user grunted in pain and flailed back, nearly falling over a potted plant. 'He's keeping me on the defensive. Probably trying to make me break concentration so Vivienne can get free.' Damien observed, ducking under a high kick, only to be caught by a punch to his solar plexus. His breath caught and he wheezed, gripping the fabric of his costume.
"He's not wrong I suppose," Oliver said. Damien seized up and glanced over his shoulder, wondering when he'd been pushed back to his teammate's position. The boy was lying on the bench as if he were enjoying the show but the look in his eyes was cold and calculating. "Don't give me that betrayed look. You're no strategist, that's for damn sure, but that doesn't mean you're a bad fighter. More suited to a team effort than solo work, I suppose."
"Urgh," Damien groaned as Zach, apparently not too keen on letting them stand – or in Oliver's case lie – around and talk, grabbed him by his shoulder and drove his elbow into the shadow user's stomach. 'Just what the hell are you talking about, Oliver?' The boy in question sighed as he turned his head to watch the moving battle.
"Keep dodging, don't let him get too many hits off if you can help it. When you get a chance to counter-attack, aim for his right leg. He took a hit early in his fight against Ryūken and has been keeping his weight off of it ever since." For just a fraction of a second, Zach's expression turned from one of determination to surprise. His next strike was just a tad bit slower than the rest, which Damien promptly used to his advantage. A chill went down his spine as he leaped forward and tackled the other boy, pinning him to the ground with black tendrils. Despite his struggles, Zach couldn't do anything as the shadows dragged both him and his teammate right in front of Damien. He nodded and brought out his capture string. As soon as the announcement of their victory was made, he collapsed on the bench next to his teammate and held a hand to his swollen cheek. "Hm, wasn't expecting an opening to present itself so soon. I figured you had another three minutes of getting your ass beat until he got tired. It's annoying how unpredictable these things can be."
"What'd you mean earlier? About me not being good solo?" Oliver gave him a questioning look before rolling his eyes and standing up.
"Never said you wouldn't be good. You're just better in a team. At least for the moment, you lack critical decision-making skills. You have incredible talent and power – exemplified by you being able to hold Vivienne while getting your ass beat – but you're as bad at seeing the bigger picture as you are at hand-to-hand combat." Damien puffed up slightly at the backhanded jab but Oliver just started walking away, forcing him to his feet to catch up. "Plus, you're way too predictable. If being at this school has taught me anything, it's that adaptability is key. Learn that and who the hell knows. You may be able to give Lyon a run for his money. Probably, anyway. I still can't get a damn read on that guy."
"Adaptability, eh? I'll remember that." Oliver gave him a dry look and shrugged. The moment the two got into the tunnel to the infirmary – which surprised Damien since Oliver had been the one in the lead – the shadow user grabbed his teammate by the shoulder. "Oliver. If we end up facing each other in the next round. Give it your all, I want to see if your bite matches your bark."
"You're really lame, you know that? And no way. Now that I can lord the fact that I got farther than him over Marcus' head, I can finally check out of this whole troublesome debacle. If we end up fighting, be grateful for the guaranteed win." Now standing alone at the entrance to the infirmary as he watched his former partner walk away, Damien frowned. 'You're something else, Oliver. It scares me to think what would happen if anyone were to piss you off enough to go all out.'
Purpose of a Hero
"You're in no condition to fight!"
"So what, we forfeit?" Lyon tilted his head to the side as he watched the shouting match between his partner and the school nurse. The two had been going at it for nearly six minutes and showed no signs of slowing down. Even with their formerly private room being flooded by a hoard of curious students, the two still fought. It was only after she accidentally glanced in his direction that Andi seemed to remember there were other people present. "Lyon! Help me out here!"
"Ah, well she does have a point, Andi. Your ribs are still in bad shape and you're exhausted from our earlier fight. It seems forfeit is the most logical answer," he said truthfully. Immediately, the girl's look of hope shattered and tears began to form in her eyes.
"Shut up, Lyon! No one asked you!"
"However, seeing as how I am still in exceptional condition, I could go and fight for the both of us alone."
"Your fingers are literally gone!" Andi shot back. Lyon grinned wider, held out his hands, and shrugged.
"I suppose we have no other choice then. Come along Andi, our battle will be starting soon. Don't want to be late now do we?" Though his partner brightened considerably at this, Mrs. Holl was not as pleased. Her glare gave him the odd urge to find an empty cot and curl up, admitting defeat. However, it was no different than what he was used to. 'Ah yes. Right back to my rebellious ways. When will I learn?' He thought gleefully. Before the woman could react, he walked up to his partner's bedside and grabbed her blanket, flinging it at the nurse.
"Argh! You little brats!" She cried as she struggled to free herself from the linen. As she had expected, the two were gone the moment she was able to see again. Coincidentally, so was the crowd that had gathered to watch. The nurse took a moment to catch her breath and allowed herself a small smile. 'These kids are tenacious, I'll give them that. You're teaching them well, despite how alike they're becoming to you, Derrick. If nothing else, they'll be wonderful in whatever they decide to do in their lives, Hero or not.'
Meanwhile, Andi felt as if her chest were about to burst open. After Lyon had sprung her out of the infirmary they'd jogged along the hallways until they came to the prep room, only to immediately be called on to report for their battle. On any other day, their escape would have caused her no problems but even the slightest movement sent waves of pain shooting through her nervous system. As she bent over and put her hands on her knees, struggling to catch her breath, she heard her partner humming to himself. "Perhaps you should sit this battle out. They will aim for your ribs if you show any sort of weakness and any further damage could prove irreversible."
"No… way," she responded, forcing herself to stand up straight. Lyon regarded her for a moment before he smiled softly, a far cry from his usual, admittedly creepy, grin. 'I think I like that smile better. Makes him look more human,' she thought. As quickly as it had appeared, the look vanished and his usual indifference crept back in.
"Very well, I shall do my best to keep them out of range if you promise not to go rushing in. This is a battle of range, there shall be very little martial arts in this fight. Although, based on their Quirks they could easily extinguish my usual flames. Our last fight was decided by our longevity, I believe in this one we should focus more on, oh what's the saying? Quality over quantity?" Andi nodded in agreement, unsure she could speak much more without losing her breakfast, and the pair quietly awaited the beginning of their match. 'Melody and Clara already moved on. There's no way I'm letting them get ahead of me. Though, we've really got our work cut out for us. Lyon may be acting tough but he only has one usable hand for this fight and the finals tomorrow. I can't let him do this alone. Screw the pain, I won't be a burden.' Fighting back a grimace, she forced herself to stand up and glared out at the stadium.
"Is it just me, or are the stages getting more and more bizarre?" Andi inquired as the arena was transformed into what appeared to be a small neighborhood… or what used to be a small neighborhood. It looked like a tornado had rolled through and destroyed everything in its path, leaving piles of debris and broken houses. To her surprise, Lyon stepped closer to the bars and made a thoughtful sound as he examined the stage.
"I believe this is supposed to be a recreation of the place where the Rhode Island Seven made their final stand. Yes... Charlestown, I believe it's called. I'm impressed, it looked precisely like the footage."
"I thought most of the footage from the Charlestown Incident was classified?" Andi countered and, for a brief moment, the smile on her partner's face faltered. The boy hummed thoughtfully and glanced back at her, shrugging his shoulders.
"I suppose it is. My former tutor was an agent of the government for many years. It seems as if he risked quite a bit to show me the results of the battle. Though, if it is truly classified it must have taken a lot of persuading for the Forge to be able to recreate it," Lyon said, flexing the fingers on his usable hand. Before Andi could pursue the matter, there was a loud creaking sound as the iron bars began to rise.
"Here we go." As soon as Ms. Whittaker announced the beginning of the fight, the sky turned dark and the temperature dropped. Lyon glanced up and chuckled.
"It seems they're starting early." Andi's reply died in her throat as her teammate tensed and then tackled her to the ground. Not a second later, a bolt of lightning crashed down on the spot where they'd been standing. One look at her partner and she could justifiably say he was completely insane. 'How is he still smiling? We almost got hit by lightning!' She thought, looking up at the boy with wide eyes. "So, that's his current level? Interesting. This will be fun."
"What?" Andi asked incredulously.
"If that were an actual lightning strike, we'd most likely not be having this conversation. It means that he's either holding back or weaker than I first thought, though I am certainly hoping for the former. Come now, It's time we launch our counterattack."
Purpose of a Hero
"Do you think I got 'em?" Payton asked, his hair slightly frizzier than it had been moments before. Alexander, standing a good fifteen feet away, looked into the sky and then back down at his teammate.
"I highly doubt it. Lyon is craftier than you might think, and a lot smarter than you." The brunet turned to his teammate and pouted.
"You're awfully cranky. Still tired from our last match? Those two gave us a run for our money. I can't believe they made us use Ab–"
"Do not call it that. The temperature of that attack is nowhere even close to absolute zero. It's completely misleading," Alexander growled, turning away from his teammate and scowling at the wreckage of a modest two-story house. Behind him Payton sighed, crossing his arms behind his head as he looked at his partner.
"Party pooper."
To say the cyborg's patience was running thin would be a gross understatement. Not only had he watched his sister get beaten not fifteen minutes prior but now he had to be around the person he'd spent the past few hours trying to avoid. 'Of all people, why did I have to get put with a happy-go-lucky moron with too much power for his own good,' he thought bitterly. Trying to distract himself, he reached down and grabbed a Hydro Core before inserting it into the slot in his shoulder. Somewhere off to his left, he heard his teammate groan loudly, followed by the sound of something being struck and a loud exclamation of pain.
"Stop kicking things. You'll give away our position." He rolled his eyes as his partner's face appeared over the top of an old refrigerator, glaring at him. Just as he was about to scold his partner for being childish, there was a loud snap to his left and he was forced to jump behind one of the two story's walls as a torrent of flames rushed by. "Payton!"
"Right! Let's douse his fire!" The boy raised one hand and almost instantaneously a light drizzle of rain began to fall. Alexander felt his eyebrow twitch as the rain continued to fall, albeit slowly.
"We need more rain than this to stop his flames, asshat!"
"Well sorry~ for not going all out right outta the gate! Jeez, least you could do is th–!"
"Paralytic Frequency!" Payton heard the voice behind him just a second too late as the muscles in his body seized up and he fell to one knee. He saw the capture tape in Andi's hands merely inches away from him, but before she could put him out of commission an incredibly strong wind blew Andi several paces back. "Crap! Lyon, he can use it remotely!"
"Infernal Lance!" There was a snap and Payton watched, still paralyzed, as a ten-foot spear-shaped blast of fire shot across the field, unhampered by the rain.
"Activating Hydro Core: Hydro Cannon!" Fire and water collided mid-air, creating a large cloud of steam that split the teams apart. Finally able to control his body again, Payton shakily got to his feet and turned on his smaller opponent. She was in… very bad shape. Bandages were visible on almost every inch of her exposed skin and, despite the fight having just begun, she was breathing heavily.
"You sure you wanna do this? Looks like a light breeze'll knock you over." In response, Andi reached her hand up to her antenna and grimaced. Payton coughed as a wave of nausea washed over him. He quickly rose his hand before bringing it back down, causing a bolt of lightning to strike the earth next to the girl, knocking her off her feet and into a wooden fence. Still feeling sick to his stomach, Payton took refuge behind a burnt-out SUV and slowed his breathing, trying to quell his rolling stomach. 'Note to self, she's still dangerous when hurt.'
"Inserting Frost Core: Freezing Ray!"
"Will-O-Wisp!" As Alexander unleashed a blast of ice from his hand cannon, Lyon quickly snapped his fingers several times, creating a series of small fires that shot through the air and collided with his foe's attack, causing a small explosion. Once the smoke cleared up a bit, Alexander pointed his other arm in the direction his opponent had been, only to be blindsided when the orange-haired boy came at him from the side and tackled him to the ground. Lyon grinned merrily as he caught the boy off guard and trapped him with a side choke hold. This turned out to be in vain as it quickly became apparent that the metal scales on his neck weren't just for show. The moment Lyon loosened his grip and tried to put some distance between them, Alexander kicked him hard in the chest and sent him toppling backward, though he was quick to recover, getting back on his feet. "Interesting. You're more skilled in martial arts than I expected."
"I could say the same. Inserting Toxic Core: Acidic Rain!" He angled his cannon skywards and fired. To his surprise, Lyon did not run for cover. Instead, he just held up his hands, the one missing fingers protecting his good hand from the rain, and pointed directly at Alexander, seemingly unaware of the corroding drops burning holes in his costume.
"Burn away. Pyroblast," Lyon said calmly. The ensuing fireball tore apart the broken house that had served as their battleground and managed to set Alexander's pant leg on fire as he leaped out of the way. The acrid smell of burning metal filled the air as he patted out the flames and glared at his foe. "Well, this acid is much less potent than I thought. You may want to ask Lyle for some tips on how to make it better. It's not nearly acidic or corrosive enough to do any more than destroy clothing or give chemical burns."
"Alex, down!" Hearing the urgency in his teammate's voice, Alexander ducked and watched as a bolt of lightning flashed just meters above his head. Once it passed, missing its intended target by mere inches and slamming into a wrecked car, the black-haired teen stood and glared at his teammate, who shrugged. "Sorry, thought I had an opening. These two are slippery, like real guerrilla fighters, eh?"
"Hm, just stay focused. Where's Andi?"
"Dunno, she's been playing hide and seek for a while now. Where's Lyon?" Alexander glanced over his shoulder and sighed. The orange-haired boy was nowhere to be seen. Still somewhat annoyed at his teammate, he barked at the boy to cover him as he slipped two more Hydro Cores from his belt. 'These two are as bad as a wounded animal. So far, they've been on the offensive but only because they can't risk playing defensively with their injuries. I think it's time to narrow down the search.'
"Payton, crank up the storm. Drive them inside the buildings, it'll be easier to take them out if they're confined and unable to use Lyon's flames to their full capacity." Payton frowned at this and turned his head to look at the dark clouds looming over the stadium, then back down at his partner.
"You know it's hard for me to maintain a storm like that for too long, right?"
"I'm not asking for a hurricane. Just enough rain to get them scrambling. Once that happens we can start eliminating the houses one by one until we find them," Alexander explained, inserting the pair of cores into each of his shoulders. Payton thought for a moment before shrugging and holding his hands up to the sky. Almost immediately, the clouds began to darken and the light sprinkling of rain became a full deluge. A menacing bolt of lightning lit up the clouds like an electrical cobweb, followed by the distinct sound of reverberating thunder.
Purpose of a Hero
"Seems they've got us in quite the predicament," Lyon said nonchalantly as he looked out of the window of their temporary refuge from the storm. The interior of the house was just as messy and jumbled as the rest of the neighborhood outside. Books, furniture, children's toys, and all manner of other objects joined the mounds of wood and glass debris on the floor. A large part of the roof and second story had seemingly collapsed, which was quite troublesome as it was cutting the available dry space in the house in half. Nearby, Andi held her ribs tightly, her eyes squeezed shut from the pain. 'Mrs. Holl is so gonna kill me after this. Not to mention Lyon. I doubt she'll take him kidnapping her patient lying down. Pretty cool he managed to pull one over on her though,' she thought as another ripple of lightning illuminated the house. "Seems we've got a little while. They're searching house by house. A very clever plan but it also gives us more time to rest and regroup. Ideally, I would rather not put too much strain on my remaining hand but at this rate, the water is going to cripple me otherwise."
"Useless on a rainy day, huh? Sounds familiar," Andi mused aloud, getting an odd look from her partner. She waved him off and leaned her head back to rest on the wall, closing her eyes and listening to the rain beating against their shelter.
"That was quick. Break time is over," Lyon whispered, causing his teammate's eyes to slid open and her body to tense up. Over the rain, she could hear the muffled voices of their opponents growing closer. With a quiet grunt, she forced herself upright and reached up to her antennae, only for Lyon to hold up a hand. She paused and looked back at him curiously. As quiet as a mouse, the orange-haired teen stalked over to the front door and positioned himself directly in front of it. Once he was in position, he turned back to her and mouthed the word: "Listen".
It only took her a second to figure out his meaning and, instead of preparing an attack, she listened closely to the sound of her foe's footsteps growing ever closer. From the tired, but somehow still light-footed gait, she guessed Payton was in the lead. Alex and his sister's footsteps were always much heavier than their bodies would suggest so it was easy to pick them out of a crowd. She heard them begin making their way up the concrete walkway and nodded to Lyon, whose grin widened, becoming more sadistic, as he held up his hand. Before he got the chance however, the house creaked as the wind outside started to pick up. The walls shuttered and Andi could hear as each individual shingle was torn from the roof. The windows imploded, showering them with glass and prying an involuntary yelp of surprise from Andi.
Lyon snapped his fingers and blasted a fireball straight through the wooden door, hitting nothing. Andi attempted to call out to him but was too slow. A blast of pressurized water tore through the wall beside him and connected, throwing him into the brick fireplace across the room. Before she could retaliate, the window beside her shattered as Payton leaped through, a wide smile on his face. "Found ya!"
"Focus!" Alexander growled as he trained his cannon on Andi, who looked at the two of them, then back at her partner. Lyon lied against the fireplace, unmoving except for his left hand, which seemed to be tapping on the floor. Realization dawned on her and she turned her attention back to their opponents. The two seemed to be arguing about Payton nearly tearing the house apart during their entrance.
"You overdid it and exhausted yourself."
"I did not! I still have plenty of energy!"
"Unfortunately. Just hurry and tie up Lyon before he wakes up." Alexander demanded. Payton pouted and pulled out their spool of capture string before walking towards the downed teen, glaring over his shoulder at his partner, while Alexander kept his hand cannon trained on Andi. Meanwhile, the brunette listened intently, mentally following along with the silent conversation.
".- .- .. - ..-. - .-. ... .. -. -. .- .-.. -··- - ... . -. ... .. -.-. -.- -. . ... ..."
"Stupid Alex, always ruining the fun. Oh well, at least I can make fun of Zach for not making it now," Payton said, thinking of his other moody, indignant friend's loss in the last match. It was only when he was less than a meter away from Lyon that he noticed the boy's tapping. His brow furrowed in confusion before his eyes widened and he scrambled back. "Crap!"
"Fiery Web!" In an instant, thin stripes of fire surrounded Payton, closing in around him like a vice. Alexander turned his cannon toward the new threat but Andi took this as her opportunity to strike.
"Sickness Frequency!" She bellowed, her antennae vibrating. Alexander stumbled, his face turning a nasty shade of green, then pointed his other arm at Andi and fired. The blast of pressurized water hit her squarely in the chest and sent her crashing through the already unstable wall into the house's backyard. He quickly reloaded his Hydro Core and turned to face Lyon only to see him swallowing his own flames. 'This is the move he used against loudmouth in the relay race. Shit, I have a bad feeling about this,' he thought as he pointed both of his cannons towards the other boy.
"Uh, guys! Maybe don't go with the super moves!" Payton shouted nervously as the white flames began to leak out of Lyon's mouth and swirl into a sphere, much larger than the fireballs he'd created so far in their fight.
"Greater Pyroblast."
"Hydro Cannon: Double Helix!" Alexander crossed his cannons and fired, causing the torrents to clash as they roared towards the massive white ball of fire. It was only after he fired that Alexander thought about his teammate, who was very much in the blast zone, and the fact that the house they were in was already in horrible disrepair. He barely had time to curse the smile on his opponent's face before the house exploded.
Outside, Andi could only watch as the house, as well as the two similarly broken buildings on either side of it, crumbled to dust in the explosion, and the shockwave knocked her off her feet, which did not feel good after the blast she'd already taken from Alexander. Somewhere in the distance, she heard coughing and glanced over her shoulder to see Ms. Whittaker standing nearby, obviously watching for any reason to stop the match. 'Why am I not surprised that blowing up a house doesn't qualify to stop a friendly match?' she thought as she picked herself up and began trudging towards the wreckage.
As soon as she crossed over the cement foundation, which was the only part of the house still intact, her foot connected with something fleshy, which groaned loudly at the contact. She glanced down at the soot-covered face of Payton, his eyes closed and his brown hair sporting a few scorch marks. Figuring he was already out of commission, she wasted no time tying him up and instead continued through the smoke until she reached the epicenter. Through the smoke, she could make out labored breathing and the soft clink of falling debris on metal. When she finally made it through the haze, she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight. Alexander, though heavily burned and breathing like he'd just run a marathon, crouched over the prone form of Lyon, holding him by his collar. To her shock, her teammate's eyes were closed and his face devoid of his usual smile. 'L-Lyon lost?'
"Great, you're still up?" The boy asked her, his voice tired but irritated. Andi didn't answer. She looked at her teammate for any sign that he was faking again but there was nothing. He was completely out cold. Alexander let go of Lyon's collar, letting him fall to the floor with a thud, and stood up. He got into a fighting stance, raising his left hand in front of him while his right hung limply at his side. She immediately began to play her sickness frequency but to her shock, Alexander rushed toward her anyway, swinging at her head with his good fist. She ducked, still light on her feet compared to her opponent and tried to raise the frequency of her attack but to no avail. 'The explosion must've hurt his hearing or something. Even if he can't use one of his arms, he'll overpower me in a second,' she thought, frantically looking around the room for any means to help herself. When his next attack came, she dove out of the way and grabbed a large shard of wood. With all her might she threw the shard at her opponent but he batted it away easily.
"Hey, Alex!" She called, though her opponent showed no sign he'd heard her. Just then an idea popped into her head and she nodded. The pitch of her antennae changed, becoming a high-pitched, ear-splitting noise. 'I just need one opening to beat him.' It took all of her concentration to keep the noise going as she simultaneously had to focus on dodging her opponent's attacks. After a few moments, her breathing started to become unsteady as the pain in her chest was nearly unbearable. A split second of hesitation was all it took for her opponent to land a punch to her gut and send her sprawling to the floor. Even though he hadn't made direct contact with her ribs the pain caused the edges of her vision to go black.
"Just give it up," Alexander demanded, pointing his working hand cannon at her, the mouth of its dragon design glowing a bright yellow. With a cry, Andi kicked upwards and knocked the cannon away before leaping at her foe, trying to tackle him. The only problem; she didn't quite have the strength necessary to do so, and Alexander was bigger and heavier than she was, so it turned into more of a hug than an attack. He quickly shoved her away and took a step back. Suddenly, the boy grimaced and shook his head, making his dark brown hair even more untidy. 'Now!'
"Paralytic Frequency!" Andi cried. Alexander grunted in surprise as his eardrums were plagued by a low-pitched hum and his legs began to shake violently. 'I'm not done yet!'
"Activating Lightning Core: Electric Misery!" He bellowed. Tendrils of electricity shot from his arm right into Andi, who shrieked in pain. To his surprise, despite the fact that she was being electrocuted, the girl's frequency continued. His attack abruptly stopped as he fell to his knees, his legs having lost all motor control. Finally, his good arm – the other having been broken by the explosion – fell to his side, unmoving. Not too far away, Andi whimpered and slumped against the partially destroyed chimney, her adrenalin finally wearing off. The pain was unlike anything she had ever felt up until now, robbing her from precious air, threatening to make her faint. The two combatants, both unable to move from their respective position, stared at one another for a moment, unblinking. Then, just as Ms. Whittaker stepped over the rubble and joined the two, Andi's eyes seemed to lose focus and she collapsed.
"Inferno and Megahertz are down! The last team moving on to the Final Eight is Canadian Winter and Metal Hydra!"
Purpose of a Hero
Little late but I lost track of time. Hope you guys enjoyed, the next chapter will focus on some character moments before we hop into the third round. On to the final 8!
Next time on the Purpose of a Hero:
Chapter 40: Third Round Bound
Q&A, featuring Diana Suharto
To Diana: How do you wear your shirt with your long snout?
Diana: I just usually have to tip my head up or down to get my shirt over my snout. Most of my tops have really elastic collars anyway so it isn't as big of an issue as you'd think.
To Diana: Is your whole family varanid mutations (komodo dragons and other monitor lizards) like you, or are there other reptile groups in the mix?
Diana: Well, most of my family has been monitor lizards for the past few generations. I think the only exception is my first cousin whose father was some sort of serpent. She's really cool though, but I hardly ever see her these days.
To Diana: Have you ever been nervous about kissing someone and accidentally passing venom onto them because of your Quirk?
Diana: Y-Yeah, that's a big concern of mine. My parents are largely okay but that's because my mom's Quirk makes her immune to most poisons.
To Diana: How do you handle the winter times?
Diana: Wear multiple layers. Wool is my best friend in the cold months.
To everyone: in a parallel world if you where a villain what would your villain name be?
Diana: That's a good question. The kids at my middle school teased me by calling me 'Punk Croc' but that's just because they thought I was a crocodile.
To everyone: Realistically, can you keep a small child alive for a week, without direct interference?
Diana: Of course! I love children. Back in middle school, I used to tutor the little ones at the daycare across the street when school let out! They're such funny little dorks.