Written by Aduubo, Buckichamp, and PKSpartan.
I OWN NOTHING. KILL LA KILL IS OWNED BY STUDIO TRIGGER AND KAZUKI NAKASHIMA. MHA IS OWNED BY TOHO ANIMATION AND KOHEI HORIKOSHI. _
Amongst the ashes of the Goku Uniform, a single red thread rose and began floating. Suddenly, Senketsu could feel something drawing towards him, like a signal of some sorts. He closed his eyes and hummed softly, feeling it get closer.
"Senketsu?" Ryuko spoke.
The thread glowed once it made its connection and bee-lined towards Ryuko. Her classmates all gasped once they spotted the luminescent string. The single line of cloth went into the seams of Senketsu's being, allowing him to take the power it possessed.
"Was that a Life Fiber just now?" Ryuko wondered.
"Mmm, yes. It's been a while since I've absorbed one. It feels nice," Senketsu said, his voice sounding warm and relaxed.
Nemuri was astonished by how Gamagori's Goku Uniform evaporated. Not a single trace remained. She quickly looked towards Cementoss to see if he saw the same thing. He nodded with acknowledgement, which prompted Nemuri to tap into her earpiece.
"Mikisugi. The Life Fiber. You saw all of that, right?"
"I sure did. You heroes are really something else. I didn't think any of the Elite Four could be defeated by normal means, let alone have their uniforms be destroyed," Aikuro answered, which made the corners of Nemuri's lips curl into a smile.
"Glad to see that you still have faith in us."
"To be fair, I never had a doubt when I reached out to you," Aikuro chirped. Nemuri heard a bit of coy in his voice. She could spot the flirt from a mile away.
"Mhm. I'm sure. Anyway, I'll be sure to relay this to Nezu. This info will be great for everyone to know."
Although Midnight, Cementoss, and the students were guests at Honnoji, she didn't forget the mission that she pitched to Nezu three days ago. There she stood in his office with Cementoss alongside her, as Nezu had requested to see the both of them.
"Good afternoon Nezu, sir," Ken addressed.
"That's me! Thank you both for coming here today. We have matters to discuss," Nezu slipped a letter onto the desk in front of them.
"Class 1A has been invited to a ball and gala by Ichiro Tanaka. And luckily for us, he was kind enough to allow UA staff to chaperone them. Midnight, I'd like you to join the students once again. Cementoss will be accompanying you as well."
"Me? If I may ask, how come?" Cementoss inquired.
"Excellent question. Previously the girls bought backstage passes to a Tokyo fashion show. They were mostly seen as guests and were left unnoticed, except by Tanaka," Nezu shifted in his seat a little.
"Which makes sense since he has a fascination with quirks," Midnight added from her observations.
"Correct. This time, everyone in class 1A will be attending. With that many students at a public event, I have a growing concern that Honnoji might decide to invite themselves."
Nezu remembered that Satsuki Kiryuin and Houka Inumuta watched the Sports Festival. It was clear that they were scoping out the competition, given the school's competitive nature. The only reason they didn't do any more was because they were in different territory. Nezu wasn't sure how nice Satsuki would play knowing that the tables had turned.
"If there comes a situation where the students need to defend themselves, you two will assist them as crowd control. Your quirks are more than suitable when it comes to subduing groups of people without injuring them."
"Understood, Nezu. I'll do whatever I can to protect our students and support Midnight," Cementoss nodded.
"If I could also suggest something. This could be a good opportunity to dig up some info on them too. Maybe even something about Life Fibers," Midnight suggested.
"That's a risky move, Midnight. But I have no doubt that Honnoji will make themselves known anyway. Very well. Whatever you can find out, share it."
"But will the two of us be enough?" Cementoss expressed his concern.
"Another excellent question. Before I called the two of you here, I requested services from some friends that also happen to be in Tokyo," Nezu then slipped his phone on the desk that was on speaker.
"Aikuro Mikisugi, Nudist Beach Splendid Naked Officer at your service!"
"Mmm, I like the sound of that," Midnight giggled while Cementoss rolled his eyes.
"Thank you again for lending Nudist Beach to our aid, Mr. Mikisugi," Nezu bowed towards the phone.
"Not a problem, Nezu. It's the least I can do since you're backing us up against the Kiryuins," Mikisugi responded. "Midnight. Cementoss. I look forward to working with you both. My coworker Tsumugu took a little more convincing, but you can count on us."
"Sounds good," Midnight nodded.
"Then I believe that this meeting is over," Nezu placed two ear pieces on his desk. "Take these. You'll need them to communicate with Mikisugi. Good luck out there."
Nemuri wore a bright smile for many reasons; there was valuable information she was collecting on the Kiryuin's and their Goku Uniforms. This trip could be a huge turning point to stop them. But most of all, she was proud of Ryuko for embracing her newfound passion in being a hero. Out there in front of the force that opposed her the most, Ryuko made a name for herself.
There was only one other person who shared the same sentiment that Nemuri had for her. Perhaps even more.
'Do it Ryuko,' Izuku gave a knowing nod, smiling at what he saw coming.
Ryuko pointed her scissor blade straight past Jakuzure and up at Satsuki, a proud smile showing through with fiery eyes.
"Today, this is the debut of the Crimson Blood Hero. I am Damenblut!"
"Oh, how marvelous!" Over in the stands, Midnight bolted from her seat. There was a spike in dopamine that built into a squeal with delight as Ryuko made her stand.
Jakuzure's face scrunched up while she tilted her head to the side, "Yuck! You have a hero name now?" And here she didn't think Matoi could make herself look any more ridiculous.
"Ya got a problem with that?!" Ryuko challenged.
"Can't believe you lumped yourself with those sappy little heroes. Aren't you lame enough as is?" Jakuzure slumped on her arm rest.
Ryuko rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Better than the chair of the 'Non'-Athletic Committee, washboard!"
"PFF-" Sero snickered.
"Oh my," Tanaka said wide eyed.
The entire stadium went quiet. Inumuta, Midoriya, and Tanaka couldn't find any more words to say. Even Satsuki had to blink twice to register it. The peak of Ryuko's immaturity somehow exceeded the mountains on earth.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" A vein on Jakuzure's forehead pulsated while her cheeks turned beat red. Her hands clenched hard on the handles of her LRAD while her teeth grinded against one another.
"Matoi, I never get tired of your snappy one-liners, but you sure you wanna piss off the only fighter that can fly?" Kaminari asked.
"It's well deserved if you ask me," Jirou hissed.
"What's she gonna do?" Ryuko tilted her head.
"FOR MY NEXT PIECE, THE WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE FINALE!"
Jakuzure's airship ascended high up in the air and hailed more notes directly over the grounded fighters, each one barely missing them.
"Hey! You left the arena! That means you're disqualified!" Ryuko shouted at Nonon.
"Only if you're knocked off it! Not if you leave it! And if you got your flat head out of your ass, you can see that I'm flying!" she fired back.
"This is so not fair!" Kaminari screamed as he barely dodged a Demisemiquaver.
"Uuugh, so much complaining and not enough fighting! Time to turn things up a notch. Let's see you dodge jauntily, if you can, that is!" " Nonon waved her baton, signaling the bottom hatch to open up. What looked to be a giant recorder deployed like a missile and headed straight for the arena. All the three fighters' jaws dropped before they resorted to their most logical move: running.
"SINCE WHEN DID A BUNCH OF INSTRUMENTS MAKE THAT?!" Kaminari wailed before everyone was knocked off their feet by a massive explosion. How they survived it, they were not sure.
"Jirou! Kaminari! Is everyone okay?" Ryuko called, waving away the smoke with her hands as she searched for her friends.
"I'm good! Somehow," Jirou used her speakers to blow away the smoke, giving everyone a clear view of the arena again.
"Same here!" Kaminari answered among the rubble. .
"It's okay, Ryuko. Everyone's fine," Senketsu said softly.
"Tch! Not until I bring that damn bird down!" Ryuko pulled a string from her skirt, tightening it around the handle of her blade. With her amazing strength and athletic ability, she hurled it up high in the air towards Jakuzure. The thread then looped around her machine, constricting on it before the blade cleaved deep into its side.
"I've got ya!"
The sharp ends of Ryuko's skirt pierced the concrete below her. The cables began retracting, anchoring Ryuko down as she pulled on her thread with the intent to bring Jakuzure out of the sky and into the ground. Hard.
"GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE AND FIGHT US!"
"Holy shit!" Izuku's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
Jakuzure screamed as she plummeted back down to earth with her opponents. Ryuko would then slam her into the ground repeatedly in hopes of either destroying the machine, or knocking Jakuzure out of the ring.
"W-Wow. I knew she was strong. But I didn't think this strong," Jirou watched in disbelief.
"What the hell is even…?" Ichiro burrowed his fingers into his hair as he was absolutely mind blown. The blimp bounced around the area as Ryuko continued to thrash it, yet it was barely getting scratched. He had a difficult time trying to apply any sense of logic in this fight.
"YOU CAN'T TIE ME DOWN!"
Nonon's LRAD launched razor-edged crash symbols to cut Matoi's line, only for it to merely bounce off of it. Shock overtook her face once she remembered that Life Fibers were nearly impervious to normal damage. But another solution came to Jakuzure's mind once she knew an advantage she still had over all of her opponents.
"LET'S SEE HOW YOU HANDLE THIS! BYE BYE!"
The panels on Jakuzure's LRAD opened up, shooting out laser beams in the shape of music sheets and notes. It rained down on the arena, completely engulfing it with explosions. The concrete started splitting apart, making Ryuko's hooks unlatch.
"Crap! The ground's cracking up!" she panicked.
Immediately, the stage collapsed, taking everyone else with it. Jirou managed to save herself by puncturing what remained of the base of the arena and hanging off it. The weight of her body strained the girls' ears, but it was a lot better than them pulsating from Jakuzure's bass. And it saved her from being eliminated. Jirou then looked down, only to find that her teammates weren't as lucky.
"KAMINARI! MATOI!"
The two teens were seen falling into the depths of the school courtyard. Kyouka could feel her heart racing the closer they were getting to the ground. At this point, Jakuzure won! There was no reason to keep fighting! So she'll save them, right?
"Oh dear. They're taking a tumble."
Jakuzure's grin grew into a sneer, taking pleasure in the easy win she received. This 3v1 was easier than she thought. Next she set her sights on Jirou.
"Just one more bug to squash."
"What?! NO!" Jirou screamed in horror for her friends. Cementoss. Midnight. Midoriya. Anyone! She prayed that someone would step in to save them. First Yaoyorozu and Shoji. She didn't want it to happen again. Jirou couldn't bear it.
The world slowed to a crawl for Kaminari as he fell.
Whilst doing so, he could only stare at Kyoka's face. It was filled with panic and dread as she saw her teammate plummet downward. There was so much happening at once; It looked like he was hurling towards certain death along with Matoi, and Cementoss and Midnight were scrambling to try and save them. But all he could think about was her.
'Kyoka, you're so cool. No matter what happens during the fight, you always find a way to keep it together. Even though you're freaking out now, you still look so pretty.'
A smile formed on his face, all the while electricity started building beneath his skin. His body began to brighten, so much to the point where his outline is all but null.
'Kyoka Jirou…'
Denki's eye's move to the triumphant Jakuzure, who was jeering at Jirou while she attempted to climb back on the platform.
'I kinda get what my old man was talking about. Who you are to me.'
Kaminari knows what he has to do to help them win this fight.
'You're my lightning rod.'
…
"Man, that sounds so damn cheeky, dad! How the hell did you get mom to marry you?!"
CRACK-A-KOOM!
The near deafening sound of thunder is heard throughout the arena, with many onlookers covering their ears in the frail effort to guard from the noise.
"Aaah! What the fuck was that?!" Bakugo exclaimed, covering his ears.
The rest of the class also covered their ears, trying to lessen the damage caused by the sudden crack of past the pain, Izuku looked to the destroyed stadium to assess the damage. What was shown to him shocked the young hero, while also exciting him.
Kaminari somehow managed to blitz from where he was falling straight into Jakuzure's Symphony Regalia. The attack took a decent chunk from the hovering craft and stunned the musician at the same time. Once she recovered from the attack, she looked up to see that her machine had a large piece broken off on the base.
"MY SYMPHONY REGALIA!" Jakzure cried out as tears comically poured out of her eyes. "What the hell hit my Symphony Regalia?!" Jakuzure wailed once more before coughing, fanning away the smoke coming from her vehicle.
"Kaminari…" Ryuko looked to her comrade, now completely immobilized from that attack. She could only imagine the amount of pain he was in. What it took to unleash that level of power.
"Senketsu! Are ya up for doing something reckless?"
"I don't think Izuku would approve, but we don't have any other choice! Let's do it!" Senketsu answered.
Reckless was something they desperately needed right now. If it worked for Izuku and Kaminari, then it might as well work for Ryuko too!
Meanwhile, the skies hailed with concrete and metal that were broken up by Jakuzure's attacks. Everyone was scrambling away from their seats to avoid getting crushed or impaled by the debris.
"This is insane! Is she trying to kill us?!" Ichiro cried out.
"Everyone! Follow Midnight and head inside! Use your quirks to protect yourselves if you have to!" Cementoss created a stone wall path to shield the class.
"You heard Cementoss! This way, everyone!" Nemuri shouted and motioned towards the door.
Everyone listened and followed Midnight for the exit. Gamagori however, decided to stay directly in place. He didn't even flinch from the rubble falling around him. Tenya gathered many of his classmates before he noticed this and approached him right away.
"Gamagori! Please come with me! We need to get to safety!"
"No need. This is nothing," Ira said calmly.
"What are you talking about? She's destroying everything!"
Gamagori only scoffed, saying nothing more.
"Iida, we gotta go!" Sero called from afar.
Tenya gritted his teeth. Why did Gamagori have to be so hard-headed? Before he could try to convince him further, a scream suddenly rang in his ears. Iida turned to see that many Honnoji students were fleeing. One student was knocked down by his peers amongst the chaos. Everything around Iida was tuned out of focus, as the fear in that student's eyes was all he needed to see.
"ENGINE BOOST!" Without a second thought, Tenya heated up his engines and bolted for the scholar.
"Iida?!" Cementoss cried out.
The no-star disciple cowered in fear as it looked like fate was coming to flatten him with the large debris. Instead he felt the wind in his hair, opening his eyes to find Iida carrying him. The rubble could be seen colliding with the ground, several feet behind where Tenya was standing.
"Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah! Thank you!" the student said with tears welling in his eyes.
"Good. Hold on tight. I'll get you to safety," Tenya reassured him and ran.
Everyone was amazed by how quick Iida was to save him. Even when Honnoji tried to spite him, he acted without hesitation.
Sero caught wind of a group of students that were blown into the air by one of Jakuzure's missiles. Feeling inspired by Iida's action, He scooped them out of the air, reeling them towards him.
"Good aim as always!" Kirishima complimented as he and Sato came to help cushion the scholars' landing.
Uraraka used her famous Comet Home Run to deflect the oncoming concrete. Tokoyami summoned Dark Shadow to catch or shatter the debris that got close to them. Other students in class 1A broke off to save whoever they could. Some of them offered to stay behind to protect Mako and Ichiro.
'Damn, I wish I could do something,' Ichiro's anxiety shot up a little. 'The best thing I can do is try to stay by and help Mako if something goes wrong.'
As the barrage of explosions took their toll on the surrounding area, a pillar began to crack above them. Mankanshoku and Tanaka turned around when they heard the sound of something breaking apart. Both of their eyes widened and Tanaka tried to move, but was frozen stiff with fear.
'Dammit! I- I need to do something! Why can't I move?!'
The crumbling pillar came closer and closer.. This was it. But just before they could get squashed, they were scooped up and quickly brought to safety.
"Huh," Mankanshoku blinked, while Tanaka gasped at how far they'd moved.
He felt someone grabbing the back of his shirt as he turned around to see Midoriya descending with them in tow, a safe distance away from the rubble.
"I've got you!" Izuku hollered through the noise as they finally touched down.
"You… you saved us!" Tanaka gasped out. He wasn't sure exactly what he was feeling, be it relief or a heart attack, but Izuku smiled as there wasn't a cause for worry.
"It's the least I can do," Midoriya gave a brief nod before turning his attention back over to the battlefield. Behind the smile, there was concern about the safety of someone else.
'Ryuko, please be okay!'
Izuku could feel his heart beating out of his chest. All he saw was gusts of smoke and nothing else. Not even a sound. Nothing. After Kaminari's explosion, he had no clue on what happened to his friends, or if the fight was still going on. That was until the dark clouds were blown away by a vibrant magenta-like flame.
"SENKETSU SHIPPU!"
Time slowed down for Izuku, his eyes widened as he watched Ryuko soared through the skies with new jet propulsions and wings. Her face sported a look that burst with energy. Ryuko was going to make sure that she and her teammates would win this. Nothing was going to bring her down. A bright smile made a mark on Izuku's face as a sound of joy escaped his lips.
Aikuro however, was conflicted on whether he should relay the information to Tsumugu or not.
'This is bad. Her Kamui's evolving too fast,' Mikisugi clenched on his device. 'But, her conservation mode should be a good sign. Damn it.'
He wanted to trust Matoi's training at UA, but he also had to see the bigger picture.
Ryuko looped around the arena, finding that Jirou and Kaminari were still on whatever was left of the platform. They were still in the match! But what Kaminari did with his quirk really took a lot out of him. There was no way he could continue.
At least they were both safe. It was now all up to Ryuko to finish this.
'Sit tight, you guys. I'll cut this bitch right outta the sky!'
Jakuzure's anger bottled up inside of her as Ryuko took away her only advantage in the fight. They were on equal ground. The chair of the non-athletic committee, and a transfer student. She couldn't accept it.
"The sky is mine, god damn it. So now the gloves are coming off!"
Multiple panels on Jakuzure's aircraft opened up, her weapons were locked and loaded.
"YOU STINKING BITCH!"
Lasers, Missiles, Music notes, everything that she could possibly throw at Ryuko was unleashed. She was going ballistic! Jakuzure's explosions created a cloud of smoke, making it nearly impossible for her to see anything around her, as well as the audience down below.
"Tell me something, Jakuzure! If you were going to fly the entire time, why'd ya even pick Jirou and Kaminari?" Ryuko asked as she stuck to dark clouds.
"You were just going for easy pickings, weren't ya?! Since they can't fly!"
"Hmm, can you hate a girl for wanting to show her goods? And there's no better way to do that without a couple lab rats!" Nonon said with snide.
"Oh, you are so DEAD!" Ryuko's shout echoed throughout the sky.
"Try it! You're gonna have to hit a lot harder than what your friends di- GLECK!"
Jakuzure's words were stuffed back in her throat when Ryuko flew in with a jab to her nose. She punched hard enough to where Nonon's face was sunk inward before popping back out.
"THAT WAS FOR KAMINARI!" Ryuko hid herself in the smoke to roundabout.
"Damn it! Where is she?" Jakuzure frantically searched around.
Ryuko descended from above her, piercing her scissor blade into the LRAD's spine and cutting it as she ran straight for Nonon.
"Okay that does it! Time to drop the base on ya!" Jakuzure blew her whistle, summoning amps right in front of Ryuko and blasting her with a heavy bass. She was getting rattled by the frequencies, especially up close.
"GNGH! YOU BITCH!" Ryuko reared her arm back and thrusted her sword into one of the amps, shutting it off.
"HEY! QUIT MESSING UP MY GEAR!" Jakuzure screamed.
"Oh I'm about to mess up a whole lot more than your gear!"
Ryuko stabbed her blade into the aircraft and activated her Shippu.
"Since you think you're so "superior," I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I bring you back down to our level again!"
"What are you- WAAAAAAH!" Jakuzure's words were cut off when Ryuko's jets activated, pushing the two of them in the direction of the arena, crashing into it like a meteorite. Thanks to the heavy damage already sustained from Kaminari, Jakuzure's machine finally exploded. Piles upon piles of instruments were sent flying in all directions.
"Holy-!" Jirou exclaimed as she saw the objects soar over her and Kaminari.
"AAAAAH!" Mako shrieked as she ran in multiple directions, trying to avoid being hit by a stray trumpet or flute. She jumped into Izuku's arms, holding onto him for dear life.
"Ah! Hold on, Mako!" Izuku said as he tried to shield her.
"My heerooo~!" Mako cheered while he held her in a bridal position. This was another golden opportunity for Mako to burrow her face in his chest.
Gamagori's jaw dropped, followed by an elongated gasp escaping from his mouth. He grew pale from the horrors he was witnessing in front of him.
"Ow, damn it! I can't believe she got the drop on me!" Jakuzure groaned as she emerged from the rubble. To add insult to injury, Ryuko performed a fly-by sock to the back of her head.
"So what happened to your big performance? Can't ya fly anymore?!" Ryuko asked with a smug grin. "I was just wondering cuz…"
"... If ya can't, you are so screwed."
Nonon's eyes shrunk as she whimpered out of fear. Whatever she had coming to her, it wasn't going to be pretty.
"Jirou, ya want in on this?" Ryuko asked her teammate.
"I wish I could, but-"
"Jirou," Kaminari murmured, garnering her attention.
"I'll be fine. She's all yours. Bust her shit," Kaminari said, albeit his voice was strained. "Do it for our friends."
That was all Kyouka needed to hear as she gently rested Denki against the nearest smooth slope of rubble. She stood up alongside Ryuko, cracking her knuckles with animosity. Her eyes bored a cold glare.
"Gladly."
"Oh yeah!" Ryuko cheered while they both approached the disarmed Jakuzure.
"With pleasure!" Senketsu shouted.
Ryuko started flying circles around, throwing punches at Jakuzure like an angry wasp attacking a bee.
"I could get used to flying around! I LIKE IT!" Senketsu reveled in his newfound ability as Ryuko used it to its fullest.
She didn't forget to give Jirou some opportunities to thrash her however. Ryuko sent Jakuzure stumbling on her feet in Kyouka's direction, allowing her to strike with the meanest haymakers or kicks that she had ever done to another person. Or to hit her with a rock. Whatever satiated Jirou's burning rage.
Kyouka grabbed Jakuzure with both her hands and tossed her into the concrete. She often faced up against people much larger than her, so fighting someone smaller was definitely refreshing. Especially if that someone was part of the scum that was the Elite Four.
"W-Whoa, hold it! I can't fly anymore, so shouldn't you guys give me a handicap? You guys have an unfair advantage! Someone tag in!" Jakuzure scrambled on the ground and tried to plead to their mercy.
"Don't play that card with us. After what you guys did to our friends and what you were about to do to us? You're going down and there's no stopping it," Jirou quickly shut her down.
"I think it's time to end this. Dont'cha think, Jirou?" Ryuko clasped the handle of her scissor blade.
"Go for it. I think I got everything out of my system," Jirou reverted back to her cool demeanor, brushing her hair and sighing.
"But make sure there's nothing left."
"You betcha!" Ryuko shouted as she accelerated towards Nonon.
"FINISHING MOVE: SEN-I-SOSHITSU!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Jakuzure was seen being launched off the arena. And if the rules somehow still applied, that meant that she was defeated by default.
"SHE DID IT!" Mako cheered, and so did the others in 1A. But for some reason, nobody else was applauding. Even Izuku stayed in a neutral position. Mako noticed this and clung onto him, anticipating what might happen next.
Ryuko was on her way to help Jirou and Kaminari walk back to the stands, but Senketsu halted her movement.
"Ryuko wait!"
"What's up?" Ryuko looked down at her Kamui.
"Sen-i-Soshitsu was not achieved," Senketsu answered. "I wasn't able to absorb her life fibers."
"We want more!"
"We want more!"
"WE WANT MORE!"
The Honnoji students were breaking out into a trance, chanting about wanting more. Anyone outside of their circle were left wondering what they wanted exactly.
"Want more what? The fight's over!" Sero shrugged.
"They must want to get to the next fight. Sanageyama is the last fighter," Tokoyami guessed.
"How are they so relaxed after just being saved from impending doom?!" Tanaka racked his brain.
"WE WANT MORE!" Mako said before doing a double take. "Wait, what am I saying?"
"Symphony Regalia Da Capo!"
Bright lights flashed before Ryuko's eyes, forcing her to shield them. From what she was able to see, Jakuzure emerged on a podium that stacked upon one another.
"Where the hell does she get this stuff?" Jirou wondered in disbelief.
"For my encore, I'm gonna go with one of the standards!" Jakuzure said and waved her baton once more.
"She's doing an encore?!" both Ryuko and Jirou exclaimed.
Jakuzure's machinery folded back together as she set foot on equal ground with her opponents.
"Here's a little tune known by everyone all over the world! Beethoven's Symphony No.5: Fate!"
The panel on Nonon's hat unfolded, revealing a large speaker. She flashed Matoi a wicked look in her eye before quickly setting her sights on Jirou and Kaminari. Her speaker unleashed the song at a gargantuan volume, so much so that it manifested into a bright pink beam.
"NOO!" Ryuko lunged towards the two, shoving them out of the way before she was struck by the beam. Ryuko fell into the ground, reduced to a crippled state.
"MATOI!" Kyouka cried out.
"My eardrums!" Ryuko groaned in pain.
"I'M JUST GETTING STARTED!" Jakuzure screamed and cranked up the volume.
Ryuko could barely move. The music was numbing all the nerves in her body. She could even feel her sync with Senketsu slipping rapidly.
"Senketsu! Your connection's getting weak! What's wrong?!" Ryuko asked.
"I don't know! I can barely hear your voice! That music is so loud, it's hurting me!" Senketsu strained.
"For real?!" Ryuko gritted her teeth and planted her hands on the ground to try and get up. "You bitch! Pulling another cheap shot, aren't ya?!"
"Of course! Lightning bolt over there is burnt to a crisp and earphone girl can't ever hope to match my sound! It'd be stupid of me not to take you out first. And what better way to do it than use some guinea pigs to bring you in range of my Symphony Regalia Da Capo?!" Jakuzure shouted proudly.
Jirou set Kaminari somewhere where he could rest and quickly ran to Ryuko's assistance.
'I've gotta help her! If I can just cancel her out. Even just a little bit!'
Jiro covered her ears but plugged her jacks into her boots. Once she got in front of Matoi, she activated her speakers and performed one of her special attacks: Counter-Balance. It was able to barely push back Jakuzure's sound. Ryuko was graced with an opportunity to breathe. Jakuzure's beam then ceased its action, taking a moment to cool down.
"Jirou?" Ryuko looked up at her friend wearily.
"Hey! Couldn't let you do all the work here, Matoi," Jirou jested but stood firm, preparing for the worst.
"Guess your pals aren't completely useless!" Jakuzure said, which struck a nerve with Ryuko. "Though I'd try to bail right now if I were you!"
Jirou and Ryuko could hear the speaker on Jakuzure's head charging itself. Each sound of the bass revving up was sending goosebumps throughout their being.
"I may have tuned my song to disrupt Matoi's life fibers, but those special ears of yours taking the blast head on? Let's say that Honnoji isn't responsible if you end up going deaf!"
Ryuko gasped. Jirou was putting everything on the line for her! If this keeps up, she could lose her dream of becoming a hero!
"Senketsu, Jirou's risking everything for us! Try to focus! We need a plan here!" Ryuko struggled to stand.
"As much as I'd like to do that, every last Life Fiber in me is vibrating to that accursed music!" Senketsu said.
"Then there's only one thing left to do."
Ryuko placed her hand on Jirou's shoulder, which garnered her attention. She then moved past Jirou and stood right in front of her.
"Matoi? What are you-"
"Jirou. I think I have an idea."
"What is it?" Jirou asked.
"When Jakuzure fires her song again, no matter what happens, use your sound. Let her know that she can't drown you out," Ryuko told her.
"Are you sure? You're right in front of me," Jirou wondered, understandably worried.
"Yeah. And besides, I'm the one they're really after. Honnoji brought you guys here because of me. I don't want you to lose your dream because of my mess," Ryuko spoke softly, "If this doesn't work, grab Kaminari and run."
Kyouka could feel herself getting emotional. Ever since the day they met, Ryuko always took the brunt of an attack to protect her friends. She hadn't changed one bit since then, much for the better.
"That's not gonna happen, Matoi."
"Huh?" Ryuko turned back at her.
"We'll win this, just like back in the Battle Trial. We're just as good-a-team as you and Midoriya. Guarantee it," Jirou said with a smirk and lent her hand out.
Ryuko's lips lifted into a smile before she quickly took Jirou's hand, holding it firmly.
"Right!"
"Yawn! I better bring this encore to end before the audience gets even more bored!" Jakuzure patted her mouth before her had projected a scope for her to aim at the two girls.
"HERE'S YOUR FINALE!"
Jakuzure's hat sounded off another beam. There was so much power behind it that her feet tore into the ground as she tried to remain stable. The oncoming blast shook the pavement violently as it made its way towards her opponents. Ryuko closed her eyes and took a deep breath, making an 'X' formation with her arms as well. On Ryuko's command, Kyouka performed Counter-Balance. Small bits of sparkles could be seen amongst the vibrations.
The two sounds collided. Instead of another explosion taking place, the stadium shined with a blinding light. At first, nobody could see what happened to Ryuko and Jirou. Before they could assume the worst, Jakuzure's beam was being split apart and sent away in multiple directions.
"W-Why isn't my music ringing out?!" Jakuzure was befuddled.
"Huh? No way. It… It's not that it isn't ringing out! Matoi's using her power to take both Jakuzure's and Jirou's rhythms, make them resonate, and turn them into a pure tone. Matoi's making them both match her frequency. And with Jirou's added to the mix, she could make an even stronger one!" Inamuta said in disbelief.
"Hey Senketsu, can you hear me now?" Ryuko asked while deep in her thoughts.
"Yes. Loud and clear," Senketsu answered, feeling soothed by the mellow tone that he heard.
"I hear two heartbeats. Is that yours?"
"Both of ours, mine and Jirou's. Just keep focusing on that. Block out every other sound," Ryuko instructed.
"Aaah, so this is your sound," Senketsu could feel himself relaxing. "Your connection with Jirou feels pleasant."
"That's why we're one helluva team," Ryuko grinned. "And now it's time we send Jakuzure's right back!"
With Ryuko's life fibers and Jirou's sound combined, the barrier was able to push back Jakuzure's waves further, putting her on the backfoot!
"SENKETSU MUBYOSHI!"
"Agh! You god damn STINKING BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!" Jakuzure screamed, putting all of her power into the beam out of desperation.
"You ready to rock out, Jirou?!" Ryuko said, feeling amped up.
"You know it!" Kyouka answered. In one last push, she amped up the vibrations of her sound. Once it combined with Ryuko's pure tone, Jakuzure's music was completely outmatched. The pink beam completely evaporated before the non-athletic chairman was engulfed in the wave.
"AAAAAAAAH! YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING!"
The Life Fibers proved to be too much for Jakuzure's Goku uniform, shredding parts of it to pieces and rendering her defenseless. This gave Ryuko the perfect opportunity to finally end this.
"SCISSOR BLADE: DECAPITATION MODE!"
"YOUR CONCERT'S OVER!" Ryuko's thrusters ignited, boosting her in Jakuzure's direction. She prepared one long swing before taking the victory.
"FINISHING MOVE: SEN-I-SOSHITSU!"
Nonon's Goku Uniform was shredded, leaving her naked in defeat for everyone, and worst of all, for Satsuki to see. Her hat plopped onto the ground, soon evaporating with the remaining life fibers being absorbed by Senketsu. Satsuki made sure to watch closely so that she could relay the information to Iori.
Paramedics were deployed onto the field to picking up Kaminari, Jakuzure, and anyone in the stands that were injured or blacked out.
"Would you like us to escort you both to the medical bay?" An EMT asked.
Kyouka glanced over at Matoi, who didn't say a word. It looked like Jirou had the floor. She more than earned the luxury of taking a break in this hellhole. But truthfully, she didn't feel tired enough to sit out. She wanted to stay and watch the rest of the runoff.
"Not a chance. I wouldn't want to miss another minute of these fights," Jirou answered the EMT.
"Same here," Ryuko smiled. "Besides, we only got one fight left."
Ryuko looked up at Sanageyama, who stayed in the same spot he always has.
"Right," Jirou nodded before she and Matoi walked off. Once they got to the bleachers, they split up; Ryuko going over to the no-star section while Kyouka joined the rest of class 1A.
"Ryuko! You did it! You guys won!" Izuku was the first to jump and congratulate her.
"Yeah! You know it!" Ryuko flashed a peace sign at him.
"And Senketsu Shippu?! So cool! There's so much we can do with that once we get back!" Izuku said excitedly.
"Yeah, Ryuko you're so awesome!" Mako joined in on the praise as she was still attached to Izuku. She reached her arm out and pulled Ryuko into a group hug with them.
"C'mon guys!" Ryuko rubbed her head bashfully.
"You fought well, Matoi."
The trio stopped once they knew those words came from Gamagori.
"Say wha?" Ryuko asked.
"You stepped in to help your friends because Jakuzure was getting too overzealous. I commend you for that," Ira stated.
"Right… thanks," Ryuko responded reluctantly.
"What? You on their side now?" Jakuzure grumbled.
Izuku, Ryuko, and Mako were thrown into high alert from Jakuzure's sudden appearance.
"Where the hell did ya come from?!" Ryuko shouted.
"Whoaa! A new friend! Are you gonna sit with us too?" Mako asked.
"Just so you know, Matoi, this ain't over! And that goes for blondie and the bitch with the jacks!" Jakuzure shouted.
"Ah, put a sock in it!" Ryuko bonked the pinkette's head. "Try saying that when you aren't using a literal spaceship in a fight! And don't you dare call her that!"
"Don't tell me what to do!" Jakuzure reached up and pinched Ryuko's nose.
Kyouka sat down once her classmates were done congratulating her and took a breather. One more fight to go. Sanageyama was the final opponent for her class. UA has the lead over Honnoji right now. If they could win this, victory was secured. Kyouka wanted to see this through.
In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but worry about Kaminari. Thankfully she planned to visit him once the battle was finished. Besides, he could probably use the rest right now instead of being disturbed.
"Finally, I get my turn," Sanageyama grinned as he stood up.
"Oh? I didn't know Satsuki gave second chances. Guess she's becoming a big ol' softie! Alright, I'll give you another whooping!" Ryuko chuckled and wound up her arm.
"Heh, you'll have to get in line, Matoi. I'm not fighting you," Sanageyama nonchalantly shut her down.
"Huh?" she tilted her head.
Sanageyama raised his hand up high to the sky. His fingers formed into a pointing position before letting his arm fall, stopping right on Izuku.
"Midoriya. You're the one I want to fight."
To be continued…
Aduubo A/N: Hope you're all doing well everyone! I wanted to get this out before the holiday! Hope you all have a fantastic Christmas! There's no snow where I am oh no