My kiroshis flew wildly through the thicket of the woods in search of…
*thwack*
That.
A rock had just been launched at me like a bullet, clocking me on the back of my chrome dome. But even when I whipped my head around to retaliate, all I could catch was a blur repositioning itself through the tree line. I lost track of it just as quick. It didn't really hurt much but damnit, she kept hitting the same spot and it was starting to ache.
This game of cat and mouse has not been going in my favor, I've been pelted with debris for the last fifteen goddamn minutes and every time I try and get close I'll see a swath of red and black, feel myself getting launched away like I got kicked by that damn deer again and then she goes back to hiding for the next ambush. It was getting aggravating.
I was trying to hold back on using my speedward because it felt like a cop out against an old lady, but getting left in the dust like this really grates on my nerves. We're talking about the legendary Sandy from Santo here cmon.
Wasn't the point of this to get better with my quirk anyway?
The world shifted into a gradient of turquoise light, the sway in the leaves slowed to a crawl and I could feel the familiar adrenaline rush hit me. My legs were stacked with fortified ankles and Jenkins tendons, a combo made for high intensity bursts of speed. The feeling of sudden strength and heightened perception was intoxicating.
I launched myself toward the heat sig my Kiroshis had locked; too large to be a squirrel or bird in the treeline, yet buzzing through it at car speeds. The ground fractured from my initial velocity, catching up to her after spending a few slivers of a second barreling through branches.
Caught slightly off guard by the sudden switching of gears, the matron met my nearly super sonic charge with a kick that lashed out at my head before her eyes had even landed on me. Unlike before though I was more than quick enough to keep up and evade the high kick, quickly grabbing the attacking leg and attempted to fling her into the ground.
I was forced to drop that plan when, with a flexibility scary for a woman her age, flipped her other leg into the air for an axe kick that would shatter a normal man's forearm and seriously dent mine. Left with no choice to evade I didn't drop the offensive, otherwise she may slip away again.
I let the follow up jab fly, the blow careening through the air where her head had been an instant ago. She didnt have her eyes open I realized, she wasn't even looking at my assault. She simply floated through my attacks like a leaf in the wind. Attacks that were coming at subsonic speeds.
How. In. The. Fuck? I thought her quirk only had something to do with that red blur I had seen a moment ago, what precognition bullshit is this?
Fine old bat let's see how long you can keep up.
I stopped moving at near bullet speeds and started moving at actual bullet speeds. My fists turned into a blitz of sharp, air breaking snaps. She successfully got around the first three hits, eyes widening at the increased intensity. Then the fourth clipped her side, the weight of my metal plated fist throwing her slightly off tempo.
Slightly was all I needed, my leg whipped out caught her across her hurried guard instead of her ribs. Regardless I kicked through it and launched her like a soccer ball deeper into the woods. There, now we're even and I tagged you back, good game old lady.
A crash of broken tree limbs and scattering wildlife erupted, before those same methodical steps trailed from the wreckage that I knew to be hers. She came from the dust unharmed her clothes only hardly scuffed and torn by the landing.
"Nice one…"
She stepped into view and I couldn't tell if she was pissed or excited. All I know is, I might be royally fucked.
"You little shit."
Vermillion butterfly wings blossomed from behind her. Thin antennas that had looked just like regular hair stood at attention and swayed in the wind.
All in all? Really nova looking for a lady who was like 70 years old minimum.
Before I knew it she was in front of me, majestic ten foot wings cascading from her. My synapse accelerator kicked in just in time to drop under the first punch. As it timed out I had a moment of lag before I switched to the sandy, during which I was subject to a dozen jabs, sharply thudding against my armor plating.
It stung a bit but more importantly my center of balance was fucked and my heavy chrome ass was about to topple from the tree branch.
The slow mo of my sandy fell over me before I could plummet. I grabbed her wrist to yank myself back up then with my foot having some hold on the bark I pivot; swinging her by the wrist and successfully tossing her over my shoulder and towards the ground.
Except she simply unfurled her wings and with incredible coordination glided along the forest floor, bleeding off all the downward momentum with an unreadable expression.
Successfully was a stretch huh?
"Your definitely sturdy, the speed and reaction time is your strong suit and your strength isn't far behind. But…" Her voice echoed through the forest.
"Your panting already. We've only been fighting for a few minutes. I haven't done any meaningful damage and yet your already showing that you're running outta gas."
Well yeah but I've been chasing you and keeping my armor and internal upgrades up for the last fifteen minutes, add that on top of the fact that I didn't even eat and refuel yet, my quirk is running on fumes.
"What's the matter? Tired of getting tossed around old lady?" Wouldn't tell her that though, fifteen minutes and three minutes of actual combat was the most I got? This was the most I've been fired up since 'the deer' incident, I wasn't done yet. Speaking of fired up…
Her face had gone completely blank, as if trying to understand how every choice of her retirement plan had led her to this moment. An expression gone perfectly blank, eyes seemingly losing their light shimmer for a breath. I should definitely get ready for hell, but I was kinda excited for it.
I have to optimize what I have, bare minimum, just the sandy and the Jenkins tendons to keep up, my kiroshis, and light armor plating should be enough that any damage left behind will only be light bruises when I revert my implants.
I had never had the chance to really train with this much intensity in either life, at least not without actually endangering myself. I want her to keep the pressure up, see if I'll be able to overcome it. This is way more fun than running around town and lifting weights! I can actually feel myself getting better in real time.
I allowed my few extra implants to melt away in a sea of sparks, the security I felt a moment ago with my blood pump vanishing along with it. In its place was a feeling, that same feeling that I thought I left behind in my last life. A cloying stir of anxiety and excitement.
Like I was back on the knives edge where I should be.
—————
'This little fucker, if I didn't know you were just bluffing because you're starting to feel the burn I'd have turned him into a pinball across these trees.'
Well actually, looking at my most vulgar child with a knife for a tongue at the age of two, I wasn't exactly surprised he'd be this, scrappy.
Brash and quick to react yes but he tries to get what he can out of every exchange.
He's also surprisingly durable even more so then I thought. Throwing the rocks, I was trying to gauge his ability to avoid ambushes and to react to threats, however he never saw them as one, so he didn't bother dodging, there were plenty of times he tried catching the rocks but half the speed of sound is pretty rough on most projectiles so they usually just shatter against him.
Obviously I wasn't throwing with my full strength, if I did I worried his neck might just snap along with the sound barrier. But throwing at half strength I still only made his head be knocked to the side every time before he scratches it like an itch.
'It has been a while since I've had to do anything so physical, I don't want to accidentally get caught up and forget my own strength against the brat, as sturdy as he is.'
'But I think he'll learn to keep his mouth shut after a few introductions.
It's time for your teeth to meet the trees you scrappy little shit stain.
—————-
"Oh my sweet boy." Her calm had returned, and that terrified me too no end. Her face held the satisfaction of a parent that believes they've found appropriate disciplinary actions and have set their course.
Oh fuck me, let's do this.
"Let's see you grit those teeth."
Or maybe don't, I rescind my statement.
With a flap of her wings she vanished, appearing at my flank an instant later to deliver a full send drop kick I could only barely turn my head to react to. The blow sent me spiraling into an oak, snapping it in half and leaving my mouth bleeding and my enhanced nose crooked to the side at uncanny angle.
'Owww motherfucker, that's what I'm talking about!'
She didn't slow her assault as my world slipped into the jade hue of the sandy, her movements only became visible to me now, still outpacing how fast I could move with a tier 4 sandy, and my Apogee cost way too much energy to keep up right now. Hell I'm already feeling the drain using this.
I do my best to deflect what I can but it's like she's in a pin ball machine; launching herself with explosive force with her wings and bouncing between the trees. Every blow that gets through is nothing like the taps from earlier, not with her insane momentum. Instead it feels like when Maine first punched me when I was still full ganic, definitely bruising as I think about it.
An elbow blurs its way under my hands, preoccupied trying to block the feinted haymaker coming at mach speed. My chest crunches slightly as the wind is knocked out of me and I'm launched through the tree canopy into open the air. With no ground to maneuver on I was left wide open watching her ascend up above me before dive bombing and holding her ankles behind her, both knees poised to crush and drop me into the ground.
I panicked, If that first drop kick left my face mangled, what would happen if I let that connect? She had the force of gravity and her wings sending her down like a sniper round. All I could do was grit my teeth and pour what little I had left of my energy into upgrading my armor and adding impact plating. I don't think it's enough but it's all I got left on an empty stomach.
I had a split second to think and with it came clarity. A grin split my face in acceptance, the sandy had just timed out and I had traded the kerenzikov thinking I could keep up if I banked on it. My tank was spent so refreshing it was a no go. I don't even have enough energy to up my armor anymore only to watch as she descends like a humanoid meteor.
'Guess I lost, huh? Fights with quirks are pretty fun! Fuck this is gonna-'
*Thwip~*
Instead of the devastating impact I was expecting a sharp flick to my forehead was all I received sending me tumbling to the ground.