Check out my new fanfic: Jujutsu Kaisen: What is Life?
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Elden Ring should be called Ragebait Rings👀👀 Anyway.....
I will update the chapter tommowrow, as I know you will hit the mile stone. Next: 1400 PS
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And so everyone began to move.
Due to the battlefield being so massive. Most students had no idea where they were, let alone where anyone else was.
The first twenty minutes were spent doing exactly what you'd expect — wandering.
Groups of non-hero class students moved through the undergrowth in tight formations, whispering about their battle plans.
Solo students moved more cautiously. Even the confident ones. Because it didn't matter how strong your quirk was, if a team of five jumped you from the bushes while you were taking a leak behind a tree, you were done, GG's, go next, jungle diff. Strength meant nothing without awareness.
The hero course students had the advantage. They had been trained for combat. Class I-A specifically had experience under pressure. But they were also worth ten points each, which meant every team in the jungle was hunting them.
On the other hand, almost every General Studies and Business class student had teamed up. Five-person squads with matching strategies and coordinated quirks.
But as they say, there are always exceptions. And one of the General Studies students had different plans.
***
Towards the north end of the battlefield, the jungle thinned out into a rocky clearing surrounded by boulders and fallen trees.
Two students stood on opposite sides of the clearing, and both were grinning.
"HOW HARD CAN YOU GET?!!!!!" (AYO!!)
Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, AKA Class 1-B's walking tank, stood in the centre of the clearing.
Ten metres away, Eijiro Kirishima banged his fists together. His skin cracked as his Hardening quirk activated. His grin was just as wide as Tetsutetsu's.
"MUCH HARDER THAN YOU!!!!!!!!" (Sus)
Tetsutetsu's entire body shifted to full steel. Every inch of skin became solid metal.
"THEN COME AT ME!!!!!!!!!!"
They both charged.
The ground shook under their combined weight. Two living battering rams, sprinting at full speed across a rocky clearing, neither of them with any intention of dodging or blocking or doing anything remotely tactical.
They were brawlers. They were manly, and above all...... they were idiots.
CRACK.
They collided in the centre.
Kirishima's hardened fist met Tetsutetsu's steel jaw. Tetsutetsu's metal fist met Kirishima's hardened cheek. The impact sent a shockwave through the clearing, cracking the boulder behind them and sending birds scattering from the canopy.
Neither of them moved.
They stood there, fists buried in each other's faces, grinning through the impact.
Then they flew apart. Both launched backward by the force of their own punches, crashing into the rocks.
In the stadium, the crowd watched the camera feed with wide eyes.
"Are those two kids made of metal?!"
"The red one is like a rock! He didn't even flinch!"
Present Mic's voice boomed. "WE'VE GOT A CLASH OF TITANS IN THE NORTH ZONE!! TETSUTETSU FROM 1-B AND KIRISHIMA FROM 1-A!! TWO HARDENING-TYPE QUIRKS GOING HEAD TO HEAD!! THIS IS GOING TO BE BRUTAL, FOLKS!!"
Aizawa, who was doing commentary beside Present Mic, spoke calmly. "Their quirks are nearly identical in function. This fight will come down to stamina and willpower."
Both students pulled themselves out of the rubble. Neither was scratched.
BBack at the stadium they looked at each other.
And grinned again.
Kirishima rushed towards Tetsutetsu and threw a low hook aimed at Tetsutetsu's ribs. The hardened fist connected with a clang that echoed through the trees.
Tetsutetsu took it like a man. His steel body dented slightly, then popped back. He grabbed Kirishima's arm with both hands.
"GOT YOU!!"
He turned, swinging Kirishima off his feet and hurling him across the clearing. Kirishima flew ten metres, hit a tree trunk, and snapped it in half on impact.
He rolled, recovered, and was already running back before the tree finished falling.
They clashed again. This time, Kirishima jumped and aimed for the top of Tetsutetsu's skull. Tetsutetsu raised both arms to block. The punch hammered down on his crossed guard with enough force to crack the stone beneath his feet.
Tetsutetsu pushed upward, throwing Kirishima's arms wide, and headbutted him square in the face.
CLANG.
The sound of hardened skin meeting solid steel rang through the jungle.
Both of them stumbled, then laughed.
Tetsutetsu grabbed Kirishima by the collar and pulled him into a clinch. They grappled, as steel fingers dug into hardened shoulders, crimson-edged hands gripping metal arms. They shoved, pulled, and tried to throw each other. Neither gave an inch.
Tetsutetsu hooked his leg behind Kirishima's ankle and rotated. Kirishima hit the ground hard, and Tetsutetsu dropped on top of him, driving his steel elbow into Kirishima's guard.
Kirishima caught the elbow and rolled them both over. Now he was on top. He rained down punches, each one clanging off Tetsutetsu's steel face like a hammer on an anvil.
Tetsutetsu took every hit. Then he wrapped both arms around Kirishima's torso and squeezed. A classic bear hug.
Kirishima pulled back a bit, then headbutted Tetsutetsu to break free. Once. Twice. Three times. On the third, Tetsutetsu's grip loosened, and Kirishima rolled away.
They both scrambled to their feet, panting.
Five minutes of non-stop brawling. No breaks. No strategy. Just two boys who hit hard and refused to go down.
In the stadium, the crowd was losing their minds.
"THESE TWO ARE INSANE!!"
"NEITHER OF THEM WILL QUIT!!"
"THIS IS THE BEST FIGHT SO FAR!!"
Present Mic was screaming. "FIVE MINUTES OF PURE BRAWLING AND NEITHER STUDENT HAS GONE DOWN!! THIS IS WHAT THE SPORTS FESTIVAL IS ALL ABOUT, PEOPLE!!"
Both students stood across from each other, breathing hard, still grinning.
Tetsutetsu wiped his mouth with the back of his steel hand.
"You're strong," he said.
Kirishima cracked his neck.
"You're manly."
They both started laughing, as two idiots who found a rival.
Tetsutetsu held out his hand.
"Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu," he said. "Remember it."
Kirishima grabbed it and shook.
"Eijiro Kirishima. And trust me, I will."
Tetsutetsu grinned. "I want to face you again in the 1 v 1. So, how about we go our separate ways?"
Kirishima nodded. "Deal. See you in the tournament."
"Yo."
Both of them stopped.
A lazy voice came from the treeline to the west.
A figure stepped out of the shadows.
Both Kirishima and Tetsutetsu went on alert. Kirishima's hardening activated. Tetsutetsu's skin shifted back to steel.
Kirishima frowned as he recognised the face.
"You're the trash-talking guy from back then," Kirishima said. "The one who insulted Boss in front of the whole school. The super unmanly dude."
Shinso smiled. It was the same tired, unbothered smile he always wore.
"And what are you going to do about it?" he asked.
Kirishima's frown deepened. "What are you talking about? I'm not going-"
Blank.
Kirishima's eyes went empty. His body went still as he stood there like a statue, arms at his sides, face completely vacant.
Frozen in place.
The stadium gasped.
Tetsutetsu looked at Kirishima. Then at Shinso.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!!" Tetsutetsu yelled, stepping forward.
Shinso didn't move. He looked at Tetsutetsu with that same half-lidded expression.
"Would you like to know?" he asked, tilting his head.
Tetsutetsu's steel jaw clenched. "YEAH!! TELL ME W-"
Blank.
Tetsutetsu's eyes, too, went blank.
Two students. Two heavy hitters. Two of the toughest fighters in the first year.
Both standing like dolls.
The stadium was dead silent.
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"
"DID THAT KID JUST TAKE OUT BOTH OF THEM?!"
"HE DIDN'T EVEN TOUCH THEM!!"
Present Mic leaned forward. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!! SHINSO HITOSHI FROM THE GENERAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT HAS JUST TAKEN CONTROL OF BOTH KIRISHIMA AND TETSUTETSU!! A MIND CONTROL QUIRK!! HE DIDN'T THROW A SINGLE PUNCH!!"
Aizawa continued.
"Brainwashing quirk. He activates it when the target verbally responds to him. Both students answered his questions. Both fell under his control."
The crowd erupted into debate.
"That's cheating!!"
"It's not cheating, it's his quirk!"
"That's so unheroic! Heroes don't control people's minds!!"
"Are you kidding? That's the smartest thing I've seen all day! He waited for them to exhaust each other and then took them both without lifting a finger!!"
"That kid is terrifying!!"
In the VIP box, Mei leaned forward with raised eyebrows. "Now that's interesting. The kid didn't fight. He waited for the two brawlers to tire each other out, then walked in and scooped them up."
Yu nodded. "Patience, timing, and a quirk that bypasses physical combat entirely. He is a smart one."
***
Two drones descended from above, hovering over Kirishima and Tetsutetsu, ready to extract them.
"Wait," Shinso called out.
The drones paused.
From their speakers, Midnight's voice came through. "What is it?"
Shinso looked up at the drones.
"Can you not take them out?"
"Why?"
Shinso gestured at the two brainwashed students. "My quirk allows me to control people. They're under my command now. In short, for now, they are my soldiers."
He put his hands back in his pockets.
"Having heavy hitters like these two on my side will help me in the later rounds. And technically, they're being used as an extension of my quirk. General Studies students are allowed to team up. My quirk IS my team."
***
In the stadium, the crowd was split yet again.
"He can't do that!!"
"Why not? His quirk controls people. That's how it works."
"That's messed up! Those two didn't agree to this!!"
"This is a battle royale! Nobody agrees to anything!!"
Back in the commentary booth, Present Mic looked at Aizawa. "What do you think, Eraser?"
Aizawa was quiet for a moment. Then he spoke.
"There's no rule against it. His quirk is his quirk. If Brainwashing lets him command other students, that's no different from any other quirk that affects opponents. The drones determine elimination based on whether a student can continue fighting. These two can still fight — they're just not in control of it."
He paused.
"Approved."
Midnight's voice came through the drone speakers.
"Permission granted. Good job, Shinso."
The drones flew back up.
In the stadium, the reaction was immediate. Cheers from those who appreciated the strategy. Boos from those who thought it was dirty.
"YOU HEARD IT, FOLKS!! SHINSO HITOSHI NOW HAS TWO OF THE TOUGHEST FIRST-YEARS IN THE ENTIRE SCHOOL UNDER HIS CONTROL!! THE GENERAL STUDIES STUDENT IS PLAYING A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME!!"
Back in the jungle, Shinso looked at Kirishima and Tetsutetsu and smiled.
"Let's go."
He turned and started walking toward the centre of the battlefield. Behind him, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu followed like puppets on invisible strings.
A General Studies kid with no combat training, walking through a battle royale with two armoured soldiers at his back.
Now that was news material.
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Shinso was one of char's I thought was under-used. Just imagine him controling 3-5 high ranking hero's. Dude would be so strong. So in this, I decided to buff him a litlle. Hope you understand.
Hope I did not overdid it.