The Demon Within

Chapter 6 Challengers

Key
'Fight' - Thoughts
"Fight!" - Speech
"FIGHT!" - Demon

~ BTYB Izuku trying to be macho ~

Izuku's lips curled up into a wicked grin, only confirming the thought that he was a villain to the three people around him. Then, he brought up his knee right into Crawler's junk, causing the man to let the freckled fighter go. Without a second to spare, he punched Crawler in the cheek, forcing him to be knocked into Knuckleduster.

Next, he tackled Pop Step, forcing her into the brick wall that burst on impact, flinging shards of brick into the air. Running off into the street, he kept his head low with a hand holding down his hood while the other flung around in the air. Before long, he was smacked into the ground and felt a foot pushing him further into the firm sidewalk.

"That was for my balls!" Recognizing his attacker as Crawler, Izuku's wicked grin shrunk immediately.

Moving his hands behind his back, Izuku tensed up the muscles in his arms. "And this is for my back," he mumbled as a swift shink was heard and Crawler's legs were scratched on the outer sides. Keeping his claws out, the freckled fighter pushed himself off the ground and threw Crawler off balance until he fell on the ground. Before the hooded vigilante could strike back, Izuku stabbed his claws into each of his arms, watching the crimson blood swirl around each claw and gather around the base of Izuku's knuckles.

Retracting his claws, the slit between his knuckles sealed up and left behind a pale patch of skin. Starting to run again, Izuku didn't look back until he found another alley to go through and he kept snaking around alleys and streets. Only to stumble and crash into a wall.

Turning his back to the wall, Izuku slumped to the ground and closed his eyes with one of his hands covering them. "Hey, human, make sure you watch your own back." He said, feeling the pain in his eyes simmer down. "Watch my own back?" Izuku repeated, his hand falling down to reveal that his eyes were no longer slit.

He stayed against the wall for a few minutes, letting his fatigue diminish. While he sat, he listened for any sign. There wasn't any hint for nearly ten minutes, and by then, Izuku already stood up and started to walk through alleys, following the echoes of villains and heroes.

For the next few minutes, he walked, one hand against the wall and another holding his hood down. Far in front of him, he heard shouts of dramatic attacks and even a few citizens in need of help, though most of them ended rather abruptly. Finding the end of another alley, Izuku stopped and kept close to the wall.

There were a few people walking on the sidewalk, tired and slouching. All of those people had ignored the freckled fighter, allowing him to walk among them while he searched for another route.

"I found him!"

Kicking down to the ground, he found the succubus woman had found him this time, though she held down his head and arm instead of standing on him as Crawler had done. With the arm she wasn't holding, he pushed himself off the ground and managed to throw her off balance with the sudden burst of strength.

Once he was free, he ran off again with his head facing the ground. Fleeing into an alley, he made sure to knock down a trash can and a few bags left lying around so there would be obstacles for anyone who followed the trail. Though he didn't check if anyone followed him, instead, he kept running until he made it into the downtown area, where more heroes and villains would be.

Yet when he was there, it seemed all the fights had settled down. There was no overdramatic shouts, only casual chatter among those walking along the sidewalk and the side of automobiles. Taking this chance to catch his breath, Izuku walked among a small crowd, hoping that would hide his presence for the time being.