Inquisitor

- Chapter: 61 -

Izumi knew something was off. She could feel that something was wrong. Midnight was raising her whip to declare that she was the winner of the match, but Izumi could tell that match wasn't over.

The laughter proved her right.

Just as Midnight started to lower her whip to declare Izumi the victor of the sports festival, she jerked her arm back and spun around to look at Katsuo.

Katsuo's laughter echoed in Izumi's ears. It was chaotic, sporadic, and terribly, horrendously, unhinged. Izumi knew that something was wrong. That something inside of Katuso had just snapped. But even so, she couldn't believe that sound. After all, it sounded so...

Joyous.

It was deranged, unfiltered, maniacal, and yet Izumi could tell that Katsuo's laughter was undeniably filled to the brim with joy.

Katsuo brought his legs closer to his body, so that his feet were planted firmly on the ground then raised his body upwards until he was standing. The entire time his crazed, demented, and piercingly joyous laughter echoed through Izumi's mind.

Katsuo's head rolled and twisted to face Midnight. "No need to stop the match, Midniiiiiight!!!" His lips twitched, then split and a crack formed on his face in the shape of a smile. Izumi could tell that even through his psychotic smile, it was born of joy.

Izumi only then realized not all joy was good.

Katsuo's voice called out again, this time his head swiveling to face directly at Izumi letting her see his eyes were completely consumed by the red glow of his quirk. "I'm juuuuust fine!" His voice was just as crazed as the rest of him, holding onto and stretching out letters as his pitch rose and fell with no pattern.

Izumi watched as Midnight walked back to the podium, and understood that the fight would continue. She looked across the field at Katsuo, and understood that this fight would be different than the previous one. Izumi understood that Katsuo wasn't Katsuo. But whatever was going on with him, she understood that she would knock him out of it.

Katsuo watched as Izumi powered back up, the green lightning arcing across her body. He slid a foot forward and leaned into it, stretched his arms open wide and he yelled out at her.

"All right Izuuuumiiiii!!! Let's get the real battle..."

"StArTed!!"

Katsuo lurched forward and started dashing at Izumi.

Izumi waited until Katsuo had closed half the distance to make her move. Izumi moved her right foot forward and set it on the ground in front of her.

Katsuo reached half-way and Izumi appeared right before him, her fist in his stomach.

Katsuo was knocked into the air by only a few centimeters, his eyes wide and mouth agape. He landed on his feet unevenly, and stumbled around for a moment. Before jumping and twisting in the air, sending a kick directly at Izumi's head.

Izumi caught the kick, her strength allowing her to easily stop all the momentum in Katsuo's leg. Izumi swung at Katsuo with her other arm, only for her fist to meet nothing but air. Katsuo twisted his body around his leg, swinging her arms around to give him extra rotational power, to raise his other leg above her head and start bringing it down.

Izumi couldn't counter the attack in time, nor could she throw up any form of usable block. Knowing that if Katsuo's axe kick landed she'd be in serious trouble, she opted to simply throw him away from her using her strength and her hold on his leg to push him back and send him cartwheeling through the air.