As soon as the command left Bakugo's lips a great shadow cast over the battlefield, shielding them from the stinging rain and howling wind. A radiant bolt of lightning carved the dragon's rising fists against the murky sky. He raised them high above his head, dropping them a heartbeat later, like meteors plummeting from the stars.
"Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami bellowed. With a thundering cry, the being of darkness erupted from his chest.
"Finally!" The Nightmare pulsed and swirled, sucking the storm's darkness into himself like a black hole. Larger he swelled until his size was comparable to the other dragon. Like a blacksmith's hammer beating down on the red hot mold of a sword, sunset fists met gaseous purple talons.
Hundreds of living tendrils jutted from Dark Shadow's back as his once yellow eyes darkened to a murky gold. His obsidian teeth glistened with purple goo beneath a resounding roar. Tokoyami floated deep at the center of the full bodied drake, anguished by his bond's forceful emergence. The pain was immeasurable, though it was a practice he had long ago learned to endure.
"Stay back! Dark Shadow does not know friend from enemy in this state!" Paralyzed and spiraling out of control, Tokoyami choked on a curdled cry as his bond lunged at the other reptile.
The berserker pressed its hind legs deep into the ground and shouldered forward, driving the nightmare back with ease. Neither cared for those unfortunate enough to get caught beneath their feet.
After another rough shove from the orange dragon, Dark Shadow slipped out of its grasp like a slimy fish, causing his foe to stumble. The nightmare then coiled around the berserker's muscular torso, sinking his fangs deep into its steely flesh.
His foe writhed to escape, thrusting all its weight forward and dragging the nightmare with it, where it caught Dark Shadow's neck in a strong head lock. Like a ghost, the nightmare's entire upper body dissipated, and the berserker pounded its fist into the ground with a frustrated cry. Dark Shadow reappeared out of reach, frothing black at the lips.
Before the berserker could bat him away, Dark Shadow inhaled sharply then quickly exhaled, dousing his enemy in a waterfall of black steam. As if the fog had a mind of its own, it dispersed into many other dancing clouds, attempting to sink into the berserker's skin and sap its soul away.
This only excited the berserker more, drawing from it a low purr, "You fight not just fists?! We can, too!"
The titan projected a blaze of scarlet, completely smothering Dark Shadow and his army of clouds. Both dragon and tamer screeched as their body shrunk in the presence of light.
"Be strong, Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami encouraged, feeling the intensity of his bond's pain. The nightmare shook his heavy head, slithering away from the fire in hopes of drawing its source away. The berserker hunted them down with boiling vapor saturating its teeth, heating them red.
"Weak to fire!?" It spat, "Pathetic!"
Dark Shadow recoiled, hissing as the enemy's throat grew a thousand times brighter. Unable to fight back, they shied away as hot embers melted over the berserker's violet tongue.
However, another glowing ribbon tethered its muzzle shut, forcing the beast to swallow its flames. Smoke spewed from its nostrils as Sero returned with a wide and frantic grin. He aimed another ribbon around Mina's waist as she galloped on the ground, boomeranging himself downward and flinging her upward.
A deadly silver river spilled from her fingertips. She took aim at its feral, paper thin eyes, but the titan spotted her and yanked its head upward, taking the hit to its jaw instead. It didn't even flinch, despite its bloody scales rotting away under the fluid.
She aimed her hands once more at its malevolent stare. To her dismay, its sunset wings overshadowed her. The dragon beat its wings, casting her away with a torrent of wind. Luckily, Iida was there to somewhat soften her fall.
Kaminari raced past them, housing a heavy build up of static. As soon as his teammates were safely out of the way, he steered his horse close, slapping a hand against its amber scales, expelling a great shockwave through its body.
As he retreated with a triumphant pump of his fist, Tokoyami's previous warning proved true. An angry growl rattled in Dark Shadow's throat as the tendrils leeching on his back suddenly honed in on the blond.
"SMASH!" Deku shot forward to intervene, awakening the darkness with a hundred bolts of cyan energy. He splashed back into the grass, dragging his mossy locks out of his misted face, as hundreds more of these mindless snakes tangled to get to him first. A strong kick was enough to send the first batch away, then a swift punch for the next, proceded by another vibrant smash, but the last swarm closed in before he was ready.
Thankfully, Todoroki let loose a glacier of ice. It rose up before Deku, cutting off the last of the living darkness. The two turned to escape, but not before Todoroki froze the berserker's feet to the ground.
They passed Kirishima as he ruthlessly hurled a man with a dark green mask into the hostile crowd. Despite the tens of enemies charging the hybrid with weapons and spells, his thoughts remained tethered to the danger approaching from the wasteland. Surely he was just being paranoid, he thought as he tossed aside another enemy. He hardened against an oncoming sword when the realization came to him: the person leading this attack was not in any rush to get here. It was very unlike their first encounter in the ruins of Hellflame.
Fear, or perhaps experience, deemed the berserker the lesser threat. Lithely side-stepping an attack, Kirishima found an opening where he could search for the real enemy, but his quick scan of the distance made terror seize him like a harpoon through the heart. The rolling hills were empty, and the tamer in the distance was gone.
Everything happened faster than Kirishima's horror ridden mind could process. Behind him, an explosion from Bakugo as he sailed straight between the two titans. A burst of orange heat smashed against the berserkers face, while the nightmare cowered from the straying light.
The ground shuddered on a nearby hill, giving way to a cluster of rocky pillars. Rain and malice streamed from the bodies of Overhaul and many of his followers as they soared at the unsuspecting prince in the sky.
Kirishima, becoming overwhelmed by enemies and struck helpless in the midst of turmoil, could do nothing but scream. "BAKUGO!"
At the faint sound of his name Bakugo whipped his head around, choking at the sudden kaleidoscope of colors, all loyally following a single ungloved hand. Above a crooked mask like a bird's beak, dandelion eyes brought flashing memories of the ruined city. Just as it had been, the prince was heavily outnumbered, with only one solution.
He charged his power in his hands as fast as he could, his palms becoming brighter and brighter. Inches before Overhaul's fingers reached him, Bakugo released the detonation without a single care for himself or anything around him. Like a firework of phoenix feathers, first a blinding, bloody light, then a deafening sound, tailed by an aftershock so heavy it sent all who were airborne careening in every direction. It forced the entire battle to a standstill. Soldiers trailed fire as they rained from the ocean of clouds.
Bakugo fell straight down, hitting the ground with a loud thump as grass and dirt jumped from the impact. Muscles rolling and aching, he lumbered onto his feet, grimacing from the wide burn left on his bare chest.
Across the clearing, Overhaul staggered to a stand, destroying his wounded arm then bringing it back a second later, good as new. He adjusted his mask as a few brave villagers rushed him, only to lose their lives by a cluster of spears. Then his sights bore on Bakugo and he slapped a bare hand into the wet grass, splitting the earth with spikes of his own concocted material.
Leaping high above it, Bakugo withdrew his fist and heaved a red hot combustion. Overhaul deflected it with a shield of earth. After a swift punch, he retaliated with a cluster of earth hurtling forward. It smacked Bakugo down and Overhaul charged him again, but something else slammed into his side, tossing Overhaul out of reach.
Spraying puddles as he skidded to a stop, Overhaul challenged the pair of beady red eyes beneath sopping red hair. Kirishima put on a confident face, but the tamer could see straight through it; the hybrid was nothing but terrified.
Without giving Kirishima the chance to act, Overhaul dropped, resurrecting a battalion of spikes. Kirishima bulldozed through, unaware of Overhaul's speedy approach from the side. By the time he spotted the tamer, an ungloved finger already pricked his arm.
All Kirishima felt was the pain of his skin cracking and bursting, but to both their astonishment his body continued to resist the destructive magic. His arm kept its form, while above him, Overhaul disappointedly sighed.
"Still so unbelievably stubborn." Then he struck once more, barraging Kirishima with sharp edges of stone.
He planted his feet and locked his arms, tanking any attack that came his way. For a time, Kirishima was unwavering. Until, as he was focused on punching through a sharp slab, another pillar sprang from under his feet, launching him into the air where another cylinder slapped him back to the ground. The wind left his lungs and his vision went blank.
Meanwhile, Bakugo rejoined the fight, thrusting a flame-covered fist at Overhaul's shoulder. It exploded, throwing the tamer off balance and landing him in another explosive uppercut from the raging blond. After sliding across the clearing, the masked man picked himself onto his knees and reset the wounds on his body. He lifted his head with a promising shadow of vengeance.
Kirishima took a stand beside Bakugo, receiving no acknowledgement. The prince's wary expression spoke more than what could have been conveyed aloud. It was just as it had been during their first encounter in Hellflame.
"Admittedly, you're quite the hurdle, Prince Bakugo." Overhaul said with a soft snort. "Until our last encounter, I'd never been so close to death. You have regained some of my respect."
"Next time I won't be so generous." Bakugo snapped back, sparks flying from his hands. Overhaul hummed quietly as thunder cracked and the rain showered hard against their pale faces.
"Kacchan!" Deku's determined smile appeared in Bakugo's peripheral. "Let us help you this time!"
On the other side of Kirishima, Todoroki nodded tenaciously. Kirishima returned it, hoping the rain hid the nervous sweat he built in the presence of Overhaul.
To everyone's surprise, instead of denying the offer, Bakugo hunched into a battle-ready stance. "Stay out of my way unless you want to get blown to shit again!"
"I'll do my best!" Midoriya flicked the raindrops from his face as his body bloomed a cyan light. Todoroki also readied his right hand with frost, and those standing to his left felt heat radiate.
With a loud clang of his fists, Kirishima's body solidified. He was terrified, but he was going to ensure his teammates prevailed. He refused to let anyone else die because of him.
The battle resumed, the sounds of fighting and chaos surrounding them. Overhaul wasted no time burrowing his fingers into the dirt, erecting skewers in a wide line. Todoroki was quick on his feet, responding with an equally large glacier. The elements collided like an avalanche and a rockslide, dumping shards of glass and pockets of earth all over the ground.
One side glance from Bakugo was all it took for Kirishima to know what to do. Leaving his friends behind, Kirishima rushed the carnage, digging his feet and fingers into the protruding ice for better grip. He hauled himself through the glittering mist, emerging directly above Overhaul.
The tamer abandoned his spot, using the earth to throw himself far from Kirishima's outstretched arms. The hybrid cursed at himself, churning dead grass under his feet in pursuit. He reached his hands out again, trying but failing to grab a hold of their enemy.
Overhaul spun midair, dragging a heavy cylinder to his side and bashing Kirishima on the hip. The hybrid tumbled into the mess of ice and stone, clutching his shattered skin.
"I'm no fool, Riot. You could not possibly expect to pull the same trick twice." Overhaul kicked a shard of ice from his path then ran in the opposite direction. Confused and shaken by the use of his abandoned name, Kirishima pushed himself to his feet and gave chase.
A sudden flash of green sent Overhaul reeling for balance. Deku's swift heel smashed against Overhaul's chest. The tamer quickly restored his ribs before the small powerhouse could get close again.
Though Deku had the advantage with speed, Overhaul had complete control over the terrain. He easily threw Deku off his feet by shattering the field, using the moment of slowness to close in. His hand lashed out to grab Midoriya, but failed once more upon another rough shove from Kirishima. The tamer's hand pressed against the hybrid's bicep with nothing but a few cracks as a result.
Growling low, Overhaul split their battleground in two, turning its pieces into spikes and forcing both males out of the way. One sharp spear stabbed Midoriya's calf, splattering blood all over his green tunic.
Then Overhaul abandoned them, scouring the crowd for someone specific. He raised himself on a pillar as another streak of ice burrowed his way. He unhappily took the challenge of the boy with the bicolored hair.
Spraying snow from his right side, Todoroki evaded Overhaul's chaotic retaliation. He rushed the masked man by leaping from his quick growing glacier, hurling an icicle that cloaked his entire arm. It pierced the enemy's shoulder but crumbled away when Overhaul lay hands on it.
"You're nothing but a corrupted pest!" Overhaul dragged his feet, churning the earth with hundreds of lances. It bashed Todoroki roughly against the side of a large spike.
Overhaul lunged, but again, was thrown off balance by Kirishima. The tamer's frustrated hiss made the hybrid flinch, but just as before, Overhaul didn't accept his challenge. They tangled around the broken field until Overhaul had the chance to slip away by trapping Kirishima's leg between a couple spikes.
As Kirishima tore free, he couldn't figure why Overhaul was ignoring him. Last time, all the masked man wanted was to get his hands on Kirishima's dragon, but now it seemed the tamer didn't give a shit about him. If not Kirishima, then who was he after?
The answer to his question couldn't have shown more clearly. Right before his eyes, Bakugo and Overhaul collided head on. The look on the villain's face was nothing short of murderous.
Bakugo repelled out of reach as Overhaul swiped the empty air. The enemy pursued, fabricating thousands of spikes from all angles to corral Bakugo closer. However, the slayer was incredibly nimble and dodged every one of these attacks.
As Overhaul prepared another devastating attack, for the third time Kirishima flew into view and took the hit. By now, Overhaul was seething from the constant interruptions. He took aim at Kirishima but instead received an explosive hit from Bakugo. Kirishima's fist met the tamer's stomach, sending him far away.
Deku and Todoroki kept to the edge of the duel, warding off spikes in hopes Kirishima could get close. Overhaul reached for Deku as he got a little too close, but Kirishima shoved himself between them. The green haired mage landed a bedazzling kick to Overhaul's head before he retreated for Bakugo to take his place.
Bakugo thrust a heavy explosion to the masked man, but it was useless as Overhaul quickly healed the moment it happened. Meanwhile, Todoroki circled around, bashing Overhaul repetitively with icicles.
Attacks from all sides overwhelmed the brunette, and it didn't help that Kirishima stood between his friends, taking every hit like it was nothing. Overhaul's frustration grew more and more, until finally he had enough, giving it his all into the ground.
A mountain as big as the glacier Todoroki created during the tournament rose from beneath their feet. Bakugo and Todoroki quickly fled while Deku raced in and saved Kirishima from being buried alive. Nearly the entire battlefield became swamped with spikes, causing many to fall wounded or bleeding out.
Overhaul stood hunched at the top of it all. Blood dripped from a gash on his head, sticking to his hair and staining the gold plates of his mask. He almost didn't bother to heal it due to his immense anger.
"Such sickness thrives inside the lot of you..." He looked down on them with disgust, "You grow weaker every day and taint our world with your false beliefs! You don't even TRY to understand the flaws of which you fight for!"
He punched into the mountain, crumpling it to ash in a matter of seconds. The debris merged together like a rolling wave that surged over the four at the bottom. Todoroki fought back with hills of ice, but the earth was far greater, and he and his team were forced to flee.
Overhaul followed in suit of Bakugo until he saw Kirishima change course and rush in their direction. The tamer reacted fast by splitting his creation and throwing half of it at the hybrid. "Enough of your interference!"
Kirishima braced himself, but the collision was much more like a painful belly flop into water. The flowing materials encapsulated his body inside a cluster of thick spikes that held tighter the more he struggled.
"Kirishima!" Deku reached for his friend but could get no closer as chaos inevitably overwhelmed him. He surged into the sky, pummeling any spear threatening to bring him down.
"Look out!" Kirishima's warning came too late. Deku rounded on another pillar, where an unseen spike shot from behind and pierced his unwounded leg. He gasped, then cried as two more tunneled through his shoulder and waist.
A silent scream escaped Kirishima. Guilt boiled in his gut making him nauseous. He tried to break free but he was completely stuck. It was the same feeling of helplessness as before, where he did nothing but watch Overhaul come so close to claiming each of his friend's lives.
Bakugo and Todoroki blew past him simultaneously. The prince fired rapid explosions at Overhaul while the heir defended Deku from other enemies and spikes. Kirishima wanted to tell them to stop but his wavering voice couldn't carry.
Todoroki reached to pull Deku from the spears when it happened faster than the eye could see: a spike straight into the marquess' hip, then another in his arm and leg. Again Kirishima tried to scream but nothing was spoken besides a feeble whimper. He watched Todoroki fall limp to the ground, clutching his wounds.
Guilt clouded everything in Kirishima's vision. His chest pained with each breath. Everything leading up to this, even before he found courage to flee from All For One, it was all his fault. All he ever did was make people fight and suffer.
A pop like a firework called back his attention. Between the chaos of the earth and the hell of Overhaul's outstretched hands, Bakugo continued to stand, his bastardly pride unwilling to give in. Despite all odds the prince roared against all evil, his scarlet cape flowing behind him, weighed by blood and singed black at the tips.
"Why?" Kirishima choked.
The sounds of war were completely drowned by Bakugo's merciless power. He knocked Overhaul's hand away and landed a fist of fire to the man's face, however, even that wasn't enough to make Overhaul cave. One hand healed his wound and the other flailed to catch Bakugo, but the blond retaliated with an explosion so powerful it shredded Overhaul's arm from its socket. Crying out in agony, the tamer raised a wall between them and quickly fixed himself.
Tears leaked down Kirishima's cheeks. He struggled against the spikes but no matter what he did he couldn't pull free. He couldn't escape, he couldn't do anything to help, he was completely and utterly useless.
Bakugo slammed a fiery knee into Overhaul's stomach, knocking him off his pillar. As the creation fell apart, both tamers tumbled to the ground, where chaos quickly resumed under Overhaul's dirty palm. Bumps and hives littered his skin, his faint rasp barely reaching Bakugo's ears.
"Like I'd let my plans be ruined by some sick minded prince!"
Bakugo blast himself into the air, but the sharp slabs erected higher than he predicted, deeply piercing his leg. He destroyed it with a burst of orange light.
"You could have been the perfect example," Overhaul crowed a little louder. Another spike slit Bakugo's arm. "-But instead you threw it all away, insisting on massacring our only hope of cleansing this world of its eternal plague."
"The hell are you going on about?!" Bakugo brought down a pillar and blasted a renegade spike. Overhaul stepped from the smoke, trembling from anger and exhaustion.
"Don't pretend like you don't see it!" Bakugo was taken aback by Overhaul's rising tone. "You must have realized that the dragons are not as they used to be. Their colors have dulled and they have lost great amounts of strength with each passing generation."
"All the more reason to end them now!" The blond barked back, dodging a cluster of spears. His answer sparked even more rage in Overhaul, and within a breath's time, the entire field was riddled with spikes and destruction. Bakugo skillfully perched on a spike far from reach.
Overhaul's muffled declaration made everyone who was listening uneasy.
"Your logic is beyond flawed! History has made dragons fall lower than us tamers! This was our chance to rise and rule them into becoming the dominant species once more, as we forever have dominion over them! Selfish humans will never again stand over us, or force us and our dragons to fight their own battles!" He danced around the bombs Bakugo thrust in his face.
As Overhaul continued to ramble, his movements became much more sporadic. "You would rather watch your own kind suffer by your power, than use it to eradicate the world of those who are the TRUE cause of our suffering?! We may have human blood, but we are also far from them! We are closer to the blood of the gods than any other species in this plagued world!"
"I AM NOTHING LIKE THOSE HEARTLESS BASTARDS! THEY CAN ALL DIE BY MY SWORD!" Bakugo rushed him again, only to get swarmed with spikes. He blew away as many as he could, falling back as Overhaul drew near.
"How are you still so blind?!" The masked man slapped a tremor through the shattering earth, flinging Bakugo aside. "Now is the time to strive for a world where we have not only resurrected the greatest of deities, but where we too may sit like gods upon thrones of gold, with complete control over the dragon's infinite magics! Every living soul in existence can and WILL bow to us, including the Titans themselves! Can't you see?! The Ruby is the cruxe to that reality, and you, a traitor to your own kind, keep standing in our way!"
Overhaul's attacks grew even more aggressive. He flew at Bakugo, spears sprouting from all sides of the stone pillar he rode. His hand missed the prince but the spikes hit their target, impaling his arm.
"You're an unredeemable disgrace! I would never stand by and allow you to take away our hope of redemption! You are a traitor and the bane of our kind! Killing you will save my people and bring them the glory they have always deserved!"
Bakugo repelled downward, hoping to get a clear shot, but Overhaul overwhelmed him before he got the chance. Spears came not only from the ground, but also from the pillars surrounding them, forcing Bakugo to put all his energy into evading. Another spike sliced his arm, then his thigh, with two piercing his other calf. Hot blood spilled down his legs as he broke free of their clutches.
Overhaul dove closer, another fusillade itching to leave his fingertips. "I was a fool for trusting All For One to help make my plan a reality! He does not see what only I can bring to our world through the power of the Ruby!"
Bakugo forced another explosion from his bloody hands. Exhaustion and fatigue held him like a noose, but anger kicked him just enough to keep going. He refused to give up, not until every last drop of his blood was spilled.
Quickly he pushed Overhaul away, but the moving pillar surged into his gut, bouncing his back against the ground. Another stone slammed against him, tossing him upwards, where another arch met him halfway. The impact forced blood from Bakugo's throat.
He collapsed roughly in the dirt, coughing and spitting slurred curses. Overhaul landed a few paces away, falling to his knees with uneven breaths as his fingers laced with the soil.
"You think you can just have whatever you want, don't you?!" The masked man trembled. "Because you're some PRINCE you think you deserve better treatment?!" The earth roared like an erupting volcano. "LET GO OF YOUR HUMANISTIC GREED AND GIVE IT BACK TO ME!"
Hell exploded from Overhaul's fingers, reaching Bakugo before he could so much as lift a hand. The prince didn't shut his eyes from fear or try to protect his body with his hands. Instead, he screamed out all the stubborn strength he still possessed. Death by this crazed tamer did not scare him, it annoyed him.
Kirishima shut his eyes. He couldn't bear to look, not when Bakugo's screams stopped so abruptly, or when the sound of the earth crumpled and collided. Though, he almost dared when the feeling of warmth like a flickering fireplace waft across his body, filling him with a very, very abnormal sense of security.
The hybrid shivered as a gentle pink light glittered between his eyelids. Upon opening them, Kirishima found the entire battlefield dyed a soft pink glow. Tiny purple orbs drift around them like stars in space.
Bakugo and Overhaul stood frozen in place, looking just as confused as Kirishima felt. All of a sudden the stones beneath their feet shattered, and the most peculiar thing happened- they floated straight up.
The orbs gliding across the ground suddenly shot forward, hammering down on Overhaul before he could retaliate. He raised the earth to protect himself, but the orbs broke through, forcing him to retreat farther away.
As this happened, someone appeared beside Kirishima, hands shining like a cherry sun. They rested on the earth holding him hostage, awakening the surrounding purple orbs. The magic targeted the stone with unrivaled force, shattering it to pieces. The chunks sailed off into the sky as if gravity were nonexistent.
After falling to his knees, cautiously Kirishima peered up, where all of his fears and doubts washed away in those familiar glowing pink eyes.
"I made you a promise," Uraraka declared to him with a grin, "-and I don't plan on breaking it!"
•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•
So sorry for the spontaneous break, was in a Benadryl coma for a while and couldn't get my brain to work 😂
Thank you all so much for the amazing comments and votes during my absence! It really pushed me to get this done as quick as I could <3
Gonna be gone for the holidays but I will return after New Years!!!
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Riddles and Riots
Fanfiction"The bond of a dragon and a human is a magic like no other", so they say. Dragon Hybrid Kirishima has always hated the monster that manifests inside him. It brings nothing but fear and suffering- but the worst part had to be the soul-sucking ca...
