Night Two Hundred And Forty Nine
Age 1991
Gladiolus City...
The Arena...
"Ha. You can't even move in that broken body."
"You're right." Hero admitted nodding his head. "Let's fix that."
"What?"
Hero unzipped his jacket showing off his honed underneath as he only had the jacket on. His hand slowly traced over his 'D' shaped scar. "You know. Last time I replaced all my damaged parts with his organs and limbs." Hero said as the scar began to light up.
"No..."
"I was told I got one last use with this thing. After this and I'll wake Row up."
"No." Ava said taking a step forward.
"I wonder."
"No." She charged towards him slamming her hand down as her lightning blasted out.
"Who's parts I'll use to replace myself this time?"
"Just remember." Aka said letting out a sigh as she glanced over at Katrina. "You were the one who asked me to keep this fight going. This is starting to get out of hand. I'd hardly say its even a match. At this point its a fight to the death. Honestly I doubt Ava is going to let him live."
"I know..." Katrina sighed. "I'll be there to jump in before he dies though."
"So you admit he's going to lose?"
"Likely. But this isn't a fight about winning."
"It's not?"
"Of course not." Katrina shook her head. "Hero is... He's like a blunt blade that is beginning to be sharpened. Thats how he's always been. Every mission he's gone on. Every fight he's been in. He's always seemed to have growth. The same is here. Not just with that new form. Every strike and block he's been getting a little bit faster. So little it isn't even able to be noticed. After about one hundred billion strikes and dodges I'll say he'd improve 1% physically."
"Then whats the point of doing this." Aka questioned a frown on her face. "If you're wanting him to fight so he can grow why this battle. One hundred billion strikes and dodges... I doubt he'll even dodge a million times and throw out a million punches in this fight. So he won't even grow by 1% then whats the point."
"I told you. After dodging and punching around one hundred billion times he should improve by 1% physically. But thats only physically. That isn't what he needs. Hero needs mental growth. As it stands he's on the verge of reaching his second level. Right on that edge. He's as strong as his body could be. But his mind. Thats what needs work. Hero is trying to improve himself with that new power up move but that wont work. It isn't what he needs. Improving his base power wont do that much. Not for him here. He needs to go beyond those limits and go level 2 if he wants to win. And to do that he's going to need to finally settle on something. And when he does. Only then will he reach that level."
Aka let out a small sigh. "So you're doing all of this in the hopes that he's going to overcome whatever mental barriers he has and allow his body to evolve."
"Thats right."
"And you called me cruel."
"He's using his Crest?" Hella said in shock.
"Uh. What's a Crest?" Brave asked.
"A powerful weapon created by God to mimic Equations. A Crest is a tool that is able to bend and alter reality itself in many ways and is supposed to be used by members of the Dragon Clan." Thorn explained.
"Dragon Clan?" Curro asked frowning.
"Dragons huh." Brave let out a small hum. "What do you think Fate? Think he's going to win?"
"Why do you care?" Fate asked.
"Cause I want to see that power of his for myself!" Brave announced cheerfully.
"Of course you do..."
"It makes me wonder though." A new voice said making the squad two group turn. Standing on heir wall was Max from Squad One. He had a smirk and was staring at Hero. "I wonder who's ideals are right and who's are wrong."
"What?" Brave asked.
"I think he's referring to the act of removing and refusal to move." Hella stated. "Ava is a girl who is in despair and Hero is a boy who wants to remove her from that Despair."
"Oh. So uh why are you here?" Brave asked throwing her arms behind her head.
Max gave a shrug. "I can see the fight better over here." He stated shrugging his shoulders. "Also. Sorry Ken but you were wrong."
"What?" Hella asked frowning.
"I'm not talking about those morals. Don't get me wrong. Hero and Ava is a good battle. But I was referring to the battle of Hero and Hero. Law and Otoko. Otoko a Seraphin from another world who came here to bare the sins of man and save them. And Law a Dragon Clans member artificially made to kill the one who creates sins. A Dragon and an Angel. A Devil and a Hero. It makes me wonder. Out of two of them who's ideals are correct. And who's are wrong."
Hella let out a snort. "That's easy."
"Is it?"
"Yeah. Both are wrong and both are right. On some level both Hero's have noble goals. But also on both levels they'll cross lines that will either result in them hurting themselves or other people. Both could be viewed as right one wanting to save his world and keep his sense of self a selfish act, while the other one gave up who they are in order to try and save a world that isn't their own. In the end I think its a dumb debate. After all they both want to save the world. So why not have them work together."
Over in the make shift arena Ava dropped down towards Hero who's entire body lit up as he closed his eyes. He gave a half smirk as he opened them. As Ava dropped down Hero suddenly vanished reappearing behind her the golden aura lighting up around him as she felt a powerful force slam into her. "One second." Hero said rocketing forward still clad in the aura. He slammed his arm down into her which lit up and transformed back into his clawed hand. "Two seconds." The hand gripped around her tightly and he slammed her into the ground as hard as he could a bright golden wave of lightning blasting out of the hand. "Three seconds." The aura vanished and Hero jumped back. "Wow. So I was right." He said staring down at himself. "Three seconds. Not much better but... It seems to be working." He smirked.
Hero's body was seemingly healed. He didn't have any bruises or cuts on him at all. It was as if he hadn't taken a single hit. Not only that but he seemed to be moving even faster and hitting harder. GSA, God Striking Aura, the name of his new form, was able to power him up to the point of fighting a Seraphins transformation which was on par with a level two. The GSA was of course weaker than a level 2 and had several issues such as draining massive energy and the likes, but the boost was still worth it. In his broken body he could keep up. Now though...
Now his body was fully healed. Not just that but thanks to Enhancements he had gotten even stronger since he recovered from the fight. About 0.05% stronger.
"Now that I'm not all banged up I can manage this form a lot easier." Hero announced balling his clawed hand into a fist. "I'm even faster, and stronger and can keep it up for three seconds longer. Who knows. Maybe by the end of this fight I can manage four or even five seconds. I'd say my God Striking Aura is about a ten times boost. Maybe fifteen. That Seraphin form you have is about a twenty to fifty and most Level twos seem to be a twenty to sixty times boost. Though admittedly a lot of that is guess work on my part."
"I'll kill you dead!" Ava screamed out blasting forward.
Hero side stepped her attack as it sliced around at the air apart him. "You've gone emotional. I've fought enough battles to know thats never a good thing. Even without GSA I can dodge your obvious attacks." He stated bluntly.
"Shut the hell up!" She screamed. "How dare you! How dare you loom like him. How dare you act like you're in the right. How dare you act like he's in the wrong. And most of all..." She slammed her arms forward only for Hero to catch it with his metal hand squeezing down on it. Ava ignored it even as her entire hand popped and exploded from the force of his grip the blood and bones seeping down her wrist as she glared at him tears in her eyes. "Most of all... How dare you think you're the only one who even suffered." She hissed. Hero didn't seem to hear though as more flashes of a lab went through his head.
'Just a little more.' Hero thought. 'And I can see him again. I mean I'm doing this to help Ava but getting to see him is a bonus.'
'Keep telling yourself that.' Row sighed. 'You might start to believe it.'
Ava couldn't hear the mental talk Hero and Row were having so instead she went on. "You're not the only one who was able to connect with me." She hissed out. "He was to. And I was able to with him. I saw things... Everything he saw. An unimaginable amount of suffering. It sickens me that you even call yourself a Hero. Do you know what that title means? There's one in every Earth. A Being who will do everything to save their world but always ends up failing and becomes hated by everyone. Again and again it happens. And it was no different to him. Fate itself stacked against him. Lost and alone he was found by a being known as God who gave him a purpose. He casted everything away. His morals and his beliefs so he could save our world. A world that isn't even his. Because his world is gone. His friends are gone. Meanwhile you have everything he doesn't have. And yet not once has he tried to kill you or take your friends away. Instead he's busy helping to save the multiverse. You claim you're a Hero of Justice who's going to save the world? Well he's the Devil who's saving the fucking Multiverse. Compared to that you're just a whining child playing pretend."
"Ava?" Hero's yellow aura flashed around him the God Striking Aura kicking back in. "I don't think you get it." He said in a blank tone. He slammed his right arm into her face as hard as he could throwing her back. Then he ran forward jumping into the air and bringing his arm back. "I'm going to save you from that despair not so I can use you as a weapon to kill Otoko but so I can save him. Because I am a Hero of Justice. And unlike them I won't fail. No matter how many times I get knocked down. I'm not going to be a coward like him and give up!" Yellow lightning began to crackle around his right arm forming a tornado made out of lightning. "Heavens Cyclone!" He yelled slamming it down into her and smashing Ava deeper into the ground.
"Did you know he could heal?" Aka asked.
"No." Katrina frowned. "I had no idea he could do this..."
"If he can casually heal himself of destroyed and totaled organs and even grow himself in power leaps and bounds like that it makes me wonder."
"Wonder what?" Katrina asked her frown growing.
"Why doesn't he do it all the time. Unless... It has a limit." Aka smirked leaning forward on the rails as she stared down at the snow haired boy. "After all he didn't use that when I got my hands on him. Perhaps he really did like it-"
"What did I say." Katrina growled.
"Right, right." Aka said rolling her eyes as she let out a snicker. Her smirk didn't fade even as Katrina glared at her. "You want me to behave. To not treat people like a game."
"That's what I said. In the end I do agree that you're the only one who could save the Red Nation but I'll be damned if I let you play games with my recruits lives. I'll leave you alone and allow you to run things and even keep that cursed thing in your womb alive in exchange for you actually playing nice."
"Hmm. I wonder if I will." Before Katrina could say anything else the ground shifted as Ava ripped her way out of it. It would seem she had undergone a new change. "You sure you don't want me to call it off?" Aka said smirking.
Katrina bit her lip. "N... Not yet."
"Oh? You know you're risking the life of your recruit? I don't think Ava is in the mood to play nice."
"I... I know but... But it's important."
"Your recruit getting his ass beat is important?"
"As a matter of fact it is."
"Wait? You want him to get beat?"
"I do." Katrina nodded. "For several reasons though... First of all I already told you I want him to grow. Hero always seems to grow after a loss. But that isn't the only reason. Hero is... He's been acting weird for a while now. Between getting trauma from you, finding out he has a Daughter, fighting his friends, and fighting in these games... The way he is acting is... He's thinking to much now."
"Thinking to much?"
"Yeah. For a while he's been struggling with that goal of his... Becoming a hero of justice. I always thought it was a silly yet noble goal... Now... Well he's still reaching for that goal but... Almost... It's almost as if his reason had changed. I've learned he was a Dream made by that Row boy that damn old man created. When Hero found out he had changed. Utterly. Struggling with his purpose. Does he be a Hero of Justice and live without his emotions. Or does he live with his emotions and not save the world. Now though. Thats gone. And all thats left is this... Him... He's made up his mind and is trying to do both."
"And you think thats a bad thing?"
"I do." Katrina nodded. "To some extent I'll say its wrong. The way he's going about it at least. I think he's on the right track to his goal. Trying to become a Hero of Justice. One with his emotions and feelings. But I don't think he's doing it the right way. He even said as much."
"Did he?"
"The Hero I know would never try and use another human for any goal." Katrina said shaking her head. "He's so caught up in that Otoko boy, and God, that he's not acting like himself. He's claiming he wants to see her memories so he can save her from her despair. But... Ava doesn't have despair. Sure... Some bad things happened in her life and yet. She's clearly happy with her life and has gotten over them. It makes me wonder. Is he just saying that for his own sake. Trying to convince himself that he needs to push deeper. He needs to find out what makes her work. So he can use her to defeat his foe. If thats the case then. Thats not my Hero Law. That's someone so caught up in trying to be a Hero Of Justice with his Emotions, he's making short cuts. Thats why I want this match to go on. Hero is a pure soul. I know it. But right now. He's so concerned with keeping his sense of self and saving the world at the same time he's doing anything. He tried to cheat by making this new God Strike Aura so he could skip leveling up. And now he's trying to get Ava on his side so he can skip his fight with Otoko if that ever happens. Right now Hero isn't concerned with his growth. Rather he's concerned with skipping to the end when he's saved the world and got his sense of self. And thats why I want him to lose. I want him to see that he hasn't made any progress trying to skip ahead. Because if Hero wins this fight and Ava is knocked out or agrees with him even once then Hero will see that he's right. And once Hero thinks he's right thats it. Theres no stopping it. So with all my heart I'm going to prey he doesn't win. That way he wont cheat."
"The goal to save the world while remaining pure..." Aka mused. "It's a silly and naive goal. But... I'll admit. It is a pretty goal."
Ava began to pull herself out of the place Hero had slammed her down into. It had seemed she had undergone a new form. Her body was wrapped up in the white glowing energy like water nearly fully. It flowed like cloth covering every inch of her skin. Only a small slit for a mouth and eyes could be seen. The eyes were a pure gold and seemed to glow and shine as if a fire was seeping out of them. The mouth was filled with rows of razor sharp fanged and jagged teeth. Instead of the six wings she now had eight ghostly white hands that flowed out of her back buzzing through the air and ripping everything around her apart. Her actual two normal arms now had long razor sharp claws at the end of them.
She breathed heavily as Hero let out a sigh.
"Alright." He said as the yellow aura began to bounce up around him. "Let's see what this form can really do. Body don't let me down."