I hope you enjoy this release of MHA Paragon!
Remember to add the book to your collection to stay updated on future publications! Leave a review! And donate power stones so we can climb those rankings!
And if you still want more, come on over to my Patreon for:
Advanced chapters [for all fics] (Stockpile: +15)
Multiple Chapter Releases
Character Art
Member Polls
You can also join as a free member for similar perks!
Patreon @: patreon.com/Black_Paladyn
---
"See you inside, Foureyes," I called after Ida as he and Bakugo turned around and entered the building to prepare.
"Atoma, I have a plan for how we can defeat Ida and Bakugo," Midoriya said enthusiastically as he turned to face me, "We can use Bakugo's grudge against me to lure her away from the bomb. And while I distract her, you can go after Ida, who will most likely stay behind to guard the bomb. "
"First of all, call me Kenji. Second, that's not a bad plan, but are you confident taking Bakugo on yourself? I'm not trying to be mean, but you couldn't throw a baseball without shattering your finger." My question caused a conflicted look to pass over Midoriya's face before his eyes hardened with determination, and he nodded once, "I can do it; I won't let you down."
"You don't got to prove a thing to me, man," I answered as I glanced at the building, "Even if you fall short, I'm pretty sure Bakugo will let me finish my fight with Ida before she interferes. Actually, she kinda hates my guts, though definitely not as much as you. How the hell did you even get on her bad side?"
Midoriya sighed, "It's a long story, but we used to be childhood friends."
"Oh, I see, a scorned lover?" I asked jokingly as I nudged Midoriya with my elbow who flinched and went bright red in the face.
"W-what n-no!? W-we never!"
I laughed at Midoriya's reaction, "Relax, man. It's just a joke. Lighten up a little."
I gave him one last pat on the shoulder before walking towards the building, "Alright, let's get this show started!"
"W-wait for me!" Midoriya shouted as he jogged to catch up with me, and we stepped into the building together.
---
After climbing the stairs inside, we found the building utterly bare, without any furniture. Instead of drywall, the floor and walls were made of reinforced concrete blocks cut into squares. One long corridor led to another stairwell at the end of the room, with empty doorways lining both walls leading to other rooms.
"It's likely that they moved the bomb to the top floor," Midoriya muttered as we started walking down the corridor, "But you might want to look arou-"
Before Midoriya could finish his sentence, the wall beside him exploded in a shower of debris and fire as Bakugo barreled through the wall she had just made. "DEKU!!"
A roar of indiscriminate rage rang through the air as Bakugo's eye locked onto Midoriya, who was still reeling from the explosion and hadn't escaped unscathed with the right side of his mask being burned away. Bakugo's hand, equipped with a massive gauntlet that looked like a grenade, shot out toward Midoriya as her palm sparked dangerously.
The moment the explosion had gone off, the familiar frigid current of my quirk surged through my veins, which swelled and blackened. With a quick thrust of my hand, I cast out a tendril of flux, which latched onto Midoriya's as the flux around my feet propelled me backward, dragging my teammate along with me. Not even a second later, Bakygo unleashed another explosion, but it only ripped through empty air.
Coming to a stop at the end of the hallway, I retracted my flux from Midoriya, who glanced back at me with a slightly pale face, "T-thank you!"
"You still think you can handle her?" I asked, my face grave as I realized Bakugo wasn't holding back.
"Is this your plan, Deku?! What are you, not man enough to take me on your own!?" Bakugo screamed down at us as she stood in the middle of the hallway, her hands sparking with miniature explosions.
Midoriya looked back at Bakugo, and to his credit, he didn't flinch, "Thank you for worrying Kenji, but I have to do this."
"Alright, then," I answered, glancing at Bakugo and calling out to her, "Hey, Firecracker, try not to kill my teammate. Alright!"
Bakugo's face contorted into a mask of pure rage. "Don't worry. Once I'm done with Deku, you're next on my list, pretty boy!"
I grinned, "Alright then, it's a date."
Before Bakugo could respond, I turned and dashed up the stairs, creating a small wave of flux to glide up the staggered surface.
Taking Midoriya's advice, I skipped all the levels in between and headed straight for the upper floor, only to find that he was dead on.
Coming to rest, I paused at the end of the stairs, looking at Ida, who stood in front of the bomb shaped like an atomic warhead. Unlike the first floor, there were no walls or rooms, only an ample open space that looked like it had been cleared of obstacles.
"I didn't want to believe that you would abandon your teammate, but it seems as if I thought too highly of you," Ida spoke disappointedly as he stared me down.
I clicked my tongue and rolled my eyes, "See, there you are going again, talking down to me with that holier-than-thou bullshit like you know everything. This was Midoriya's plan, and while I think it's pretty stupid as well, at least now, I get a chance to fight you one-on-one."
I slammed my fists together as my veins exploded, sending flux flying into the air before the fluid snapped back onto my arms, "Come on, Foureyes, I won't even go for the bomb; all you have to do is give me a good fight!"
Ida didn't respond, instead crouching in front of the bomb, clearly not intent on moving. I scoffed, "Fine then...I'll just come to you!"
I shot across the floor, aiming straight for Ida, whose eyes widened as he raised his hands, ready to block my punches, "I wouldn't do that if I were you!"
I called out mockingly as I thrust my right hand out in a palm strike aimed at Ida's center mass. Ignoring my advice, Ida brought his arms together like a boxer, and my hand slammed against his gauntlet forearms.
The liquid flux surrounding my palm hardened, and I watched Ida's eyes shoot open in surprise as his gauntlets creaked ominously and his guard shattered. The force of the blow made Ida stumble back, but I moved with him, dashing inside as my left palm shot out and smacked against his sternum.
"Blrugh!" Ida gasped as his breath burst forth from his lips, and he nearly collapsed but caught himself on the bomb as he tried to catch his breath. Instead of moving in to finish the fight, I dismissed the flux around my feet and walked back to the stairwell. I then promptly sat back down on the floor, propped my arm against my knee, and rested my head on my knuckles as I watched Ida catch his breath.
His immaculate appearance had vanished, his hair hung about his face, and sweat clung to his forehead as he slowly stood upright.
"You ready to fight now?" I asked as Ida stared at me, and all semblance of composure drained from his eyes. I only had a moment to grin before the roar of Ida's engines ripped through the room, and he ran at me.
Still seated on the floor, Ida closed the distance between us in the blink of an eye, and he planted his lead foot as his lagging leg snapped out in a punting kick.
I grinned as my hand shot out, grabbing Ida's shin and stopping his kick before he could fully leverage his power. The flux around my arm hardened as it absorbed the impact, but to my surprise, a series of hairline fractures spread across the pitch-black surface.
'So there is a limit to what I can nullify,' I thought, realizing that my design wasn't as flawless as I first thought. But instead of being discouraged, my heart started to pound in excitement. With failure came room for improvements and better designs, 'Let's see just how many flaws I can discover. I hope you don't disappoint Foureyes!'
A massive grin spread across my face, one of pure enjoyment and eagerness, as I let go of Ida's leg and stood up.
Seeing me move, Ida jumped back as the engines on his other leg roared to life, powering a slicing kick aimed at my head level. I ducked just in time, and I felt the rush of air in my hair as Ida let the momentum of his kick carry him back, skidding across the floor before he managed to stop.
"You know, Foureyes, I was just going to give you a few solid blows for insulting my mother, but now I want to see how far you can push me," I declared as I straightened my jacket and raised my arm into a fighting stance.
Ida's jaw clenched as he lowered himself into a sprinter's start, and his engines flared with bright blue flames, "At first, I was willing to apologize, but now I believe that bowing down to the like of someone like you would be a stain on my family's honor!"
"God, I can't wait to wipe that smug look off your face!" I shouted before dashing forward just as Ida pushed off the ground with a bang.