Chapter 63: Sports Festival Part 11

[Third Person's PoV] 

It was then the 3rd round of the sports festival. And like in the previous round there was a lucky contestant. Which ended up being Bakugo, much to his displeasure. 

Which meant Kirishima who was lucky the previous round would be taking his place. Present Mic then announced the first Match of the third round. 

"ON ONE END WE HAVE A CONTESTANT THAT FINISHED HIS ALL HIS MATCHES QUICKLY! CAN HE STILL DO THE SAME THIS ROUND!? LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR ANTHONY STARKKKKKK!!!" 

Tony calmly appeared in his suit of armor, his helmet already covering his face. As he appeared people began cheering and calling out his name. 

"AND AT THE OTHER END WE HAVE A TOUCH NUT TO CRACK, A MAN WITH THE POWER TO HARDEN, BUT WILL IT BE ENOUGH!? LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR EIJIRO KIRISHIMA!!" 

Kirishima walk up to the stage, he slammed his harden fist into his armored hand, "All of our training has come down to this!!" Kirishima said excitedly. 

"You're a fool if you think you stand a chance" Tony said teasingly. 

"We'll just have to see about that!" Kirishima retorted. 

"MATCH BEGIN!!" 

Kirishima's entire body turned rigid as he charged ahead with heavy steps, his excitement showing in his face. 

Tony thrusters activated as he also charged head him, a small smile forming. When their fist met in the middle it resounded through the arena. The clash of their fists caused a shockwave that rippled through the arena, sending a gust of wind outward and making the spectators gasp. The force of the impact pushed both fighters back slightly, but neither was deterred.

Kirishima quickly regained his footing and lunged forward again, his hardened fists aiming to break through Tony's defenses. Tony's armor, made from the nearly indestructible adamantium, held firm as he blocked the flurry of punches.

"Is that all you've got?" Tony taunted through his helmet, his voice amplified for the audience.

Kirishima growled in response, his determination unwavering. "Not even close!"

With a roar, Kirishima unleashed a powerful series of punches, each one faster and harder than the last. Tony skillfully deflected the attacks, his suit's AI analyzing Kirishima's movements and predicting his next strikes.

"Alright, let's see how you handle this," Tony said, his tone serious. He quickly raised his hand, and the suit's repulsor beams fired a concentrated blast of energy at Kirishima.

Kirishima crossed his arms to shield himself, but the force of the blast pushed him back several meters, leaving skid marks on the arena floor. He gritted his teeth and pushed forward, refusing to back down.

Tony took to the air with his thrusters, hovering above the ground. He unleashed a barrage of repulsor blasts, aiming to keep Kirishima at bay. Kirishima dodged and weaved, his agility surprising the audience given his bulked-up, hardened form.

"You've grown tougher," Tony admitted, a hint of respect in his voice.

Kirishima smirked. "All my training would have be for nothing, if I didn't"

Tony landed with a heavy thud, creating small cracks in the arena floor. He activated his suit's enhanced strength, his movements becoming faster and more precise. The two engaged in a fierce close-quarters combat, each strike causing the ground beneath them to tremble.

Kirishima saw an opening and went for a powerful uppercut, but Tony anticipated the move. He sidestepped and grabbed Kirishima's arm, using the momentum to throw him across the arena. Kirishima crashed into the ground but quickly got back on his feet, shaking off the impact.

With a mutual understanding, they charged at each other once more. The force of their collision created a shockwave that knocked both fighters back, but neither stayed down for long.

Tony's rockets whizzed through the air, locking onto Kirishima with precision. Seeing no other option, Kirishima braced himself for impact. The missiles exploded upon contact, creating a cloud of smoke and debris. The arena shook from the force of the blasts, and the crowd held their breath, waiting for the dust to settle.

When the smoke cleared, Kirishima was still standing, his body visibly strained but unyielding. His hardened form had protected him from the worst of the explosion, though it was clear the attack had taken its toll.

"Impressive," Tony said, raising an eyebrow. "But let's see how long you can keep that up."

Tony's suit whirred as he prepared another barrage, but this time, Kirishima wasn't going to just take it. With a roar, he launched himself at Tony, moving faster than before. The ground beneath him cracked with each powerful step.

Tony fired his repulsors to keep Kirishima at bay, but Kirishima was relentless, deflecting some blasts with his hardened arms and enduring others. Closing the distance, Kirishima aimed a punch at Tony's torso.

Tony sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the hit, and countered with a punch of his own, enhanced by his suit's strength. Their fists collided again, sending shockwaves through the arena.

Kirishima, using the momentum from the clash, twisted and swung a powerful kick at Tony. The kick connected, sending Tony skidding back, his suit's systems recalibrating from the force of the blow.

"You're tougher than I thought," Tony admitted, his HUD displaying Kirishima's rapidly adapting fighting style.

Kirishima smirked, despite the strain showing on his face. "I won't go down that easily!"

Tony decided to change tactics. His shoulder compartments opened again, but instead of rockets, a net made of an energy field shot out, aimed to entangle Kirishima.

Kirishima saw it coming and attempted to dodge, but the net was too fast. It wrapped around him, constricting his movements and emitting a high-voltage shock. Kirishima gritted his teeth, trying to break free, his muscles bulging with effort.

Tony watched carefully, ready to act depending on Kirishima's next move. The energy net began to strain under Kirishima's power, and with a mighty roar, he shattered it, pieces of the net scattering around him.

Breathing heavily, Kirishima charged again, but this time Tony was prepared. He activated a powerful electromagnetic pulse from his suit, aimed directly at Kirishima. The pulse hit Kirishima, disrupting his hardened state and causing him to falter.

Taking advantage of the moment, Tony closed in, delivering a rapid series of punches, each one reinforced by his suit's strength. Kirishima, now unable to fully harden, tried to block but was overwhelmed by the speed and power of Tony's attacks.

With a final, forceful punch, Tony sent Kirishima sprawling across the arena. Kirishima lay on the ground, breathing heavily, unable to get up.

"AND THE WINNER IS... ANTHONY STARK!" Present Mic's voice echoed through the arena.

Tony walked over to Kirishima and extended a hand. "Good fight, man. You've definitely gotten stronger."

Kirishima took Tony's hand, pulling himself up with a smile. "Damn that suit of yours is stuff, I don't even think I did damage to it."

The crowd erupted in applause, cheering for both fighters who had given their all.

After Tony's and Kirishima's fight, it was Melissa's turn as she was up against Shoto. After Present Mic called her name Melissa flew down in her suit of armor landing perfectly on the stage. 

While Shoto just casually walked up to the stage with his hands in his pockets. 

"MATCH BEGIN!" 

Without a moment of hesitation Melissa raised her arms and fired off repulsors beam towards Todoroki. But Todoroki countered by created a wall of ice. The explosion from the collision of the repulsor beams and the ice wall sent shards of ice flying across the arena. Melissa's suit automatically activated its shield, deflecting the ice fragments. 

Todoroki, unaffected by the blast, used his ice to rapidly cover the arena floor, trying to limit Melissa's mobility. The ice spread quickly, creating a slick surface that would make it difficult for her to maneuver.

Melissa, seeing the strategy, took to the air with her suit's thrusters, avoiding the icy trap. She hovered above the ground, assessing Todoroki's next move. Todoroki, with a calm expression, raised his left hand, flames igniting around it.

"You're not the only one with tricks," Melissa said through her suit's speakers. 

She activated her suit's thermal sensors, locking onto Todoroki's heat signature. She then fired a series of micro-missiles from her shoulder compartments, each one tracking Todoroki's movements.

Todoroki responded by unleashing a massive wave of fire from his left side, intercepting the missiles and causing them to detonate mid-air. The heat from the explosion melted some of the ice on the arena floor, creating a mix of steam and water.

"SHOOOOTOOOOOOO!!!" Endeavor cried out clearly excited by shoto using his flames. 

Melissa had a small smile as she saw this, "I see you're finally using your quirk"

Using the steam as cover, Melissa swooped in close, aiming to catch Todoroki off guard. She fired her repulsors at close range, but Todoroki was ready. He created a barrier of ice in front of him, the repulsors hitting the ice and creating another explosion.

The blast pushed both fighters back, but Melissa quickly regained her balance in the air. She switched tactics, activating the suit's energy blades. Twin beams of energy extended from her wrists, glowing brightly.

Todoroki narrowed his eyes, focusing his power. He created pillars of ice to launch himself into the air, meeting Melissa at her level. The two clashed in mid-air, Todoroki using his ice to create makeshift weapons while Melissa swung her energy blades with precision.

Their battle became a blur of motion, ice, and energy. Todoroki attempted to encase Melissa in ice, but her suit's temperature regulators and thrusters allowed her to break free each time. Melissa's energy blades cut through the ice with ease, forcing Todoroki to constantly adapt his strategy.

As the fight raged on, Melissa saw an opening. She deactivated one of her energy blades and fired a concentrated beam of energy from her hand, aiming for Todoroki's midsection. Todoroki reacted by creating a shield of ice, but the beam was too powerful. It shattered the ice, hitting Todoroki and sending him crashing to the ground.

Melissa landed, her suit's systems cooling down from the intense fight. Todoroki struggled to get up, clearly exhausted from the combination of using both his ice and fire powers.

But Todoroki took a deep breath and fired a wave of both fire and ice towards Melissa. As the two elements made contact it created a force which sent Melissa flying back slightly. 

Melissa's suit quickly recalibrated as she was pushed back, the internal systems working to stabilize her. She landed and skidded to a stop, her armor absorbing most of the impact.

"Not bad, Todoroki," Melissa said, her voice steady despite the unexpected attack. "But I'm not done yet."

She activated her thrusters and launched herself towards Todoroki with incredible speed. Todoroki, prepared for a direct assault, created another wall of ice, but Melissa anticipated this. Just before reaching the wall, she veered to the side, using her suit's agility to outmaneuver his defenses.

Swinging her energy blade, she cut through the ice wall with ease, leaving Todoroki momentarily exposed. Seizing the opportunity, she fired a concussive blast from her repulsor at his feet, causing the ground to erupt and forcing Todoroki to lose his balance.

Todoroki, determined to keep fighting, quickly recovered and unleashed another wave of ice, trying to encase Melissa. She countered by activating her suit's heat generators, melting the ice as it formed around her.

Melissa landed a few feet away from Todoroki, her suit glowing with energy. "You're not the only one who can handle extreme temperatures," she said, her voice confident.

Todoroki's eyes narrowed as he summoned another blast of fire and ice, this time intertwining the elements to create a spiraling attack aimed directly at Melissa. She responded by deploying a force field, the energy barrier absorbing the brunt of the combined elements. However, the force of the attack pushed her back, the field flickering under the intense pressure.

Seeing that the force field wouldn't hold for long, Melissa deactivated it and took to the air again. She circled around Todoroki, firing quick bursts from her repulsors to keep him off balance. Todoroki created ice pillars to dodge the attacks, his fire melting any projectiles that came too close.

Realizing she needed to end the fight decisively, Melissa activated her suit's most powerful feature. Her shoulder compartments opened, revealing a larger cannon that began to charge with energy.

"This ends now, Todoroki!" Melissa shouted, aiming the cannon at him.

Todoroki, recognizing the threat, gathered his remaining strength. He raised both hands, summoning a massive wave of ice and fire, ready to meet Melissa's attack head-on.

The arena was filled with a blinding light as the two forces collided. While Cementos sent a wave of cement in the middle of two of them to block their attacks. The explosion rocked the entire stadium, the sheer power of the attacks causing a shockwave that rippled through the stands. When the dust settled, both fighters were on opposite sides of the arena, Shoto was visibly exhausted, while Melissa just stood proudly. 

Melissa's suit showed no side signs of wear or tear and just appeared to be in perfect condition. Todoroki, on the other hand, had used up nearly all of his energy. He tried to stand but collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily.

"Do you yield?" Melissa asked, her voice tinged with respect, "Tony might have been playing around in his match but I won't." 

Todoroki looked up, his expression one of determination but also acknowledgment. After a moment, he nodded. "I yield."

"AND THE WINNER IS... MELISSA SHIELD!" Present Mic's announcement echoed through the stadium, followed by the roaring applause of the audience.

Melissa walked over to Todoroki, extending a hand to help him up. "You were amazing, Shoto. That was a tough fight."

Todoroki took her hand and stood up with her assistance. "You too, Melissa. Your suit is incredible."

As they left the arena together, the crowd continued to cheer, celebrating the extraordinary battle they had just witnessed.

After Tony and Melissa won their match it was Midoriya vs. Mina. Which in turn was a much lackluster fight compared to what everyone previously witnessed.  

As Mina tried to attack Midoriya with her acid Midoriya would just send it away flying with his powerful attacks. He appeared in front of Mina and sent her flying out of bounds ending their match rather quickly. 

What followed next were the semi finals, Tony vs. Melissa and Midoriya vs. Bakugo. The winner would then be moving on to the final. 

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