Please leave a review if you like the story.
---
Seeing Blockbuster fight was a wake-up call I didn't know I needed. I always had some vague idea of how powerful Meta-humans were, but the exhibition match between Dr. Phosphorus and Blockbuster made it brutally clear.
And I was nowhere ready for a conflict on that level.
The fight started well enough. Blockbuster was a mountain of a man, standing well over eight feet tall, with biceps larger than two watermelons and fingers as thick as sausages. He trundled into the arena, his head held low, blinking against the bright overhead lights.
Harley cooed in the background.
"Awww. The big guy's a real homebody. He's still not used ta da lights an' the glam of da big stage."
And that was when Phosphorus struck.
"Free hit? Don't mind if I do."
He landed a blow hard enough to rock the giant back, leaving a burning welt on Blockbuster's face. The strange man had irradiated skin that cast dark shadows over his skeleton, making him look like he was wearing an over-the-top Halloween costume—but far more terrifying. He wore a lab coat, formal trousers, and dress shoes. But what stood out most was his face. His blackened skull gave him a perpetual grin, a hunch reinforced by the tone of his voice. He sounded like he was having way too much fun.
"That hurt," Blockbuster said slowly, a frown emerging. "Glowing man bad. Blockbuster hurt glowing man!"
"That's what I'm talking about!" the irradiated man cackled. "Bring it on, Hyde!"
Blockbuster swiped at Phosphorus. The doctor hopped back, flinging a ball of green fire. It struck the giant's forearm just before it connected with Phosphorus's chest, sending him flying. Phosphorus flipped mid-air, laughing as he landed gracefully—only to immediately fall on his ass.
Blockbuster's fist came down seconds later, but the doctor twisted, sand exploding beside him. He grabbed the massive arm with a manic grin, his hand humming with a green glow as it melted flesh. Blockbuster howled but didn't shrink back. Instead, he leaned into it, his second hand snapping down onto Phosphorus's arm. He twisted, freeing his injured hand, and growled.
"Blockbuster mad!"
Down Phosphorus went in an explosion of sand. Up, then down again. Another explosion. It happened three more times before Blockbuster yelped and let go.
Phosphorus's body skipped across the arena, coming to a painful stop with a groan. His clothes went up in flames as he rose, the earth blackening around him.
"There goes another pair," he sighed. "I'm going through these faster than underwear. But since I'm naked... might as well commit. Showtime!"
He charged Blockbuster, laughter bubbling from his throat as he moved at a speed far exceeding my enhanced abilities.
Blockbuster hesitated at Phosphorus's sudden boldness, and it cost him. His swing came too slow, allowing the doctor to duck into his guard and carve a chunk out of the giant's chest with a swipe. Three more strikes followed, all precise, all delivered in the moments between dodging wild strikes.
Then, in a surprising feat of guile, Blockbuster feinted. Phosphorus hopped left prematurely, and the giant hammered him down with a double-fist before he could recover. The doctor crashed to his knees but retaliated immediately, his body flaring radiation-green, melting the giant's forearms to the bone.
In a Herculean feat of willpower, Blockbuster raised his arms again and drove them down, hammering Phosphorus deep into the dirt. Before the doctor could recover, the giant kicked a mound of sand over him and stomped down. Again. And again. And again. Each stomp hit harder than the last until the entire arena was shaking. He didn't stop until Phosphorus stopped twitching.
Then, with a grunt, Blockbuster grabbed Phosphorus's limp body and hurled him across the arena. The wooden border wall exploded on impact with a loud crack.
"Ow!" Phosphorus's voice rang out, shocking the audience as much as it did Blockbuster.
How the hell is he still alive?
The giant recovered quickly though, baring his teeth. He took one shaky step forward—then collapsed to one knee.
"Blockbuster tired," he grunted. "Will make glowing man pay when he recovers."
"Won't hear me complaining," Phosphorus muttered, both hands shooting up in surrender.
I raised an eyebrow at the display, wondering if I could survive a fight with either of them.
Two hits from Blockbuster would probably shatter Inverse. Doctor Phosphorus could probably manage it with one concentrated attack.
Probably best to stick to street thugs and small-time assholes for now.
"Well, there you have it!" Harley announced. "Another challenger bites da dust, though it came at a price. Looks like our champion's gonna be out of commission for a few days!"
Cheers and boos erupted from the audience. Most were pissed that Phosphorus surrendered, but a scant few were happy that the big guy survived.
"Quit yer bellyachin'!" Harley said. "The doc here'll fill in the meantime if he's up for it! Open exhibition, just like the good ol' days."
Harley looked Phosphorus's way. The skeleton man shrugged. "Why not? Could use the money."
—
The following matches were less explosive but just as brutal. The first fight featured Sai girl, whose stage name was Cheshire. Her opponent was some no-name guy in swat gear, complete with the helmet, bulletproof vest, and riot gear helmet. His weapon of choice was an extendable baton.
He was either a really stupid cop or had a very unfortunate fashion sense.
That's really not going to inspire a lot of mercy.
Why he'd chosen to fight looking like that was beyond me.
His fighter name was Bolt, and I quickly learned why.
He was fast—faster than even me. But that didn't help him against Cheshire. She moved like her namesake, an agile predator, and toyed with him.
Cheshire would parry with one hand, feint with a knee, and strike with a stab, then reverse the combination or pull out a different set altogether. She was a specter, entirely unreadable. She moved with no rhyme or reason, body blurring in a complicated chain of movements that resulted in Bolt leaking like a bloody fountain. Taking the fight to the ground didn't make a difference.
By the end, she had crippled the man, bruised his larynx so badly he couldn't surrender, and was about to kill him when she suddenly stopped. She ripped off his helmet, exposing his petrified face to the world before she sheathed her weapon.
"Fight me dressed like that again, and I'll kill you," she said, flinging his helmet to the wayside as she walked off the stage.
"Killer performance as always, Cheshire!" Harley hooted. "And Bolt? You really should've known better than showing up in pig gear. Welp, a month or two of bedrest will make sure you never forget."
The crowd lapped it up.
Two more fights came and went, neither as brutal as Cheshire's. Soon, my number was up. My opponent? The old military guy.
He gave me the same uneasy feeling Cheshire did.
An old saying came to mind—beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young.
...
What should Julius's super name be? Immortal is obviously out.