brother_nature | Golden Peacock

DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, BAKA!! THAT KIND OF SHIT IS PATHETIC!! Beating someone who's already down's a waste of my time!

[There's a difference between kicking someone when they're down and getting the damn job done! Oh sure he'll lord over a victory and trash talk someone he's defeated, even threaten them if they try to get back up. But burning resources when he's already won? He has better things to do. Besides, Bakugo focuses on absolutely crushing his opponents during a fight, defeating them so soundly, they won't even try twitching when they lose. Victory absolute.

Definitely makes his opponent know their place. And rue the day they ended up with Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight as their enemy!

Chobe takes one heavy thunderous step forward, enough to rattle the machines nearby. What the hell kind of weight is that? Was it a shockwave he put out or pure heft alone? Bakugo turns to face him fully and walks right the fuck up to him, a wicked sneer and challenging light plastering all over his face.]

Hoooh? You wanna go, Zombie? Interesting! I'll kick your ass! [Something that has actual skill, huh?] You're not gonna find it in this place. Lets go to Talon and I'll set us up with a real test. Unless you're gonna RUN AWAY halfway there.

The only thing that's gonna run away is gonna be my run away victory!!

[He is not beneath crude humor OR stupid puns, he really shouldn't be criticizing Bakugo's hero name.

He's talking big, and truly has no reason to comply other than he's tired of this wannabe executioner sniping at him so thoroughly. A grin, and he gestures widely, giving Bakugo a mock bow, ready to follow him.]

Fine, lead the way, oh great hero! I'll show you something reeeally pathetic--your sniveling ass once you taste dirt! And unlike you High and Mighty types, I ain't gonna waste any time not kickin' ya down further!

I'll hold you to that. Give me a shit showing, and I'll bury you.

[Should he mention that stupid pun makes Chobe sound like a teenager for a brief moment? It's enough to make that smirk brighter. Look, the guy's not the first one to chide Bakugo for his hero name; even his own classmates did. Two villains did! His own MENTOR did! ONLY ONE PERSON THOUGHT IT WAS AT LEAST FUNNY!!

Chobe's in good company.

That mock bow has Bakugo punching him right on the top of the head. That's for being a goddamn shit!]

As if I'm gonna let a Low and Wussy type get me down! [Bastard. He stalks past Chobe, muttering to himself and bristling the entire time. Whether the guy wants to chat on the way or not, Bakugo's aiming to for Talon. Specifically the training rooms where he intends to set up a customizable training course.

With targets.]

[Heck?! You hit Chobe?? You hit Chobe like punching bag?? JAIL. It's strong, but it's not a fucking blast, so that just gets a cackle out of Chobe. He'll let that slide for now--don't get goaded into a random fight with a brat, bandit king!!

He'll get goaded into a game though. But that's his choice. Totally different. ]

I don't think it takes much to get you down. You're already beneath me, after all!

[The jabs will continue as he follows. He is briefly distracted by the scenery along the way. He doesn't mind that they leave the arcade, less noise, fewer people. The training room, while modernized, instantly rings more familiar. Swords, bow and arrows, axes, all weapons he's familiar with, even if he only opts to use them for aesthetic nowadays. Of course there probably aren't any real weapons out in the open due to those with sticky fingers (like Chobe), but he can make due with practice dummies and tools instead. He eyes the targets, smirking.]

Haaah? This is your idea of a challenge? Some target practice?

[If you mean the normal shonen "gag" punches braining people's head who piss you off, then hell yes he beat him like a fucking punching bag! He didn't bother exploding Chobe's skull means it wasn't that kind of pissed off. Though he has blown up people before out of sheer frustration. Look what he did to his dorm over a shitty video game.

DID HE JUST JAB HIM ABOUT THE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE?!]

It's not even two damn inches!

[Sore spot? Hell no! But if Chobe's gonna use it as some stupid one up, he's gonna rage at it! Whack his feet off and gain those two inches for a few seconds. Criminal punk.

Unfortunately for Chobe, those weapons aren't real. Only for practice sparring and whacking around the dummies. But Bakugo's walking past those rooms and instead arrives at a small row of doors. Talon has fortified training rooms that allow guests to utilize their powers without restrictions. (World-destroying reality-warping dimensional-rift-making bullshit notwithstanding.) Damn right Bakugo's used them extensively. He pushes open the door and heads inside. Fuck it's always so white in here. (Think something like this or this.)

Bakugo looks over his shoulder at the other man.] Nope.

[He scans his watch on the control panel and the room begins to change. The far side abruptly recedes in a vertigo-inducing rush. Shapes burst from the walls, forming streets, buildings, platforms, an entire city lane within the enclosed space. One of his preset training courses. Holographic hard-light humanoid figures emerge from the ground, crouch atop roofs, peer out of windows, some armed with firearms or bladed weapons and others bare-fisted.]

This is my target practice.

[Bakugo certainly wins on the tantrum front--Chobe at least doesn't tend to destroy his own property. Others, sure, but his own? Nah, he likes his shit. He continues to snicker as Bakugo takes the bait again.]

Whatever you say, shortstack.

[Just a silly, petty thing, especially since the hero will probably have another growth spurt, unlike Chobe. His body's base stature is locked in stasis now. He can still improve it of course--taking hits to increase durability, strength training, exercise, etc. He just won't be getting any taller.

But any other playful teasing is cut off as he realizes their bypassing all the faux weaponry for the training room. He pauses momentarily when he sees it at first. So. . .blank, and sterile. It looks like a testing ground of sorts, and it immediately has him on guard, tensing up a bit. He's not about to seem afraid though, and he finally enters, watching Bakugo set things up. But once the room starts to warp, his alarm bells ring out again.]

The hell--!

[Welp, this time he can't help but startle like a cat, darting to the left and right and back as the city springs up all around, reflexively even snapping a whip of a vine at one. The most modern city he's ever been in up til now was Hong Kong, back in the 1800s after being occupied by the British. The city felt new and sleek and advanced for him then, this is a whole new level to marvel.

Once he realizes they aren't actually being warped to a new place, he tentatively reaches out to touch a lamp post. Is it solid light? He then eyes the figures.]

. . .so it's like an illusion? Huh. Folks would call this magic where I'm from.

. . .

Wait, you set this up so you can just kill fake humans? You really are a little bloodthirsty bastard, aren't ya?

[He got detention. And Aizawa banned card games from the dorm for weeks. U.A. had to suspect the risks! Have a bunch of young adults living together with superpowers?! SOMEONE'S GONNA BLOW SOMETHING THE FUCK UP!!

Anyways. He says two inches is nothing and he's sticking with it.

Good on Chobe for noting the place as a testing ground. That's exactly what it is. Bakugo wasn't fond of it when he first saw the damn place either. But once he learned what he could do in there, it became one of his "favorite" places in the entire resort. Sometimes wonders if the stupid bird realizes he's using the room it provided to train and grow stronger, with the intention of gutting the stupid peacock in the future. Damn ass perverted kidnapping bastard.

And right back to smirking over Chobe bouncing up like a stupid cat. Lucky for the criminal, nothing springs up behind them; the entrance to the room (and windows beside it) remains untouched, giving the occupants a grounded point to always come back to. Especially since the controls are located there. Plus you gotta have the perverted side so people outside can look in. In case you wanna get frisky with your powers at full.

Yeah the lamp post is solid. Push it too hard, however, and it'll crack, breaking apart into a myriad of little glowing cubes of light. (Kinda like the Pixels movie.) It doesn't reform, making the damage "permanent" until the training module's reset.]

It's probably some kinda magic. Not even my world has this advanced technology. [And his world's over a decade ahead in the future, with leaps and bounds made thanks to Quirks.]

THEY'RE FUCKING HOLOGRAMS!! I'LL SLAUGHTER THEM!! [I mean... Chobe's a little bit right? He has a setting for take downs rather than busting the hologram enemies apart, but considering the somewhat fragility of the constructs, it's almost a mood point. While a construct could definitely choke you to death, one solid punch to the head would break them apart, so... it can't cover every training possibility.

Maybe it can, and Bakugo just hasn't found or unlocked that setting. Anyways-] This good enough for you, or are you gonna bitch some more?

[He picks at his ear as Bakugo yells--he'll always have him beat when it comes to volume. But "holograms," huh? Illusions but made with science, is what he'll slot them as. But a technology that exceeds that of those from further in the future he is. . .in a way, this place is another hellish paradise. Full of mysteries and wonders and horrors all wrapped in one. It almost makes him laugh.

Well, he just has to accept it. He pats at the lamp post lightly once more, nodding in understanding.]

I guess it'll do. So what's the game? See who can kill as many civilians as possible? Doesn't sound heroic, but it sounds real damn fun. Gimme the rules, twerp.

[Bakugo cracks his knuckles into his opposite fist and rolls his head, limbering up for the challenge. Eh, illusions with science is an apt way to describe them. (He'd prefer that over "magic" despite the shit he's seen in this place.)

Tch, dammit. Of course Chobe's gonna veer in a stupid direction. Has to keep his damn criminal traits up, doesn't he? Time to yank the rug out from under this hellion.]

Those aren't civilians, idiot. Take a look. [There's a reason they're armed. Knives, guns, fists, these "people" are intending to attack. Meaning they're bad guys, dammit! ... well, heroes and villains are still civilians. Technically. But civilians aren't gonna put up as good a fight as bad guys! Hmph! He wants a challenge, not some fucking pushover store owner!]

Highest kill count wins. One point for each punk. If you get hit, you lose a point. [And gestures to Chobe's watch.] That'll keep track.

[It's not just about knocking off the targets; it's about doing it safely as well. A hero (or villain) can be strong as fuck, but still die if they're not aware of their surroundings. Training this way works on both.]

[A quick glance at his wrist as he rolls his opposing shoulder. The watch acts as some kind of tracker and score keeper? Every little piece of technology keeps surprising him. Must be able to sense their tao or muscle tension or some bullshit, he figures.

He looks to the holographic figures, all sneering, cracking their own knuckles and readying their weapons. Oooh, guns, he's just gotten used to those. He wonders if they're even more deadly now. But "not civlians?" Hah! The brat still wants to take the high road. A lazy, lopsided smile, and he begins counting the targets.]

Ah, I get ya. But just taking out punks ain't no fun--I'm not super creative, y'see, so I gotta give them a little more life. So that guy there--[He points at someone with a shiv.] He was driven to crime to scrape up money for his sick ma. And that one there? [A big guy with massive fists and an eyepatch.] Dragged into the underworld while tryin' to protect his little sister. Oh, oh, and THAT ONE! [A guy with a lead pipe. . .]

He's just in the wrong place at the wrong time, probably a plumber or somethin'. But he's gotta fight his way out of this too, or die.

[He looks to Bakugo and just BEAMS annoyingly.]

There we go! I'm all hype to kill them and crush their dreams now. Ready to go when you are!

[The watch does "everything" in this shitty place. From the key to your room to the wallet for your funds to way you call people and more. Won't come off either, fucking shackle. Bakugo hasn't even gone through all the apps and shit it can do. Mostly focuses on the ones he finds helpful and ignores the rest.

He tilts his head to the side, cracks his neck, and lowers his hands to his side. A few pops and snaps burst around his fingers and palms. Guns, knives, fists, all these thugs have something to fight with. HE'S NOT TAKING THE HIGH ROAD, DAMMIT!! What kind of civilians does Chobe hand around?! Eternally aggressive bruisers who fight all the time? Ugh. Put "civilians" in the program and they just wander around shopping or walking their dogs, etc. Mattaku...]

You need to give them backstories?! [This from the zombie who says he's not creative. Bakugo's THIS CLOSE to punching Chobe in his stupid scarred head again. He's facepalming in his mind, expression a clean scowl towards their opponents. Seriously...] What, you don't think anyone's a criminal just cause they're a shit person?

[Each of Chobe's stories gave a sympathetic light to the people intending to gun them down, cut them up, or beat them to death. It actually says a lot about the man Bakugo's standing beside. That annoying beam earns a mix of cool smirk and frustrated sneer. Go figure, but the blonde manages it.]

Sounds like you got a sappy heart under all that crap. [He wonders what Chobe's story is. Why he's a criminal. What drove him to become the way he is and do the things he does. All villains have an origin story, just like heroes.] Don't slack off or they'll crush yours instead.

[And blasts himself forward, blitzing two on the street and putting them down with an explosion to the chest and a shin to the head.]

Nah, there are definitely shitty criminals for shit's sake. Like me!

[Not entirely true, but he doesn't have to tell Bakugo that. He's made his choice and he commits to it, and would never excuse the sins he's accumulated over the years now. No need to get into that though, just focusing on this little game the hero's set up. Child's play, he thinks.]

And careful with the assumptions there, Sparky. It's just way more fun to crush folks who have a reason to live rather than some shitty nobodies!

[Can't have him thinking he's soft, gosh. With that, one of his arms splits open, two vines immediately zipping out to stab a couple thugs straight to through the chest. And, just to test how lifelike the scenery around them is, he ensnares a third lunging at them, tossing him into a storefront's window, marveling at how real the glass feels. He might actually have some fun with this!]

Looks like I'm keepin' pace, brat! Don't tell me you're gonna need me to rescue you, eh?

Uh-huh. [Chobe's trying really hard to keep up his image. Bastard's a depraved kill-happy bastard, but something happened to drive him into it. Bakugo doesn't think he's as cutthroat villainous as wants to appear. Hell if he's gonna say that to Chobe; the man would double down on all his criminal activities and be a huge pain in the ass to prove his point. Not Bakugo's deal to reform or save the man either. In his own world, yeah, he might try, but in this one? It's fucking pointless.]

Most shitty nobodies have reasons to live! [Oh now he's being petulant. And if Chobe wasn't immortal, he might have more respect for crushing people's lives and dreams. He wasn't immortal at first, given those scars, so what... did he desensitize himself to life? Tch, whatever. Bakugo has no intention of underestimating or over-assuming the villain.

BUT HE IS GONNA KICK HIS ASS AND WIN THIS!!

Con? Those thugs stabbed through stagger backwards, spilling glowing cubes of hard light from their puncture wounds instead of blood. Injuries show up as if a geode was cracked open, bodies breaking away into tiny jagged cubes forming their being. Once Chobe tugs the vines free, they'll break apart completely. Kinda like beating around a living mannequin. Pro? Very lifelike as far as scenery goes. Chobes thrown man crashes through the glass, sending shards and ubiquitous noise all over the place. He even gets up with piece of glass stuck in his arm and starts firing at the villain from the shopfront.]

You couldn't even rescue me from boredom, Zombie! [Bakugo zigzags between an alleyway, flaring up to the rooftop above, and slamming two explosions down on the opponents trying to shoot him from the top.] DIE!! [Cube shower!]

[For as much as he throws around "brat" and "kid" at Bakugo, Chobe's just as immature and petty at times. If he was told he's a softie at heart, he'd absolutely go on a murder spree just to be contrary. He honestly doesn't even have a reason to keep up this persona at the casino, but when you've been locked into a role for decades, old habits die hard.

But not as hard as these digital punching bags!!

He's gonna gleefully keep it up--it's not that he's desensitized, he just takes pride in being reeeally good at what he does. Honestly he'd say most thugs aren't worth using his power on but damn if it doesn't feel good to cut loose. He grins watching Bakugo zip up into the air--bastard can basically fly. Fucking annoying!! He kicks off the ground, leaving a slight crater as he does so, alternating between jumping and climbing between the buildings to propel his way up through the falling cubes. Once's he's to a rooftop, a bullet just barely grazes his shoulder--a sniper shot, but it still counts as a hit according to his watch.]

--sneaky bastards!

[A quick judge of position, tracking where the bullet came from and he makes quick work of the target hiding in a window, breaking him down with a vine. Some others rush him while he's distracted, and he simply grabs one by the neck, squeezing and squeezing, watching the illusion gasp for life before they shatter completely when their throat is crushed. It gives the other AIs just a BIT of hesitance.]

Heeeh. Hey, Hero! Can ya do anything with your hands without your fireworks?

[Old habits die hard. Some don't ever kick the bucket. Bakugo doesn't go out patrolling around the peacock looking for bad guys to beat up. He's aware this place kidnapped heroes and villains and everything in between. Damage repairs itself, death never sticks, jail's a fucking joke, who knows if stolen items simply reappear since the resort staff and vendors always seem to be stocked no matter what happens. Heroes often try to protect and improve the world, while villains often try to harm or change it. So what happens when people of either alignment are stuck in a place that refuses to change and needs no protection? Stagnant...

Shit thoughts like that randomly come to mind, fueling another flurry of blows and explosions. Something snaps past his ear and he jerks to the side, plastering his back against a nearby wall. He checks his watch; no indication he was hit, but he felt it right through his hair. Tch, some fucking sniper somewhere. Red eyes scan about the area, muscles tense and ready to move. Given the direction, the person shouldn't be able to reach him without banking or rebounding the shot.

Another shot, this one almost taking Chobe in the shoulder.]

To your left! [Even as the words leave his mouth, Bakugo sees the man already tracking the shot. A quick twist, both hands charging up, and each militant hesitating in front of Chobe's neck-crushing display is abruptly caught in a fiery hailstorm of explosive rounds. Smaller explosions build up, erupting smoke from the roof until there's nothing left. One arm swats to the side, throwing billowing clouds away in a slice as Bakugo walks from the gray vapor.]

You wanna see me punch someone in the face?

[Should've seen the answer to that question already when he had Chobe pinned to the floor in a martial artist grapple.]

[Stagnation--Chobe's got a complicated relationship with it. He and his brother are immortal now, until someone stronger comes around to take them out, and they could potentially live for thousands and thousands of years, wreaking havoc and having fun together forever. But it's only fun because the world changes around them, grows, reshapes itself, and they're forced to adapt over and over again. How long can he adapt here? And if he does, will he change too much. . .?

The barrage of explosions obliterates that trail of thoughts though, and he smirks, watching the digital cubes crumble in his hands as Bakugo clears the smoke. Damn, he just gave the brat a whole slew of points because he wanted to get a bit more personal with his kills. Aw well.]

You don't gotta look out for me.

[Probably just instinctive for the hero, he thinks. He lazily moseys over to pick up an axe one of the dispatched thugs dropped. Been a long time since he used something this basic, but could be fun. He shoots a smug smile at Bakugo as he props it on his shoulder.]

And nah. I wanna see you kill someone with your bare hands. They ain't real, so why not?

[The sound of some of other npcs stupidly charging up the fire escape. Chobe darts forward as the first emerges, burying the axe in their head. Poof, insta-kill.

Sooo much more satisfying than using his vines all the time.]

[Bakugo doesn't think this place will change. Sure each month something happens, new people are brought in, but everything continues like clockwork. Make money, fuck, keep money, fuck, jockey ranks, fuck, try to escape, and you guessed it, fuck. His life bounced back and forth between repetitive and dynamic, daily school and studies clashing with villainous interference and pushing himself in training. Guess, after a while, he's gonna know how animals in the fucking zoo feel...

Damn right he won himself a bunch of points. Even makes a show of checking his watch with a smirk as a flurry of numbers add to his score. What, did Chobe think he could sit here and pick off a group one by one while Mr. Competitive is bouncing around?]

I wasn't. You just lined them up.

[No, it was instinctive. The guy was getting shot at and a whole group intended to pounce him! Bakugo's always been someone to go for the direct route. Taking out idiots who weren't smart enough to watch their surroundings means they don't have to deal with them later. He clicks his tongue in annoyance. Chobe's really gunning to see him get violent, huh.]

Sicko. [Another BOOM! vaults Bakugo over the man's head, swinging one leg down at the drop of his arc and slamming his knee straight into the second thug's skull. Back of it. Cubes fly out around his joint and he instantly drops from the ladder, bouncing his way down to splatter/shatter/scatter all over the alley floor below. If Chobe ever sees Bakugo's hero costume, those metal knee pads were designed-- BY HIM --for the express purpose to "kill with his knees". Which, no, he hasn't done yet.

Unless Chobe counts this one.]

Better a sicko than a coward!

[Nope, that absolutely doesn't count. The gravity did half of the work!! Though in general, knocking someone near unconscious with your knee is a pretty sweet move. If he saw his proper hero outfit he'd honestly be baffled at first--is he sure he isn't a villain?? But it'd make sense for his powers. Chobe doesn't bother with that kind of branding--he's just as likely to pick a fight in a fully tailored suit as he is in his standard bandit get up, with the only thing even barely passing as armor being the spiked cuffs on his wrists.

It does give him an idea though, watching the poor bastard shatter below. He takes that axe and slams it into the bolts holding the fire escape stairs in place, using his other hand to rip them off the wall. A domino effect happens as the whole structure begins to destabilize and crumble, leaving the thugs that were climbing up jumping off for dear 'life' or succumbing to gravity themselves, disappearing as they hit the ground or as the stairs collapse on them. A nice few points for Chobe!

There are still a good number of survivors though, and Chobe's not big on letting a small problem fester. Even with most of them armed, he leaps over the ledge of the roof with zero hesitation, his landing shaking the immediate area as he bursts out laughing.]

Kinda fucked up they created illusions that can feel pain and experience fear! Almost as good as the real thing!

[At this point he's kinda forgotten the point of the game, and when when the thugs start shooting at him, he tanks them, his watch counting every hit, barrelling through to completely maul an npc, hacking away with the axe and them stomping straight on their face to completely make them disperse. Good times!!]

[He'd rather a coward. THE HELL DO YOU MEAN THAT DIDN'T COUNT?! Gravity's always at work! The axe blow didn't count either because GRAVITY! Dumbass. Chobe would be far from the first person to question whether Bakugo was a villain or a hero with his costume. Combined with his language and attitude, there was a point where even the media and general populace was asking if he was truly a hero. Hell, villains kidnapped him thinking he'd be easy to sway to their side because of his villainous persona. Has that made him change his attitude, costume, language, or anything else? ... NOPE! Results and actions are what matter.

Chobe with spiked wrist cuffs... not a bad mental image. Bakugo rebounds away from a clattering metal rung, catching onto the rooftop rim and dropping to his feet behind it. Clang! Clong! Back and forth, bounding between the narrow alley walls, down goes the zigzagged fire escape with its band of yelling thugs, folding as an accordion on its descent. If those had been real people, ew... But dammit, that means Chobe gets a whole fleet of points!

Bakugo abruptly blasts right past Chobe, one hand hauling back, the other one slinging forward. Sparks flare and KABWOOOM!! the entire alley way's engulfed in fire, heat, smoke, and enough concussive force to blow everything out of it. HE WANTS THOSE POINTS, DAMMIT!! But Chobe was inside the blast too. Yeah? It's because he trusts his partner's power and takes team up advantage of it.]

They made a bunch of fucking paint clones that pretended to be the real thing a few months ago. [Bakugo walks out of the smoke before facing off against a bunch of other thugs now surrounding him and Chobe. He could get rid of them, but the guy wants to see some non-explosive combat? Both hands raise and he prepares to take them on body only.] We don't even know if we're our real selves or some glorified copy.

[Chobe's still gleefully stomping out another npc when Bakugo sets off his massive attack. Great! Cool! Love being caught in the heat of the blast!! Thinking quick, he grabs two thugs by the back of their collars, whirling around to use them as shields. He's still blown out of the alley by the sheer force of the blast, but the npcs take the brunt of the damage, disintegrating as they fly through the air, and Chobe goes skidding back.

He brushes himself off as he stands, scoffing as more enemies surround them. At least his clothes are still in tact. Bakugo's going on about something as he marches out of the fumes, and Chobe rolls his eyes. What's this existential bullshit?]

I'm me and no one else! If I wasn't, I'd just kick my own ass! Start letting bullshit like that in your head and yer gonna find yourself tied up in solitary.

[If they have nothing else in this place, they have their confidence and pride. Chobe won't tolerate any ridiculous theories like that. If he's meant to die, he'll die. If he's meant to exist, he's existing to the fullest. He flexes an arm, a vine slinking out.]

Now stop your yappin' and let me see what ya can do, or else I think I'll take these last guys out myself!

[Don't get pissy at him. A benefit of having an immortal ally is not having to worry about hurting him with his attacks! He can let loose and Chobe'll be just fine. Does he see the man use other bodies as shields? Nope! If there had been real people around, Bakugo wouldn't have come in with as strong a blast. Then again, real people probably would've survived... if they were from Bakugo's world. He's used to people being more durable when he fights. Criminals and all.

Right, he's still wearing those new clothes. Can't go nuking the guy too much. What the hell, he's gonna end up buying Chobe a new set of clothes each time they meet up? Fucking hell, that'll get out of hand. And excuse you, this isn't existential bullshit! It's a topic a number of people ask about in this shitty place!]

Heh. We're already tied up. [Not in solitary at least. Unless you piss the House off enough and it opts to punish you. Bakugo cracks his knuckles, silently agreeing with Chobe's defiant retort. He likes that kind of answer, and that kind of person. Even if their moral views clash, guess they can agree somewhere.] Last guys? Che, we got more coming.

[No explosions this time. Only a sudden blitz forward. A straight right hook slams powerful into one thug's head, jaw pulling to the side from the impact, and sends him flying. He's already moving from the momentum, letting it twist him around into a harsh roundhouse from behind. Shin hits, using it to force himself up and over as a few bullets snap past, and brings both legs down on another opponent, crashing into the floor a second later.]

[Bakugo Chobe is starting to think mayhaps he needs to talk through this 'trapped in a cage' syndrome. Of course, he's been stuck at the casino far longer than Chobe--it's almost funny to think that the hardened killer is currently the more hopeful between the two. In reality Chobe's just a stubborn asshole, who's mantra is to tear down and break apart, rebuild yourself in whatever image you need to be. Adapt. This place? Just another he needs to mold himself into until an opportunity to escape arises.

He hangs back a bit, almost unconvinced the kid will go for it, but color him surprised. He knew the guy was fast and reflexive, but it's another thing to see it applied to actual "people." Even if they're fake, they still move and behave like flesh and blood, so it's satisfying enough to see. The hero could do some real damage if he truly ever wanted to. . .what holds him back? Chobe snorts to himself. Maybe it's simply the blessing of living in a more peaceful time, even if everyone in this so called "quirky" world might be a freak.

Hearing the shots fired, Chobe's vine whips out, disarming a thug and zipping back with the weapon for the bandit to use. Yoink! He's seen guns before--mostly old timey pistols and revolvers, but never used one himself. And this one's far fancier! Welp, time to learn on the fly. One shot, two shots, he shoots one man in the gut, and another bastard meets an accidental headshot...just as it whizzes by Bakugo's spiky hair. Oops! At least it missed? Chobe lets out a cackle, shaking out his shoulder]

Hooooh, always wanted to try one of these! Neat, but kinda impersonal, yeah? Hands on is definitely the best approach. You'd say so too, yeah? Looks like ya ain't as much of a softie as I thought, so long as ya don't think they're human~!

[Hopeful? Oh he's hopeful. Hopes they can rally together and somehow find the weakness this goddamn chicken possesses and exploit it into taking the fucking thing down or working out a compromise. Secondary intent is using his wish to force the peacock into a more consensual agreement. He used to want nothing less than its complete obliteration and everyone having their way back home flung wide. Until he slowly came to realize people preferred it here. For good reason. Still... Bakugo hates kidnappers.

Don't look down on him, dammit! Being unwilling to kill doesn't mean he's unable to fight! Knockouts, crippling, beat downs, he'll put these stupid dumbasses to the ground and grab his flawless victory! Bakugo's felt people crumple under his fist, a body slam against his leg, blasted someone through a wall, and more. He's mercilessly effective without being a killer. That's one of the main dangers of heroes. What would happen if one of them decided to say "fuck it" and really cut loose? No longer held back out of fear or morals. Asides from being no better than the villains they fight, how many villains would want to risk it, knowing death or maiming was actually on the line?

Bakugo twists around, skidding on his feet, just in time to see Chobe's vine crack against a thug's arm and steal his gun. HEY! Don't bitch at him for not going barehanded and then suddenly use your own powers, dammit! Shit, he's seen that look before. Eyes gleaming and grin spreading as new power settles in his hand. He had the same look when he got his Grenadier Bracers for the first time. A mental "Oh hell Yeah" drifts behind Chobe's expression. He turns back to his own battle, only to tense when a bullet zips past his head.] WATCH IT, ZOMBIE! I'M ON YOUR SIDE!!

[It wouldn't kill him if it hit, but he'd get a nice welt! Brat.] Che, no shit. They're useful, but not as exciting. And I'm not a fucking softie, dammit!

My side? We ain't allies, hero. Remember that.

[Game or not, he wants to make that clear. He's only here to satisfy is own petty sense of pride, after all. He's been forced to play nice and team up with enemies before, in an eerily similar situation even, but it wasn't until circumstances were dire, and he calculated it benefited himself and his own first and foremost. Some say the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" but for Chobe, it's more like "the enemy of my enemy is my next target."

He examines the gun once more before shrugging idly, tossing it aside and watching Bakugo take out a few more thugs without mercy. "What if" a hero cut loose? Sounds ideal to him! If any hero is so weak that they'd "snap" one day, they're doing everyone a favor revealing their true colors. Sounds a bit hypocritical given how much he's been egging Bakugo on to cut loose, but he doesn't think murder makes anyone more or less of a good guy. Some fuckers just need to die!

Like this next npc! He whirls, delivering a kick straight through their skull, shattering them. Feels a bit weird doing so with normal shoes on, but he'll get used to it.]

Surprise surprise, the guy that can create explosions isn't impressed with the metal canon that makes explosions. Ya don't know how good ya have it.

Generic "side", dumbass!

[They're taking out these bastards together and each is gunning for the high score! He expects that to include an unspoken lack of backstabbing or sabotage. In that event, the "side" comment is completely valid! Targeting each other once the event is over is up to Chobe and Bakugo will respond accordingly. Not his fault the guy has an allergic reaction to being on a team up. Not that Bakugo's good with it either, usually preferring to deal with his shit himself. This is, as Chobe said, nothing more than satisfying pride and throwing down without getting other people involved or breaking the arcade.

Chobe may not have an issue with it, but so often villains are quick to protect their own lives despite having zero concern for taking the lives of others. He's seen murderers break and beg when a hero threatens, in pure rage, to kill them for their atrocities. And each time, the escape with their lives. The day a hero does "snap" and no longer abides by those morals so many villains ironically expect heroes to live under, there's going to be... problems.

Bakugo wonders what Chobe's response would be if his immortality were gone and his life was on the line. Probably fine. The guy "died" before before he was immortal, right?

He punts the gun off the ground once the man throws it away, sending it spinning through the air and bounces right off another gunman's head. A quick flurry of martial arts and acrobatics send three more opponents into the nearby windows and one into an old-fashioned phone booth.]

Careful. You're gonna sound jealous, Weed Grower.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject