Showdown! The Best of the Best

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The air murmured with the distant rumble of battle that unfolded far below. As Muscular eviscerated werewolves on the battlefield, three invisible figures passed overhead, and he was none the wiser. As Deku and Ed, supported by Danny's outstretched arms, sped toward the looming structure in the distance, the wind passed without effect through their hair. Deku didn't like that he could feel the wind, but not sense its effect on him. It gave him an odd feeling.

They were suspended about six hundred feet above the ground. Deku was visibly anxious, but it actually wasn't because of his current position. He always got twitchy before a high-stakes battle. In actuality, he had come to trust Danny a great deal, and the height didn't bother him one bit. Soaring through the air was a position he frequently found himself in, especially during a duel. This was nothing new to him.

Deku smiled as he reflected on how significant the bond between himself and the fighters had become. When he had first arrived in Kringle's Realm, he had been reluctant to even divulge the secrets of his powers. Now, he was willingly going to put his life on the line to help Danny and the mysterious Ed escape this hellish pocket dimension. His smile quickly bled away, however, when he reflected upon what would happen after.

In all likelihood, once the fighters were free from Kringle's tyranny, they would never see each other again. Actually, that would be the ideal outcome, he now realized. The circumstances that had brought these radically different super-beings into contact with one another were both ludicrous and terrifying. The very best result would be if they all returned home and never had to see each other again.

Still, he couldn't deny that it would be hard for him to say goodbye. In such a short time, he had shared a battlefield with these individuals, risked his life for them, and even fought some of them himself. He noted that parting with Danny, Mr. Incredible, and Toph would be especially difficult. The bonds he'd formed in such a short time with these particular sentinels were remarkably strong. Despite himself, Deku chuckled as he imagined Toph punching him in the arm upon their departure. In a completely chemical moment, he found a knot in his throat, and his cheeks turned beet red as he raised the hand that wasn't clutching Danny's wrist to swipe at his eyes.

"Deku?" Danny muttered. "What is it?"

"Nothing..." Deku lied. "Just...preparing."

"Hey," Ed addressed him emphatically. "We're gonna win this. You know that, right?"

Deku bit his lower lip to stop the  coming tide, then nodded.

"Heads up, gents," Danny interrupted. "We've arrived."

Deku glanced down, surveying the scene that lay far below. The colossal bulk of the Cathedral loomed just ahead, its Herculean structure towering into the clouds. On the ground, roughly twenty Kriegbots marched routinely to and fro in front of the compound's colossal entryway. Danny coasted down, gliding to a halt and gently dropping the heroes. They took shelter behind the mass of a crumpled, destroyed Kriegbot that had fallen on its side. The shell of the blasted-out battle-bot was enough to conceal them from the guards not one hundred yards directly ahead.

"So, what's the plan?" Ed asked, pulling the Gilded Doorknob from its holster. "Just charge in?"

"Nah, I don't think so," Danny panted, sneaking a peek at the challenge that lay before them. "These guys aren't like the other Kriegbots. Check it out."

Ed dared a glimpse at the blockade of Kriegbots that lay between them and their access to the compound. This was what he was best at:  recon. Infiltrator Mode made close combat and blasting his way out of enemy encampments easy. But, before he had ever discovered his inexplicable power, he had been a spy. If he wanted, he could have dashed across the field, attached a tracking chip to one of the bots, and been back to conspire with his newfound friends without ever being noticed.