Deadpool was currently sitting cross-legged on the announcer's desk, sweating profusely as he stared intensely at a silver spoon. He was vibrating, his hands gripping the sides of his mask.
"Come on... bend, you piece of cheap silverware!" Deadpool grunted, before giving up and just snapping the spoon in half with his hands. "tum, my brain is itching! The sheer amount of telekinetic energy in the arena right now is giving me a migraine! We are at Ring 25, and gravity has officially left the chat! It's the battle of the brainiacs! The Tornado of Terror versus the Bowl-Cut Wonder!"
Ring 25 wasn't on the ground anymore. It was an entire city block that had been uprooted and was currently floating two miles in the air, held up by raw, ambient psychic energy.
Heimdall was strapped into a heavy-duty pilot's seat with a five-point harness, clutching his microphone for dear life. "Match Number Sixteen! The S-Class Rank 2 Hero, Tatsumaki! Versus the Esper of Salt Middle School, Shigeo Kageyama, also known as... Mob!"
The Green Glow and the Blank Stare
Tatsumaki floated above the floating rubble, her arms crossed and a glowing green aura radiating from her small frame. She looked down at her opponent with utter disgust.
"A middle schooler?" Tatsumaki scoffed, her hair defying gravity. "Is the tournament committee insulting me? I don't have time to babysit some extra from a slice-of-life anime. Surrender now before I accidentally squish you."
Down on the floating asphalt, Mob stood perfectly still. His school uniform was pristine, and his face was entirely devoid of expression. He looked mildly uncomfortable.
"Excuse me, miss," Mob said softly, his voice completely level. "My master told me not to use my psychic powers against other people. I would really prefer not to fight. Can we just call this a draw?"
Progress toward Mob's explosion: 22%
The Rain of Rubble
Tatsumaki's eye twitched. "Did you just call me 'miss'? I am twenty-eight years old, you brat! And nobody ignores my power!"
She raised her hand, her green aura flaring like a supernova. Dozens of massive concrete buildings, steel girders, and abandoned cars lifted into the air from the floating island. With a sharp flick of her wrist, she sent the entire barrage crashing down toward the boy.
"Die of sheer terror!" Tatsumaki yelled.
Mob sighed. He didn't even raise his hand.
A shimmering, multi-colored barrier flared to life around him. The concrete buildings didn't just stop; they disintegrated into fine dust upon making contact with his shield. The steel girders bent backward, and the cars gently floated to the ground, perfectly parked.
"That was very dangerous," Mob stated, his eyes narrowing just a fraction. "Someone could have gotten hurt."
Progress toward Mob's explosion: 65%
100% Rejection
Up in the booth, Deadpool was holding onto a bolted-down monitor. "She threw a skyscraper at him, tum, and he parallel parked a Honda Civic with his mind in retaliation! The disrespect is telekinetic!"
Tatsumaki was furious. The sky turned dark green. She extended both hands toward Mob, preparing to use her signature move: the psychic twist, designed to wring his very bones like a wet towel. "I'll turn you into a pretzel!"
Progress toward Mob's explosion: 99% ...100%. 100% REJECTION.
Mob's bowl-cut hair suddenly stood completely on end. The multi-colored aura surrounding him vanished, replaced by an overwhelming, terrifying black-and-crimson shadow. The air pressure in the entire arena dropped to zero.
Tatsumaki tried to close her hands to initiate the twist, but she realized she couldn't move her fingers. She couldn't move her arms. Her glowing green aura was flickering, sputtering out like a dying candle in a hurricane.
"What... what is this pressure?!" Tatsumaki gasped, suddenly realizing she was being forced downward.
Mob slowly raised his head. His eyes were glowing solid white. He didn't scream. He didn't yell. He simply raised one finger and pointed it at Tatsumaki.
"No."
A wave of pure, concentrated psychic density hit Tatsumaki. It didn't harm her physically, but it completely shattered her psychic output. Her telekinetic hold on the arena broke. Tatsumaki fell out of the sky, screaming, tumbling out of the ring boundary before catching herself at the last possible second just outside the barrier.
She looked up at the floating city block, panting, completely drained, and utterly terrified of the blank-faced middle schooler looking down at her.
"Match Sixteen winner... SHIGEO 'MOB' KAGEYAMA!" Heimdall shouted, as the floating city block slowly and gently lowered itself back to the ground under Mob's control.
Deadpool unbuckled himself from the desk, his hair standing on end from static. "The kid just told an S-Class Hero 'No' and the universe agreed! That is 16 winners down, 35 matches to go in Round One! Mob walks his way into the Semi-Finals!"