Deadpool was currently wearing a tinfoil hat that was three feet tall and was frantically painting "THE END IS NIGH" on a piece of cardboard with a half-eaten crayon.
"tum, if you start smelling burnt toast or seeing colors that don't exist, don't panic! It's just the reality-warping static coming off Ring 10!" Deadpool shouted, his voice echoing inside the tinfoil cone. "We are heading into the 'Brain-Bleed Special'! It's the God of Neo-Tokyo versus the high schooler who just wants to be invisible! It's Tetsuo Shima against Kusuo Saiki! It's a battle of absolute, unchecked mutation versus the man who could move the sun if it meant getting a discount on dessert! Keep your seatbelts fastened, because the laws of physics are currently optional!"
Ring 10 was a terrifying recreation of a ruined Neo-Tokyo. Twisted girders rose from the ground like skeletal fingers, and the sky was a swirling vortex of purple and black energy. The air was heavy with the smell of ozone and the sound of distant, high-pitched ringing.
Heimdall was hunkered down in a lead-lined bunker, peeking through a periscope. "Match Number Forty-Five! The ultimate product of the Akira project, Tetsuo Shima! Versus the psychic who carries the world on his shoulders, Kusuo Saiki!"
The Storm of Evolution
Tetsuo hovered in the center of the ruins, his red cape flapping violently in a wind he was creating himself. His metal arm sparked, and his eyes were wide with a frantic, agonizing power. "Kaneda?! No... you aren't him. It doesn't matter! Everyone is beneath me now! I can feel the universe screaming in my head!"
With a roar of pure psychic pressure, Tetsuo raised both hands. An entire skyscraper was ripped from its foundation, hovering in the air before being launched like a dart toward his opponent.
Saiki stood amidst the rubble, his hands tucked into his pockets. He adjusted his green-tinted glasses and let out a long, internal sigh. Good grief, Saiki thought, his voice projecting directly into the minds of everyone in the stadium. I was supposed to have a quiet afternoon. Now I'm standing in a junkyard with a kid who has serious boundary issues.
Saiki didn't move. As the skyscraper roared toward him, he simply blinked. The massive building vanished in a flicker of light, reappearing a mile away and gently settling back into an empty lot.
The Tug-of-War
Tetsuo's face contorted. He flew forward, his body flickering in and out of existence. He unleashed a wave of telekinetic force that flattened everything in a three-block radius. "I am a God! You can't just ignore me!"
Saiki merely stepped to the side, his movements so casual it looked like he was walking to school. A God? Saiki's mental voice sounded bored. I've moved the Japanese archipelago three inches to the left because a spider was in my room. You're just a kid with a headache.
Up in the booth, Deadpool was chewing on his tinfoil hat. "It's a contrast of extremes, tum! Tetsuo is pushing his power so hard his cells are starting to revolt! He's turning into a literal giant baby of meat and circuitry! Meanwhile, Saiki is just trying to calculate if he can finish this in time to catch the evening news!"
Tetsuo began to lose control. His right arm expanded, turning into a massive, pulsating mound of flesh and machinery that threatened to consume the entire ring. "IT'S TOO MUCH! THE POWER... IT'S TOO MUCH!"
The Quiet Resolution
The "Big Baby" mutation lunged at Saiki, a wall of screaming, distorted biology. Saiki didn't look scared; he looked annoyed. He reached up and placed a hand on one of the pink, ball-tipped limiters on his head.
If I take this off, I might accidentally delete the continent, Saiki mused. But if I don't, this thing is going to get meat juice on my favorite shirt.
Saiki didn't remove the limiter. Instead, he used a specialized application of his Apport ability. He focused his mind on the chaotic, overflowing energy inside Tetsuo's body and "exchanged" it.
In a flash of emerald light, the massive, mutating mound of flesh disappeared. In its place, a small, lukewarm cup of coffee jelly appeared, sitting innocently on the ground.
Tetsuo, now back in his human form and completely drained of his overwhelming power, collapsed into the dust, unconscious but finally at peace. The psychic storm vanished, leaving the ruined city eerily silent.
Saiki walked over, picked up the coffee jelly, and took a small spoonful. Not bad, he thought. But it could be sweeter.
"Match Forty-Five winner... KUSUO SAIKI!" Heimdall announced, sounding immensely relieved.
Up in the booth, Deadpool tossed his cardboard sign away. "The quiet kid takes the trophy! He traded a god-tier apocalypse for a snack! That's 45 winners down, 6 matches to go in Round One, tum! We are entering the home stretch of the home stretch!"
The Cyborgs and Androids are Entering!
We're moving from the power of the mind to the cold, hard precision of the machine!
Match 46 (Ring 14): Raiden vs. 2B. (The Slasher Cyborg vs. The Existential Android. A high-speed blade dance!)
Match 47 (Ring 1): Kratos vs. Asura. (The Ghost of Sparta vs. The Destructor. This ring is going to be destroyed in ten seconds.)