Chapter 5: Survival of the Fittest (and the Most Cowardly)
Usopp stood before the colossal metal gates of Battle Center B. He was wearing his gym clothes—a faded green tracksuit that was slightly too short at the ankles. He was surrounded by muscular, confident kids who were stretching, stretching their jaws, or literally sparking with electricity.
"Right, let's start!" Present Mic's voice boomed from a hidden speaker. "There are no countdowns in real battles! Run, run, run!"
Before Usopp could even process the command, the crowd surged forward like a tidal wave. He was violently elbowed in the ribs, spun around, and left coughing in a cloud of dust.
"Hey! Watch the nose! This is a delicate sensory instrument!" he yelled, waving his arms to clear the dust.
He jogged into the artificial city. The sounds of destruction were already echoing through the streets. Explosions, crashing metal, and triumphant shouts filled the air.
Suddenly, the ground rumbled. Usopp froze. Rolling out from an alleyway to his left was a massive, boxy robot painted with a large '2'. Its red optical lens locked onto him.
"Target acquired," the robot synthesized, raising a massive, blunt mechanical arm.
Usopp didn't think. He didn't strategize. Instinct took over completely.
"TACTICAL SURVIVAL RETREAT!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, spinning on his heels and sprinting in the exact opposite direction. His oversized legs pumped furiously as he dove behind a discarded cement barricade, pressing his back against the cold stone, panting heavily.
He peeked over the top. A boy with a hardening Quirk smashed the 2-pointer into scrap metal with a single punch.
Usopp slumped down. Five minutes left, he thought, panic gripping his chest. I have zero points. If I fail, I'll be eating plain rice for the rest of my life. Mom's fridge will never get replaced. The defense squad will be devastated.
He slapped his cheeks hard with both hands, leaving red marks. "Get a grip, Captain Usopp! You are a man of the sea... wait, no, a man of the urban concrete! Think!"
He needed a weapon. Punching was out of the question.
He crawled out from behind the barricade and scurried over to the remains of the 2-pointer the other boy had destroyed. He began frantically digging through the robotic guts.
"Aha!" He pulled out a handful of heavy, solid steel hex nuts, each the size of a golf ball. "Heavy ammunition! Now, how do I launch them?"
He scoured the street. His eyes darted around frantically. Whirrrrr-bzzt. He zoomed in on a partially collapsed building structure used for the simulation. Dangling from the fake ceiling was a thick, high-tension elastic cable, likely meant to simulate heavy industrial wiring.
Usopp scrambled up the rubble, pulled out his house keys, and sawed at the thick rubber casing until the elastic band snapped free. Next, he found a piece of heavy, Y-shaped metallic debris from a streetlamp.
With shaking but incredibly swift hands, he tied the industrial elastic cable to the ends of the metal Y-frame. He pulled it back to test the tension. It was incredibly stiff, requiring actual effort to draw, but it snapped forward with terrifying speed.
Usopp stood up, a heavy steel nut resting in the makeshift leather pouch of his new, improvised slingshot. A strange, confident smirk replaced his look of terror.
"If I can't break their armor," Usopp whispered, his eyes narrowing, "I'll just have to blind the giants."