The air felt heavier now.
Not because of the smoke.
Not because of the heat.
But because both of us were tired.
I could feel it in my chest — that dull, burning pressure that came from switching forms too fast, too many times. Each transformation pulled at something deeper than muscle. My breathing was heavier than I wanted to admit.
Four Arms was strong — absurdly strong — but even strength demanded fuel.
And I was running low.
Across from me, Yaoyorozu wasn't breathing evenly either.
Sweat ran down her temples, darkening strands of hair that clung to her face. Her shoulders rose and fell faster than before. Every creation cost her calories, focus, precision. And she had made a lot.
Too much.
Her armor whirred softly as she shifted her stance, adjusting the weight of the shield. The shock lance trembled just slightly in her grip — not fear.
Fatigue.
The crowd sensed it too.
The noise shifted.
Less screaming.
More tension.
Two future heroes.
Both pushed to their limits.
I clenched my fists — four massive hands grinding together with a low crack.
'She's incredible,' I thought.
'But if this keeps going… one mistake decides everything.'
And I couldn't afford to make one.
I looked down at my arms.
At the red skin.
At the bulging muscles.
At the veins standing out like cables under strain.
Enough testing.
Enough adapting.
Enough playing.
'If I let this drag on, she wins by endurance.
So this ends now.'
I planted my feet.
The concrete beneath me fractured.
Four Arms straightened to his full height, shoulders rolling back, chest expanding like a war drum.
Yaoyorozu noticed immediately.
Her eyes sharpened.
"…You've decided," she said, breathless but steady.
I nodded once.
"Yeah."
The stadium went quiet.
Not silent — just… waiting.
She activated the thrusters on her back, lifting slightly off the ground as smoke poured out, her shield locking into place in front of her.
"I won't back down," she said.
I grinned — tired, honest.
"I know."
And then—
I moved.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
Direct.
I charged.
The ground exploded under my steps.
Yaoyorozu fired first — smoke bombs bursting, blinding the center of the arena. Shock charges detonated at my feet, electricity crawling across the floor.
Pain flared.
I ignored it.
Four Arms barreled through the smoke like a freight train, arms crossing in front of my face as the shield absorbed the worst of the blasts.
She launched upward, thrusters screaming, trying to gain height.
Smart.
I leapt.
Not upward.
Forward.
One hand slammed into the ground.
The other three struck at once.
The shockwave tore through the arena, ripping the smoke apart like paper.
Yaoyorozu was thrown off balance mid-air.
Her thrusters sputtered.
Her eyes widened — just a fraction.
That was all I needed.
I jumped again.
This time, up.
One hand caught the edge of her shield.
Another grabbed the lance.
Metal screeched.
With a brutal twist, I ripped the weapon free and crushed it in my palm like foil.
Her armor tried to compensate — cables firing, smoke bursting again —
Too late.
I landed in front of her.
Close enough to see the exhaustion in her eyes.
Close enough to hear her breathing.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly.
Then I struck.
Not wild.
Not reckless.
One precise blow — controlled, measured, devastating.
My fist hit the shield.
The shield shattered.
The impact carried through the armor, through the air, through the ground.
Yaoyorozu was launched backward, sliding across the arena floor before stopping just short of the boundary line.
Silence.
She didn't move.
For one terrible second, my heart froze.
Then—
Her fingers twitched.
She exhaled.
And slowly… raised one hand.
"I…" she breathed, staring at the sky. "…I can't continue."
Midnight didn't hesitate.
Her whip cracked through the air.
"MATCH OVER !"
The stadium exploded.
Cheers.
Roars.
Applause crashing like a wave.
I let out the breath I'd been holding and dropped to one knee, four hands bracing against the cracked ground.
My body ached.
My lungs burned.
But I was still standing.
Four Arms slowly faded away, red skin dissolving into green light as I returned to myself — just Ben, breathing hard, sweat running down my back, legs shaking.
I stood and walked toward her.
She was sitting now, supported by the medics, face flushed, hair damp with sweat — and smiling.
"You ended it when you had to," she said softly. "That's what a hero does."
I smiled back, just as tired.
"You almost had me."
She laughed quietly.
"So did you."
Up in the stands, my mother was crying openly.
My father was shouting something I couldn't hear.
Gwen was grinning like she'd known all along.
And my grandfather…
Max Tennyson just nodded.
Proud.
The crowd kept cheering.
But inside…
I knew.
This was only the beginning.
And somewhere far beyond the sky…
Something dangerous was paying attention.
------
Remember that Ben gets tired because of the sequential form changes, something that even Ben Prime gets exhausted from, and the fact that he doesn't have a stable conductor like the Omnitrix makes it even more difficult.