A victor's smile tugged at Homelander's lips. He had no intention of letting this opportunity slip away.
He followed Soldier Boy's fall closely, shifting his outstretched hand to grab Soldier Boy's suit.
Just as he was about to succeed, Soldier Boy suddenly turned his head.
A handful of yellow dirt flew toward Homelander's eyes.
The compact grains could not withstand the tremendous force and broke into specks of dust in midair. Their momentum undiminished, some scattered into Homelander's eyes, while the rest landed on his face and in his mouth.
"Ptoo!" Homelander instinctively spat and waved a hand in front of his eyes to disperse the dust. His Super Vision was badly disrupted, leaving his sight blurred.
A sharp gleam flashed in Soldier Boy's eyes. He rolled sideways, driving his legs from his waist and hips with a whistle through the air. In a somewhat undignified move, he kicked at Homelander's feet.
Homelander was still spitting out dirt and had no time to react. A sudden kick knocked both feet into the air, robbing him of his footing and sending him crashing to the ground.
"Holy shit! What the hell?" Homelander cursed angrily.
His father's dirty tricks came one after another, impossible to guard against.
Before he could even react to one dirty trick, the next was already waiting for him.
Soldier Boy kipped up, stirring a cloud of dust that swept away his earlier dishevelment and shamelessness.
Quick-eyed and quick-handed, he pinned Homelander's shoulder. "Kid, you lost. In a real fight, I would've already stripped you of your powers with my Chest Beam."
Homelander was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
After a long moment, he squeezed a word through his teeth. "Damn."
He seemed to have lost interest in fighting.
No more fighting. This isn't fun.