Chapter 1: The Start of Something Great
Akko and Lotte began to pack up there things as the bell had just rung. Akko's eagerness to leave the classroom only grew with the thought of the shiny rod waiting for her in her dorm. However, as luck would have it Akko's name was called by the teacher. "You should head on without me. I don't know how long this will take" Akko said with a sigh. "Alright I'll see you back at the dorm. Good luck." Having said there goodbyes, Akko walked towards the teachers desk.
"You wanted to see me" Akko said hesitantly as if the teacher would snap if she said something wrong. "Akko, I have some unfortunate news. You are in danger of failing this course" the teacher explained. "What?! I know I tend to doze off during class, but I've done all of my assignments." Akko argued trying to push the idea of having to repeat the boring class again. The teacher let out a sigh knowing Akko wouldn't leave without a fight.
"I'm sorry, but most of your assignments have lots of errors which demonstrates a lack of knowledge. Your only chance to pass this class is to get a 70 or above on the final" the teacher reasoned. "Oh, I see. Thank you for letting me know. I'll see you tomorrow" Akko said with a bow.
As she left the classroom all she could do is wonder how to get a 70 on the final. It's true that her daily naps had cost her to miss important information during the lectures, but was it really her fault if she couldn't keep her eyes open. That class always bored her until she lost consciousness. The library came into view and a mental montage of her studying the textbook and her notes popped into her head. However, there was just one problem with that image.
She didn't have any notes. All she had was paper that occasionally contained stains from her drool. Her face scrunched up in disgust at the thought of it. Speaking of notes, she needed to find some quick. Only one person came to her mind, the person with the best notes in all of the school. With her mind set she took off running towards the dorms.
A few moments later and Diana heard a knock on her door. Expecting it to be Hannah and Barbra she opened it without checking. Had she known Akko was on the other side she would've rather pretended not to be home. Her eyes widened at the sight of Akko and she mentally cursed herself for being careless. "Can I help you" Diana asked clearly annoyed.
"Dianaaaaa! I really really need to borrow your notes from history class" Akko begged with her hands clasped together. Diana's head shot back as Akko leaned in forward with every word.
"Why on earth would I let you use my notes" Diana said with her hands on her hips.
"Because if I don't get a 70 on the final I'll fail history and with your notes there is no possible way I won't pass."
"You actually think you can get 70 even though you're failing? My notes would simply go to waste if I lent them to you" Diana scoffed.
Blood rushed to Akko's face and her fist trembled with anger. "What is your problem! I took down a dragon and yet you don't even think I can pass the final?" Taking down a dragon was by no means a simple task, so why was is so hard for Diana to believe she can get a C?
Diana simply rolled her eyes at that statement. "Anybody could've defeated the dragon if they knew Shiny Chariot's chant, so to answer your question, no I don't believe you could get a C. Now if you'll excuse me I have something-" Diana was about to close her door before she was interrupted by another sudden outburst from the red faced girl.
"You…you jerk! You think I'm so much less than you are because you ace all your test, but I'll bet you anything that I can get an A too!" Diana's patience was starting to wear thin. She needed to get rid of Akko. Suddenly an idea formed in her head and made its way to her lips in the form of a smirk.
"Alright fine. If you don't get an A then you have to give me Shiny Chariot's rod" She felt her smirk grow wider upon seeing the shocked look on Akko's face. Seeing the brunette's frantic face and hearing her struggle to make a coherent sentence gave Diana a sense of satisfaction.
On the other hand, Akko didn't know what to say. How could she even think about risking such a valuable treasure? Not only did it belong to her idol Shiny Chariot, but she felt connected to it. However, seeing the smug look on Diana's face fueled her determination to prove that she wasn't worthless. With new found determination she puffed out her chest and said "Fine. I accept this bet and I'll show you that I am capable of getting an A"
Diana simply rose a brow at her response. "Alright then. Lets say by some miracle you manage to legitimately get an A, what would you get as a result" she questioned the brunette. Akko face fell as she realized that she didn't actually know what she wanted. Putting her finger on her lip she contemplated what she would deem on par with losing her shiny rod. She didn't understand why Diana would even want the rod since she doesn't even like Shiny Chariot.
Her eyes suddenly widen as she realized exactly what she wanted. "I got it!" Her lips formed into a mischievous grin. "If I win the bet then you have to cosplay as Shiny Chariot for a whole week" she burst out with a clasp of her hands.
Diana suppressed a growl from escaping her mouth. How dare she suggest such a ridiculous idea. Just the thought of having to dress up in such a revealing outfit in front of her peers caused the witch's face to flush a bright red. However it quickly disappeared as soon as she saw Akko giggling at her expense. Fixing her face into a scowl "Fine, but don't expect any mercy once you lose" she warned the brunette.
An awkward silence filled the air.
Akko clasps her hands behind her back "So can I borrow your notes" she asked nervously. Diana's eyes narrowed and proceeded to slam the door in the smaller witch's face. It took Akko a while to realize that she wasn't going to get Diana's notes, so she would need to get someone else's. Luckily she had a friend that's a history wiz. She snickered at her own joke. Figuring that Lotte would be her best chance at scoring an A, she took off towards her room.
Opening the door she spotted Lotte and Sucy seated with food containers next to them. Lotte was on the swivel chair doing a bit of history homework while Sucy was sitting down and reading a book on poisonous plants. Looking up from her book she spotted Akko "Hey where have you been? You're lucky we know fire magic or else the food would be cold" she said.
"Oh I was talking to Diana" she explained. Walking into the room she grabbed her food from Sucy and sat on her bed. "What" she asked after seeing the puzzled looks on her friends faces.
"Really, I thought she didn't like you and vice versa" said Lotte. The witch was genuinely curious as to why the two would've been be talking to each other
"Yeah, isn't she always picking on you with dumb and dumber? Why would you even want to talk to her" asked Sucy.
Akko then proceed to tell both of them about how she was failing history and that her only way to pass the class was to get at least a C on the final. "So as I was passing the library I realized that I would need notes since I don't actually have any. I figured Diana would have the best notes so I decided to ask her." At that moment Akko's stomach decided to make its presence known by growling rather loudly. Smiling sheepishly she opened her container and started to eat.
Akko's stomach reminded the girls that they haven't eaten in awhile either. However, Lotte was still curious about one last thing. "Wait so did you manage to get Diana's notes?"
Akko looked up from her food and was about to answer, but remembered that Lotte didn't like it when she spoke with her mouth full. Raising her finger she signaled Lotte to give her a minute while she finished her food. After a loud gulp her face turned into a scowl. "No. That jerk doesn't even think I could pass the final" she seethed. "But once I win the bet that'll show her not to underestimate me." Akko stood up with her hands on her hips, chest puffed out, and a smirk on her face.
After seeing the puzzled looks on her friends faces, she realized that she never did mention the bet. "Oh I never did mention the bet did I? Oops, well basically I bet Diana that I could get an A on the final. If I don't then I have to give her the shiny rod, but if I win then Diana has to cosplay as Shiny Chariot."
"I don't know if that was such a good idea Akko" Lotte said with a frown.
"Yeah, I'm Going to have to agree with Lotte. If this was any other test, then there could be a decent chance of you getting an A, but this is the final. There is going to be a lot of information that is going to be covered on the test and if you're failing then the chances of you passing are almost nonexis-"
"Sucy!" Lotte interrupted upon seeing the hurt shown on Akko's face. "What she means to say is that getting an A on the final is going to be really tough and it may not have been wise to bet something that means a lot to you" Lotte explained. Her face showed nothing but genuine concern for the brunette.
"I know it's going to be hard but-" Akko began by wrapping her arm around Lotte's shoulder "if you help me study for it, then I have no doubt that I'll get an A" she finished with hopeful eyes aimed towards the orange haired girl.
"Alright I'll help you, but you're going to have to really pay attention when we're studyin Ahh" the girl yelped as she felt Akko pull her into a tight hug.
"Thank you thank you thank you so much! You won't regret it I promise!"
"Plus it'll be interesting to see Diana cosplaying as Shiny Chariot. I wonder how her cronies would react if they were to see her like that" Sucy chimed in.
Once they finished eating Lotte decided it would be a good idea to get started on history. Akko on the other hand was giving her every excuse she could think of. After a lot of convincing and reminding the brunette that there was a real possibility of her losing the shiny rod, Akko settled down. They spent a good couple hours relearning the material from the start of the semester. After Akko groaned "my head feel like its going to explode like the dragon" for what seemed like the millionth time that night, Lotte decided it was time for bed. Akko was more than eager to get some rest. She was absolutely exhausted, but she figured that was because she had forgotten most of the material from the beginning of the semester and that tomorrow would be easier.
Boy was she wrong. It seemed Lotte was completely hell-bent on her getting an A! The Finnish girl had her studying during breakfast, before class, after class, and even during lunch! What had once been one of her favorite time of day has now been ruined by the need to learn boring history. By the time her classes were over she was utterly drained of energy. However this didn't stop Lotte from guilt tripping her into studying an hour later. This continued for the next two days until it was finally Friday. The day of the final.
That morning Akko woke up with fiery determined eyes. She had Lotte quiz her with note cards and she was able to answer them with lightning fast reflexes. Well, most of them. But in her defense there was a ton of note cards! Thanks to Lotte she was able to walk into her history class full of confidence that was evident on the witch's face.
Entering the classroom she immediately locked eyes with Diana's. Both girls held their gaze as Akko made her way to her seat. One was sporting a wide smirk while the other had a scowl. Akko being the former of the two.
As the bell rang the class settled down and watched the teacher began to pass out the exam. Akko could feel her palms began to sweat. The reality of what is actually at stake just hitting her. Her heart started beating faster and her eyes widened as she saw the teacher approaching. A brief image of Diana taking the shiny rod while Hannah and Barbra mocked her flashed before her eyes. She was awaken from her daze as the exam was placed in front of her. Swallowing the lump in her throat she turned towards her friends to see them giving her a reassuring smile.
The final was definitely nothing to scoff at. It took Akko the entire class period to finish. The multiple choice questions unfortunately had answers that were all similar. It made it even harder to feel confident in her performance. However, she believed she did every thing she could to prepare for it. The only thing left for her to do was wait for the results. Fortunately all exams are returned to the students on Sunday morning.
With every passing moment Akko grew more and more nervous. What if she got an 89? Would Diana really be that ruthless? Well, she did say not to expect any mercy. She shuddered at that specific memory. Her voice had been so cold and it definitely got her point across.
Then there was the possibility that Akko could actually get an A. Would Diana actually go through with it? What if she refused to hold up her part of the deal? Nah, Diana didn't seem like the type of person to go back on her word.
Slowly but surely Sunday came and Akko was staring through her peephole waiting for her test to be delivered. She felt her anxiety growing as she saw one of the staff members approach her dorm. She could feel her palms beginning to get clammy as the lady was looking through the yellow packets. Once the woman pulled out three packets Akko quickly opened the door and thanked her for her service. She made quick work of her packet and pulled out her exam to see her score.
Diana woke up to her alarm and started getting ready like she had every other Sunday before. The only difference is that today would determine if she would get Shiny Chariot's rod or be humiliated for whole week. Although the stakes were high, Diana was absolutely positive that Akko didn't get an A. She's always dozing off in class and she was already failing. On top of all that she only had three days to study a whole semester worth of material. She's truly a foolish girl to believe she could get an A.
Looking over at her clock she saw it was eight. Walking outside she saw the yellow packets on their shelf. 'Right on time' she thought. Opening the packet she pulled out her exam to see a perfect score like always. Regardless it always brings a genuine smile to her face to see her hard work pay off.
Her smile instantly vanished and her eyes widened as soon as she heard the cheerful sounds of laughter coming her way. The dread began to set in as she realized whats about to happen. She could feel her fury beginning to build up so she closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself. Eventually she heard the noise stop, but she knew the girl was standing in front of her.
Opening her eyes she couldn't help but scowl at the brunette sporting a wide grin with her test in hand. Of course she managed to get a 93. She managed to take down a dragon so why wouldn't she be able to get an A on the final. However, that did little to quell the anger inside the white haired witch. "I'll be dressed on Monday" she said with a strained voice. With that she slammed the door in the girls face like she had done the last time.
After letting out a long sigh she went towards the shared closet and pulled out a box in the corner. Opening the box she pulled out her old sewing kit. With everything set up on the desk she started working on her Shiny Chariot costume. Unfortunately all the noise managed to wake up Hannah and Barbra.
It took awhile to explain the whole story to them, but they were surprisingly considerate. In fact hey even offered to go and get her breakfast, which she gladly accepted. She spent the whole day working on the costume and by the time she finished it was an hour till curfew. Holding up the costume she couldn't help but smile at it. It was an exact copy of the original with the only difference being that it was fitted to fit Diana perfectly. Putting the outfit in her closet she headed off to bed dreading, for the first time, going to class the next day.
A/N: This is my first story so I'm not sure if it's any good, but feedback is appreciated. I would also like to point out that this is set after the first movie since I started writing this before the first two episodes aired.
Anyways I have the whole story outlined and I hope to have the next chapter up by the end of next week. I hope you enjoyed it and let me know how I did.