Akko Kagari and the Contest of Champions
A/N: Show your support for Serenity Academy
Chapter Twenty-One: The First Game
Akko thought those days waiting for the Contest to start were bad, but now that she was here, it was so much worse than she had ever imagined. Standing there under the eyes of a million onlookers, watching her, judging her. The crowd was roaring with excitement as Wangari announced the beginning of the contest…. How Akko envied them, wishing now that she was in their place instead of here, moments away from facing a small army of alien predators.
Someone grabbed Akko's hand. It was Diana. She looked at her partner in still curiosity as her fingers shook in Akko's grip. Diana looked cool and composed on the inside, but Akko was the only one that could see that she was just as anxious as they were; her eyes were subtly tracing back and forth, almost like she was looking for an exit. This made Akko fell a little better, knowing that she wasn't the only one nervous. She folded her fingers in between Diana's, holding her hand tight, trying to pour as much courage as she could muster.
"Okay, everyone, you've waited long enough!" Wangari shouted over the stadium loudspeakers. "We're going to announce the program for this year's Contest of Champions!"
The video board at the right end of the stadium blinked to life and several rows of texts appeared on the screen. The program went as followed:
GAME 1: Labyrinth – Battle
GAME 2: ? – Battle
GAME 3: ? – Battle
GAME 4: ? – Team Battle
GAME 5: ?
"This really is a Grand Magic Games copy," said Fate, raising her brow and smirking in mirth. "They even have the same schedule as the original one."
"Well, at least we know what to expect, then," said Nico dryly. "The games I think we can manage – it's the battle rounds that have me worried. Other than Kagari, none of us has ever been in a fight before."
"I have some experience fighting," said Fate. "Before I got accepted into Luna Nova, I trained with Lynith and Arf in combat magic. And my mother is always making sure I practice when I'm at home."
"Having two fighters on our team won't do us any good," said Diana, her jaw set. "Looks at the rest of the schools. You can see it in their eyes – they all have years of experience in combat, especially Class Zero and Myojo. We won't be able to win against any of them in a straight forward fight, so we're going to need to be clever instead."
"I think we should worry about getting past the Xenomorphs before worrying about fighting," Makoto suggested.
"I second that," said Akko, her nerves returning twofold.
"To anyone who has ever watched the Grand Magic Games which this 'Contest' is a total copy and paste of," said Neku dully, pointedly ignoring the heated look from the Grand Master, "you should already know the rules by now: One person from each team will be selected for each game and points will be divided based on where they placed in that round. First place will receive 10 points, second gets 8, third gets 6, fourth gets 4, fifth gets 3, sixth gets 2, seventh gets 1, and last place gets jack. And for the battle round, the results of fan votes will be taken into consideration when the sponsors make their pairs."
"That's assuming the readers can take ten seconds out of their day to take a simple poll," said Raven Sachya, clicking her tongue peevishly.
"The rules for the battle part are simple," Neku continued. "The teams face off against each other and the winning team will receive 10 points while the losing team gets nothing – 5 points will be distributed evenly in the event of a tie when time runs out or we experience a rare double knockout."
"Thank you for that short and boring explanation, Sakuraba!" said Wangari. "But let's hurry up and get to what the fan are really looking forward to: the first game of the Contest! It's time to begin the Labyrinth!" She took a quick pause in her exuberant announcement to let the audience get in a few cheers before starting up again. "Before we can get started on the Labyrinth, each team needs to pick one member to represent them in the competition! Choose wisely, because you never know what you'll be facing in this Contest!"
"Logically speaking, it would be best if I were to handle this one," said the bespectacled boy from Honnoji, pushing up his glasses dramatically. "After Lady Satsuki went through the trouble of gathering data for us."
"Don't fail us, Inumuta," grumbled the largest man of their group, crossing his arms and leering down at his teammate. "Remember, you don't just represent our school, you represent Lady Satsuki. There will be strict discipline should you do anything to tarnish her name."
"Dude, you guys need to seriously chill," said Ryuko Matoi, groaning exasperatedly.
"The first person to step up is Team Honnoji's Hoka Inumuta!" yelled Wangari.
"Let's me take care of the first one," the short brunette of Team Class Zero pleaded.
"Just be careful out there," said their blonde leader. "For both the monsters and your health."
"Stepping in for Team Class Zero is Rem Tokimiya!"
No one from Black Star Academy said a word to each other, but Mato reached behind her and tapped the redheaded, devil-horned woman on the shoulder. She smirked confidently and stepped forward, shouldering her serrated sword.
"Coming in from the fan favorite, it's Team Black Star's Black Gold Saw!"
"I should be the one to go first," said Fu Inubozaki, rubbing her nose and chuckling smugly. "As your leader, I should make sure that the games are safe for my trusted and most cherished friends."
"You're not fooling anyone, Fu-senpai," giggled the other blonde girl. "You just want to show off to that Manbavaran girl from Luna Nova."
"W-w-w-w-what are you talking about!" sputtered Fu, her face turning red as a brick and flailing her arms around. "T-t-that's not it! I just…I'm just being a good friend, that all!"
"Riiiiight…," Team Sanshu said in synchronized, disbelieving voices.
"The Hero Club has sent out their headliner! It's Fu Inubozaki from Team Sanshu!"
"If Akko-chan is gonna go first, then I am, too," said Eruna, stepping forward. "We main characters need to stick together."
"You've got this, Eruna-senpai!" shouted the brunette in white. "Show them why Serenity Academy is the best in the world!"
"All eyes are on the dark horse of the competition, and Team Serenity sends out it's big gun right off the bat. It's Eruna Ichinomiya!"
"We don't know what the rules of the game are," the green-haired boy from U.A. mumbled creepily, "but it probably has something to do with finding a way out of a maze. If that's the case, I really wish Iida was here – his quick quirk would have made it easy for him to run around and find the exit before anyone else. But we also don't know what kind of traps they have lying around in there either. We should take a moment to assess everyone's quirks and how they could be best used to – "
"Shut your damn mouth already!" shouted the spiky blonde irritably, stepping up. "I'm going and that's final!"
"Wait, Kachan!" yelped the green-haired boy. "We need to stop and think about – "
The boy known as Kachan leered over his shoulder, giving his teammate a very dangerous look.
"Uh…never mind. It looks like you've got it handled," said the green-haired boy nervously.
"In a rather impractical decision, Team U.A. is sending its resident hothead, Katsuki Bakugo!"
"I think I should take the lead in this competition," said the frail-looking rich girl from Myojo, glancing sideways at her team. "Unless you have a problem with that…Azuma-san…."
"…Go," said the blue-haired assassin, Azuma, listlessly. "Don't die…."
The rich girl giggled amusingly.
"Another odd decision, Team Myojo is sending out Sumireko Hanabusa in their stead!"
"Looks like we're the only ones left," said Makoto anxiously, making a loud gulping noise. "So…how do we do this? Do we draw straws or…."
"I…I'll go," said Akko, her voice nearly failing her. She was so nervous, she found it difficult to speak. "I'll go first…."
"Akko, are you sure?" asked Diana; there was a hint of noticeable concern behind her voice. "You don't have to do this if you don't want. I could – "
"No!" Akko shouted unexpectedly loud, making Diana jump. "No…I mean, I got this. I've been training for a really long time for this. I even asked Professor Finnelan to help."
"Really?" said Fate. "I always thought she hated you. If she's willing to help, that must mean you're serious."
"Well…if you're sure," said Diana, still looking at her anxiously. "Just…be careful, okay, Akko."
"Don't worry," said Akko, trying her hardest to smile, but failing. "I've…I've got this."
"And last, but certainly not least, It's Atsuko Kagari from Team Luna Nova!" shouted Wangari. "All of the participating players from the eight teams are set! And now, for the rules of the opening game, Labyrinth! Take it away, Grand Master!"
"Thank you, Miss Wangari, for that stirring introduction," said the Grand Master. "The Rules of 'Labyrinth' are quite simple to understand. In essence, it is a race where the competitors will have to scour a maze of tunnels to find the exit. Points will be rewarded depending on who crosses the finish line first. But it wouldn't be any fun if it was a normal race. Not only will you have to watch out for your fellow competitors, who will no doubt be hindering your path, but you should also be aware that there are some…special surprises waiting for our competitors."
Special surprises…he was referring to the Xenomorphs, Akko thought. She felt like there was a great lead weight in her stomach as the thought of those monsters. The only thing that seemed to ease the tension building was the equally worried looks on her competition as they all joined together in the middle of the stadium. A couple of them were twitching agitatedly and others were folding their hands to stop the shaking. Only Myojo's representative, Sumeriko, seemed to be absolutely calm – she was perfectly still, like a statue.
"The competitors are free to use whatever they have at their disposal, whether it is magic, quirk, or weapons," said the Grand Master. "There are no restrictions other than you are not allowed to kill you opponents – that will not only eliminate you from the round, but from the rest of the Contest as well, and that would leave your team running a man short, so be careful…. That being said, the Department of Sports and Games take no responsibility for any lives that may be lost during the Contest of Champions."
"Wait, what?" said Eruna dimly.
"That's enough talk!" said the Grand Master Quickly. "Let the first game of the Contest of Champions – Labyrinth – begin!"
"Wait, what were you saying about losing lives!" Eruna shouted. "Hey, I'm talkin' to ya!"
The Grand Master pointedly avoided Ichinomiya's question as he snapped his fingers; the echo bouncing across the stadium despite the roaring of fans. Before any of the competitors knew what was going on, a purple, diamond-shaped portal suddenly appeared beneath their feet and started sucking them inside one after another. Akko was one of the last to be pulled in; she tried to run for the edge when the portal appeared, but it was like being sucked in by a vacuum cleaner. Neon-purple lights surrounded her, blinding her; it felt incredible more uncomfortable than the Teleportation Spell, if that was even possible. She could feel her head spinning as she fell at what seemed like a hundred miles per hour, completely losing track of the other competitors. Akko closed her eyes, fighting back the urge to vomit, wishing for it to stop –
SPLASH!
Akko sputtered, flailed, and pushed herself upright, her clothes thoroughly soaked as a foul smell assaulted her senses. She choked down the bile that threatened to climb out of her stomach, holding a hand to her nose, and looked around. Akko had known they would be thrown into the sewers before the game started, but she had not been prepared for the smell – she had been more worried about the Xenomorphs.
The tunnel she had landed in was long and cavernous – not at all cramped like she had anticipated it to be. The section behind her was closed off by a large steel wall with yellow warning tape across the surface, indicating that she was at the boundary of the game area. Akko found herself standing knee-deep in murky-green water, the contents of which Akko didn't want to imagine, and immediately jumped up on the narrow walkway on either side of the water. A few lanterns alight with green fire fairies were hung from the ceiling every few feet, filling the tunnel with an eerie green glow. Well, at least she wouldn't need to worry about stumbling around in the dark, Akko thought bitterly.
"The least they could've done was give us a warning," Akko mumbled and she rung her hat dry, sorely wishing she knew the quick-drying spell. She topped her head again and looked down the tunnel. "Guess we all got separated. Great…. Whelp…time to see where this goes."
She started her slow walk down the tunnel….
Back at the stadium, several dozen wide holographic screens popped up on every side of the arena, displaying various images of the contestants as they made their way through the sewers.
"Everyone, please enjoy what's going on in the tunnels below via our imaging cameras," said the Grand Master. "The eight participants have been separated into different parts of the sewer system and none of them have any idea what the others are doing. They are all at an equal distance away from the exit to make it fair, but the real test isn't who can make it out first, but who can make it out period. With hundreds of dead ends and our little surprises wandering inside, it is anyone's guess."
"This guy really loves to hear himself talk, doesn't he?" said Nico, clicking her tongue.
"We should have planned this better," said Diana. "We were so busy preparing for what happens when we confront the Xenomorphs that we completely overlooked the possibility that we would be wandering around in a maze. If I had known, I would have had us study compass magic more, maybe a transparency spell or two."
"You really think Akko would be able to learn that in time?" asked Fate, raising a brow to Diana.
"I'm sure Akko has a plan," said Makoto hopefully. "She wouldn't have volunteered if she didn't."
Though the rest of Team Luna Nova seemed skeptical, they silently agreed that they had no choice but to put their faith in Akko. Besides, Diana thought, if worse came to worse, Akko would just use the Shiny Arc and blindly destroy the entire tunnel system….
The flame fairies cast black shadows across the tunnel walls, and, whether because the walls were long and hollow or because this was another effect added by the Grand Master, the sounds of water dripping seemed to echo ten times louder than normal. Akko had played enough horror video games with Constanze to recognize this scenario where the monsters always popped out when you least expect it. And this time, the monsters weren't just two-dimensional images on a screen. She whipped out her wand, muttering the spell she had practiced with Finnelan under her breath for when the moment arrived when she needed it.
After about fifty yards, she reached a fork in the tunnel. She looked to the left, then to the right, and saw no difference between them.
"Which way…which way…," Akko mumbled. "Ooh…come on, Kami, give me a sign…."
It was at precisely that moment that thunderous explosion suddenly rang from the left tunnel, making the ground tremble beneath Akko's feet. Akko braced herself against the wall and craned her head to the left. There was another explosion, mingled with the sound of vicious hissing, one that Akko recognized from her trip to the Arcturus Forest. Someone had made contact with a Xenomorph. Another explosion rattled the tunnel and then someone's voice echoed down the tunnel.
"You think you can take me, you bastards! C'mon! I'll roast your scaly asses!"
It was Bakugo from U.A. He was fighting the Xenomorphs head-on.
Another explosion went off and Akko decided at that point she'd rather not take the chance of getting in his way. She turned on her heel and hurried down the right tunnel; the explosions faded out of earshot the further away she got. Her chosen path seemed completely deserted. She turned right at the end of the tunnel, and hurried on, holding her wand out in front of her, ready to shoot anything that got in her way. Still, there was nothing in sight.
Akko kept looking behind her. The old feeling that she was being watched was upon her. The labyrinth was growing darker with every passing minute as the lanterns became farther and fewer in between. She assumed that must have meant she was getting closer to the exit, hopefully. She reached a second fork in the road.
Akko was starting to wish she had learned some compass magic from Diana; she didn't know if she was heading the right way or going in circles. So, having no other idea in mind, Akko decided to leave her fate to chance: she tossed her wand into the air and let it hit the ground, deciding to follow whichever direction it pointed. It pointed towards the left, straight at the solid wall. Akko picked up her wand and started to take the left tunnel and hope for the best.
The path ahead was empty too, and when she reached the end of the path, she took an immediate right because she heard noises coming from the left. Akko didn't know why, but the lack of obstacles was starting to unnerve her. Surely she should have met at least one Xenomorph by now? It felt as though the labyrinth were luring her into a false sense of security. Then she heard movement right behind her. She held out her wand, ready to attack, but her eyes fell only upon Fu Inubozaki, who had just hurried out of a path on the right-hand side. Fu looked winded. She was hauling a hulking broadsword on her shoulder that was even bigger than herself. The sleeve of her costume had evaporated and was partially smoking with a soft hissing noise.
"Ran into a pack of Xenomorphs down that way," she said, panting. "I got the suckers – cut them all in half. But their blood got everywhere. Almost got caught in the splash zone. Thank goodness God Steel can't melt."
She gave a short and mirthless chuckle and dived out of sight, along another path. Keen to put plenty of distance between herself and the Xenomorphs, Akko hurried off again. But as she turned a corner at the end of the tunnel, she heard it…a low, chittering noise from above. Akko craned her head back slowly and saw…a lone Xenomorph clinging to the ceiling above. Seven feet long, its head lengthy and smooth with pointed teeth, its barbed tail swishing back and forth menacingly. It raised its own head and stared straight at Akko, who stood frozen in place, not daring to make any sudden moves….
Akko slowly began to raise her wand over her head, reciting the spell in her mind with all of her concentration, when the Xenomorph suddenly leapt down upon her, its skeletal hands outstretched, its toothy jaw opened wide as it let out an earsplitting shriek. It grabbed Akko by the shoulders and forced her to the floor; Akko winced, but held on tightly to her wand –
"Oh no, Akko's pinned down! This may be it for her!" Wangari screamed frantically over the loudspeakers.
"AKKO!" Team Luna Nova screamed.
"AKKO!" The Polaris girls cried.
"Miss Kagari!" Andrew yelled in fright, jumping out of his seat, much to the amazement of his father.
The Xenomorph hissed violently; heavy globs of drool dripping down its teeth and onto her face. Something poked out of the alien's open mouth – it was a second set of smaller teeth, snapping like a bear trap; kinda makes you wonder what the first set of teeth are for then. The Xenomorph was about to bury its teeth into her face, but Akko held strong and waved her wand in her hand, casting the spell she had worked hard to master –
"Metamorphie Faciesse!"
A puff exploded in the Xenomorph's face as it lunged forward, somehow missing Akko and hitting the concrete with its face.
The Xenomorph shook its head and started looking around frantically, making curious noises as it searched. It was beyond the alien's ability to understand. How could an entire human just disappear like that? The Xenomorph started to growl in irritation when a small noise echoed off the wall. It was faint and tiny, but it could be heard…Squeak, squeak…. The sound of a tiny animal…. The Xenomorph turned slowly on its hind legs and looked down. And there, standing proudly on the Xenomorph's pointed tail, was a little brown mouse…with a tiny hair bob that looked exactly like…. The Xenomorph actually did a double take, its jaw slack – the little mouse grinned and flashed a peace sign.
"Transformation complete!" said Akko-Mouse proudly. "How'd you like that?"
The stadium was filled with applause and cheers for both Akko's safety and her impressive spells, but nearly everyone from Luna Nova shared the same dumbfounded looks as the Xenomorph. Wide-eyed and slack jawed, some of the students were rubbing their eyes as if believing they were playing tricks on them. But they weren't. Akko Kagari, who had never once performed a successful transformation spell in the four years she had been at school, was a little mouse playing on a Xenomorph's tail. It wasn't until Wangari practically screamed over the mic that it finally started to sink in.
"Holy cow! In a surprise twist, Akko Kagari pulls off a full body metamorphosis spell at the last second for a narrow death-defying escape! This is definitely going to be in the highlights for sure!"
"Atsuko Kagari's greatest and most versatile spell is metamorphosis magic," said Neku Sakuraba plainly. "We all knew this from the canon show. It was only a matter of time before she actually pulled it off."
"I always knew that Akko had an affinity towards metamorphosis magic," Ursula said to Professor Finnelan, both seated among the teachers. "But she never took the time to practice…. I take it this was your doing, Professor Finnelan?"
"She came to me asking for help," said Professor Finnelan, showing the smallest of smiles. "It was the first time I ever saw her interested in learning. I couldn't turn her away. But I must say, I didn't expect her to be able to master the spell in less than a day. That girl really does have a talent for it."
Ursula smiled and turned back to the screen as the Xenomorph began to swing its tail wildly, trying to shake the little mouse off.
The Xenomorph hissed furiously while snapping its tail back and forth, but the little witch-mouse refused to let go; it was holding on to the bladed tip with all four legs and its own tail. Even when the alien beast slammed her into the wall, Akko refused to let go. She had some serious determination. But when the Xenomorph arced its tail over its head, ready to slam the little mouse into the ground, Akko finally relented. She let go of the alien just as it stabbed the ground, free falling on top of the Xenomorph's head, and flashed her little wand that had shrunk to accommodate her size, twirling it around and saying:
"Metamorphie Faciesse!"
A cloud of smoke poofed above the Xenomorph. The alien only had a chance to look up before its head was crushed under the weight of a two-ton brown elephant with a topknot that had suddenly appeared out of thin air. Akko the elephant laughed victoriously as the Xenomorph flailed under her massive weight while the alien's head and upper body was pinned underneath her butt. The Xenomorph slashed its tail in every direction, but it was behaving in such a blind panic that it didn't know where to aim. And in a matter of moments, the Xenomorph stopped moving altogether, its tail going limp, either dead or unconscious from the lack of oxygen. Akko-Elephant laughed again, curling her trunk proudly with her…feet on her waist.
"Hah! How do ya like that!" Akko-Elephant said victoriously. "Not such a scary monster now, are ya? I hope everyone saw that. I was so cool…."
Though extremely proud of her accomplished victory, Akko needed to move on, quickly and quietly as possible. She used the metamorphosis spell again to transform into a tiny brown bird with a topknot, flapping her wings rapidly, and soaring down the tunnel.
Left…right…left again…. Twice she found herself facing dead ends. The lights were starting to get brighter, which meant she was getting further away from the exit. She turned back, took a right, and saw a group of three Xenomorphs lurking in a crossroad in front of her.
Akko approached them cautiously, flapping up to the top of one of the exposed pipes on the wall, hidden in the shadows. They looked like they were searching for something, they raised their heads and swerved around, almost like dogs sniffing the air. Akko wondered if they could find her by her scent; she didn't know how the Xenomorphs could see because of their lack of apparent eyes. She considered the possibility of fighting them off, but fighting three Xenomorphs was a huge difference compared to fighting one. What would happen if she tried sneaking past them? She could turn herself into a mouse again, but the spell would make too much noise and the overdramatic smoke cloud would direct them to her location. Should she chance it as a bird, or should she double back?
She was still considering when the Xenomorphs suddenly perked, all three of them spinning around toward the left side tunnel. Akko peered closer.
At first there was silence…. Then clapping footsteps echoed from down the way. The Xenomorphs reared themselves on their haunches, snarling, as another champion stepped into the light of the green lanterns. It was Sumireko from Myojo, hands folded politely, walking up to the aliens as if she were taking a pleasant stroll through the park.
Akko was tempted to call out to Sumireko, to warn her, when the rich girl suddenly stopped and stared at the Xenomorphs with a pleasant smile; not something Akko would consider doing when faced with three of those monsters. She chuckled politely and spoke, her tone as graceful as her poise:
"My, how unfortunate for you. I would appear…that will be the next of your kin to die."
It was unknown if the Xenomorphs were able to understand human language, but the way they reacted gave some impression that they knew what she was talking about. One member of the pack lurched forward, it's teeth bared at Sumireko, when the Myojo Champion suddenly held out a hand and grabbed the Xenomorph by the head. Instantly, the alien beast was stopped in its tracks. The creature looked like it was struggling under her hand and even seemed to be pushed back slightly. The Xenomorph began to raise its barded tail when Sumireko closed her fingers, puncturing the head case, and splattered venomous-green blood all over her hand. The Xenomorph dropped dead on the floor, its brain crushed in Sumireko's grip. The Myojo champion still smiled pleasantly, even as the Xenomorph's acidic blood began to burn away the skin on her hand. But as the skin melted off, Sumireko's flesh was replaced by a smooth, metallic material, one that Akko couldn't make out in the darkness.
Sumireko chuckled politely again, flexing her steely fingers for them to see.
"So…which of you will be next?" she asked calmly.
Akko could only stare with a mixture of shock and horror as Sumireko made short work of the other Xenomorphs. In less than five minutes, she grabbed one of the remaining two aliens by the back of its neck, pulled her arm up sharply, and snapped the monster's collar with a sharp crack before dropping its dead body in the water. As for the last one, Sumireko smoothly sidestepped the Xenomorph's tail and took hold of it with her iron grip. She pulled the appendage so that the monster would fall flat on the ground, pressed her heel to pin it to the floor, and pulled the Xenomorph's tail with all her might, ripping off the limb and dragging its spinal cord out with it. The Xenomorph went limb, dead, as Sumireko tossed the spine away and pulled out a dainty handkerchief, wiping her hands clean before dropping it on the dead monster to add insult to injury.
"Hmm…that was rather unsavory," said Sumireko thoughtfully. "After this task is over, I will have to ask Banba-san to draw me a bath. Perhaps she could even be persuaded to join…."
She giggled like a giddy schoolgirl at the thought before walking along her merry way. Akko remained frozen in her place on top of the pipe, not daring to move until she was sure Sumireko was gone. She felt numb with shock. She took a deep, steadying breath, then hopped off and flapped toward the tunnel opposite of the direction Sumireko went. Akko didn't know how Sumireko was able to do all that, but she suddenly realized…she didn't care, she just wanted to get as far away from that lunatic as possible.
Akko paused at a junction of two paths and looked around for some sign of an exit. The tunnels had been getting darker since she took this path, so she must be on the right track. But she wondered if others were starting to figure it out as well. As they got closer towards the end, they were likely to run into each other sooner or later. Like Diana had said, Luna Nova had the disadvantage when it came to actual combat, so if Akko ended up having to fight one of them, she wouldn't last long. Akko took the right fork with a feeling of increasing unease….
She met nothing for ten minutes, but kept running into dead ends. Twice she took the same wrong turn. Finally, she found a new route and started to glide along it. Then she rounded the corner and suddenly found herself caught in a fiery explosion that knocked her out of the air and forced her to change back to a human in a puff of smoke. Akko flipped around on her back and realized she was being overshadowed by Bakugo from U.A.
Bakugo looked pissed – beyond pissed, if that was even possible. He looked like he had just come away from a huge scrap, which Akko assumed was what happened after what she heard in the beginning of the game. He was covered in cuts and scratched, his little mask ripped off his face, his shirt ripped in tatters, and one of his gauntlets were missing. He was panting hard, glaring down over Akko.
"You…," he growled. "You're that chick from Luna Nova! Where're you going, huh? The exit? Tell me where it is!"
"I don't know!" Akko yelped, backing away from him.
"Don't lie to me!" Bakugo roared. "Tell me where it is, dammit!"
Akko held up her wand defensively, but Bakugo seemed to take this as an attack and threw out his hands, creating a large explosion that sent Akko flying back. Thankfully, she fell in the water; she started smelling burnt hair for a moment before she landed. Bakugo held his hands behind him and issued a blast of fire from his palms and flew forward toward her.
"Murowa!" Akko yelled. Bakugo let loose an explosion from the side, making him curve around the spell. Akko sped back a few more paces and swiped her wand frantically. "MUROWA!"
Her spell missed Bakugo by a mile, but hit the wall next to him and exploded close to his face, throwing him sideways into opposite wall, momentarily stunned from the blast. Panting, Akko pushed herself up to her feet and ran, hard, in the opposite direction – Bakugo wouldn't be stunned for long; he was beginning to get back up, albeit his legs shaking.
Akko took a left path and hit a dead end, and right, and hit another; forcing herself to stop, heart hammering, Akko dropped her wand again and chose to take the path on the side in the direction it pointed.
She had been hurrying along the new path for a few minutes when she heard something through the walls into the tunnel running parallel to her own that made her stop dead.
"Stop hiding from me, you coward?" yelled Fu's voice. "Show yourself and fight me like a real man!"
And then Akko heard a new voice, one belonging to the only other male in the competition: Inumuta.
"A real man would fight you head-on, but a smart man would so this."
The tunnel was suddenly full of Fu's yells. Horrified, Akko began sprinting up her path, trying to find a way into Fu's. When none appeared, she tried the explosion spell again. It wasn't very effective, but it did break a small hole in the stone through which Akko used the metamorphosis spell to transform into a mouse and slip through to the other side. She landed on the walkway in the new tunnel, looking to her right, and saw Fu being restrained from behind while Inumuta pulled one of her arms behind back and was jabbing two fingers into the back of her neck. Akko didn't have time to wonder where Inumuta got his strange cyber-punk costume when he pressed harder into the back of Fu's neck, making her cry out once more.
He didn't seem to have noticed Akko. She crept up quietly behind him and waved her wand.
"Metamorphie Faciesse!" Akko yelled.
Inumuta spun around as an explosion of smoke went off behind him and found himself confronted with a very menacing-looking Akko-Elephant. Before he could formulate a counterattack, Akko wrapped her long trunk around his waist and pulled him away, forcing him to let go of Fu. Akko spun around with all her pachydermic weight and plowed Inumuta headfirst into the wall, smashing him through the concrete so that half his body was sticking out. Inumuta went limp and Akko transformed back into a human. She dashed over to Fu, who was rubbing the back of her neck, wincing.
"Ow, ow, ow, that smarts," hissed Fu.
"Are you all right?" Akko said roughly, pulling Fu up by the arm.
"Yeah," groaned Fu. "Yeah…I'll be fine…the guy snuck up behind me with some invisibility tech…. I heard him, turned around, and he disappears in front of my eyes. Had me pinned in seconds…."
Fu got up. She and Akko looked at Inumuta, half buried in the wall.
"For a nerdy-looking guy, he's pretty tough," said Fu, staring at Inumuta's behind. "Guess he had to be, if he was picked as a champion. But thing I wanna know is…why'd you save me?" she rounded to Akko then. "You could have just left me. Less competition."
"I…couldn't help it," said Akko, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "When I hear people in trouble, I just have to help them."
"You'd make a great addition to the hero club," said Fu, smiling proudly at her.
"Plus, Sucy would probably feed me to Gora-Chan if something happened to you," said Akko, chuckling.
"Really now?" asked Fu, grinning from ear-to-ear. "So…what do we do with him? Leave him?"
"We should at least pull him out of the wall," said Akko. "That way he can escape if the Xenomorphs come around…."
"Yeah, guess you're right," said Fu. She picked up her sword off the ground and slammed the edge into the wall above Inumuta. The wall instantly cracked and fell apart, freeing Inumuta and leaving him lying flat on a small mound of concrete wreckage.
Akko and Fu stood there in the darkness for a moment, looking around them. Then Fu said, "Well…I s'pose we'd better get goin'…."
"What?" said Akko. "Oh…yeah…right…."
It was an odd moment. She and Fu had briefly allied against Inumuta – now the fact that they were opponents came back to Akko. The two of them proceeded up the dark tunnel without speaking, then Akko turned left, and Fu right. Fu's footsteps soon died away.
Akko moved on, using the same tried and true method of dropping her wand to point the way. Inumuta was out of the running temporarily at least, but there were six other champions in her way. She already encountered Bakugo and Fu, and made herself scarce when Sumeriko turned up. That still left three champions that she hadn't seen yet: Eruna, Rem, and Black Gold Saw. It was strange really, how she had not come across Eruna yet; her strange power to know everything that was going on would have seemed like the perfect way to track her down. She hadn't found the exit already, had she? Akko sped up….
Every so often she hit more dead ends, but the increasing darkness made her feel sure she was getting closer to the labyrinth exit. Then, as she strode down a long, straight path, she saw something glimmering out of the corner of her eye as she passed one of the tunnels and doubled back. There was a radiant green light coming from down the path. She dashed up the tunnel and came to large underground reservoir, the light coming from a small door overflowing with ethereal green energy. It was a Ley Line portal – she had found the exit!
Akko sprinted around the edge of the murky pool in the middle of the reservoir, no longer caring at this point if she was the first or last to reach it; she just wanted to get out of this nightmare. Akko's eyes were solely on the door that she hadn't noticed the still water suddenly shifting, splashing roughly against the walls as a great shadow appeared in the depths –
The pool exploded like a geyser. A flood of dirty water rained down on Akko, sweeping her off her feet and carrying her across the chamber away from the door. She hit the wall with her back; her wand slipped out of her hand and rolled a few feet out of her reach. Akko coughed up some of the water she accidentally drank and looked up, shrinking under the blind gaze of the Xenomorph Queen that was bearing down on her. The massive monster crouched low, its segmented head pointed at Akko, a large scaly beast, thrashing her bladed tail, leaving yard-long gouge marks in the concrete wall.
Akko rolled around, crawling for her wand, but the Xenomorph Queen reached out, grabbing Akko by the waist, and lifted her into the air in front of its face. Akko flailed madly, she tried to kick it; her leg connected with where its face should have been and next the Xenomorph Queen started crushing her in its grip. It opened its jaws as wide as they could go and Akko could see the second set of teeth inside, snapping frantically waiting to bite her head off. The Xenomorph Queen lunged its second teeth at Akko when a blur of red and black suddenly passed between them and the Queen suddenly dropped Akko, shrieking furiously.
Akko dropped twelve feet to the floor, landing painfully on her side. A moment later, the Xenomorph Queen's second set of teeth hit the ground beside her, severed from the main body, its acidic blood spilling on the floor and making a gaping hole in the cement. Someone landed in front of Akko in a protective stance, their serrated sword glinting in the light of the exit. It was Black Gold Saw!
The Xenomorph Queen was spitting furiously. It lashed its tail at the two of them, but Black Gold Saw raised her serrated blade to block the strike, taking the full brunt of the impact; her feet made a pair of miniature craters in the floor, but she was still standing. Black Gold Saw gnashed her teeth as she struggled against the Queen's brute strength bearing down on her. But at the same time, the Xenomorph Queen began to slither off to the side, coming at her from an angle, looking to bite the warrior while she held back against its tail.
Akko didn't even pause to think. She searched for her wand, crawled toward it quickly, snatched it off the ground, and flipped around on her back with her wand raised high at the Xenomorph Queen's face. She shouted "Murowa!" and a concussive force of destructive energy flew across the chamber, nailing the Queen squarely in its large head, throwing it back slightly. The Xenomorph Queen's tail went slack, giving Black Gold Saw a chance to throw it off before slashing her sword across the appendage, severing the bladed tail from its body.
The Xenomorph Queen hissed viciously once more, rearing its bulging head at Black Gold Saw, lunging at the woman who had caused it so much pain. But it didn't get far – Black Gold Saw snatched the blade tail out of the air with perfect poise and tossed it with all her might at the Queen. The barb effortlessly pierced the Queen's skull, breaking through the carapace in front and slicing an exit through the back. The Xenomorph Queen keeled over on its front, lying flat at Black Gold Saw's feet, a small waterfall of acidic blood dripping from its opening.
Akko was breathing hard, holding her hand over her rapidly beating heart. She heard footsteps approaching her, looking up inquisitively as Black Gold Saw offered her bony hand to Akko. She looked at it for a moment and then accepted, allowing herself to be pulled up to her feet. Black Gold Saw smiled softly with a small chuckle. She might look like a demon, Akko, thought, but she was surprisingly nice.
"Thanks for that," said Akko, sounding relieved. "I wouldn't have made it without – "
Akko paused. She heard something coming from the tunnel behind them; a lot of somethings, actually. She and Black Gold Saw turned around and leaned sideways, staring down the dark passage, as the noises got louder. It took a moment for her to realize that they were footsteps – a lot of footsteps – and they were all running as their voices traveled down the tunnel –
"Get out of my way, you bastard!"
"I believe you are in my way, you lowly delinquent."
"Make way for the Hero Club!"
"If one of you doesn't move, I will be forced to kill you all!"
Crap, Akko though. It was the other champions! They had caught up!
Akko and Black Gold Saw looked at each other, only realizing that they were still holding hands and that the exit was only a few feet away. What Akko did next was something she considered dirty, unsportsmanlike, and something she would definitely not be proud of…but she kicked Black Gold Saw in the shins anyway. The horned swordswoman yelped and dropped down, holding the spot where she was struck, and Akko broke into a sprint. She didn't dare look back; she could hear the other champions rushing up behind her, splashing the dozens of puddles around the chamber, some of them running around the Xenomorph Queen's body.
The Ley Line portal was only a few feet away – Akko put in one last burst of speed, throwing herself into the light –
She landed face first in the turf, scratching her arms and face, as a cacophony of screams surrounded her. Groaning, Akko pushed herself up to her hands and knees, wincing from the sudden brightness that stung her eyes. She saw everything in front of her as though it was a very highly colored dream. Thousands upon thousands of faces staring at her from all sides, many screaming and shouting praise. It took a while for Akko to realize that she was back in the Blytonbury Stadium. She had made it…. She had got through the first game, she survived….
Akko saw the other champions appearing from the portal behind her one after another; Black Gold Saw was giving her a dirty look that showed she wasn't pleased by Akko's underhanded attack. Akko chuckled nervously when Diana, Fate, Makoto, and Nico came running up to her, all of them smiling widely, even Nico.
"That was excellent, Akko!" cried Diana. "Incredible! I can't believe you learned metamorphosis magic! And so quickly!"
"Hehe, thanks," Akko chuckled sheepishly, her face feeling incredibly hot.
"You did it, Akko!" said Makoto giddily. "You did it! You made it past the Queen! We were all worried about it since we couldn't find anything after studying – "
"Thanks, Makoto!" said Akko loudly, so that Makoto wouldn't blunder on and reveal that they had seen the Xenomorphs beforehand.
"That was pretty good, Akko," said Nico praisingly. "You managed to secure our third-place win."
"Yeah, I – wait, what?" Akko quickly shifted from happy to confused. "Whaddya mean 'third-place'?"
Nico stepped out of the way and pointed across the field. Akko saw Eruna and Rem, both surrounded by their teams, being showered with praise. It suddenly occurred to Akko that she hadn't seen either of them once the entire time they were down in the labyrinth. Does that mean they….
"Both of them got out within the first five minutes," Fate answered Akko's unanswered question. "Rem came out first and Eruna came out a minute later. Both of them have super speed, so they were able to find the exit before anyone else. I don't think any of us stood a chance of winning as long as those two were around."
Akko felt like she was going to drop. All her hard work, all that time practicing and survive repeated attacks from the Xenomorphs and her fellow champions – and all she had to show for it was third place. Akko fell forward onto her hands and knees, hanging her head, feeling the crushing weight of absolute defeat and shame….
"That was an amazing game, wouldn't you say?" shouted Wangari over the loudspeakers. "What an awesome start to the Contest of Champions!"
"All of the champions have successfully exited the labyrinth," Neku Sakuraba said monotonously. "After careful consideration from the judges, the points have been distributed and the ranks stand as thus – "
The video board flickered to life once again and displayed a scoreboard – eight rows bearing the names and symbols of each school along with a point total:
Class Zero: 10p
Serenity: 8p
Luna Nova: 6p
Black Star: 4p
U.A.: 3p
Myojo: 2p
Sanshu: 1p
Honnoji: 0p
"Inumuta, what the hell were you doing!" yelled the blonde giant from Honnoji. "How dare you disgrace Lady Satsuki with such a pitiful performance!"
"Not bad, all things considered," said the green-haired boy from U.A. "Though Kachan probably isn't going to take losing well."
"Ugh, this isn't good," groaned the redheaded girl from Myojo, ruffling her hair. "Isuke-sama is gonna be so mad. She'll probably make me sleep on the couch, even though it's not my fault…."
"Ooh, we're almost near the bottom," said the pink-haired girl from Sanshu, frowning. "Poor Fu-senpai…."
"Don't worry, Yuna-chan," said her big-breasted companion. "We'll just make it up in the battle round."
"In a stunning display of speed and skill, Rem of Class Zero walks away with first place," said the Grand Master. "In addition to receiving full points, Team Class Zero will also receive a puzzle that offers a hint to the next game following the conclusion of the battle round. An advantage as a reward for their hard work."
"At this time, we will be taking a short intermission," said Neku Sakuraba. "Please enjoy the halftime show provided by the Ooarai Tank Girls as they perform the traditional Anko Dance."
Akko walked back to the locker rooms with the rest of the team, who were filling her ears with details of everything the other champions had done during the event and how Eruna and Rem had apparently moved so fast that the video screens failed to capture any footage of them. Akko honestly didn't care – she was just happy to be out of those tunnels and away from the Xenomorphs; she was definitely not going to volunteer for the next game, whatever it may be.
They were just about to reach their locker room when Akko stopped, causing Fate to bump her from behind, and looked straight ahead. Amanda was leaning against the wall next to the locker room door, staring down at her feet with a thoughtful expression, kicking the ground absently. Then she noticed Akko's team out of the corner of her eye and looked up, staring at them with a neutral expression.
A tense silent hung over them. Akko and Amanda stared each other in the eye, neither one of them saying anything or giving any sign of what they were thinking. Amanda heaved a sigh, pushed herself off the wall, and turned her back to team Luna Nova. Akko stared at the ground sadly as Amanda started to walk away, wishing they could go back to being friends again. Then, Amanda paused, stared over her shoulder, and spoke in a barely audible mumble:
"Good job out there…."
And then she disappeared around the corner. For some reason, Akko felt like a little weight had been lifted off her shoulder. Amanda and her still weren't on speaking terms, but at the very least she knew that she still cared. That was enough for now….
Again, please show your support for Serenity Academy, because you know I'm just going to keep repeating this message over and over again.
And be sure to check out my latest project, Super Smash Anime: A Future Imperfect.
Next chapter: The Strongest in the World!