Aaren Whitley

[November 25th]

Someone had once told her that fighting and dance were almost one and the same. Their biggest difference was intent. People danced in order to express their emotion, while fighting was purely for the intent of hurting another. Her father had always disagreed with that statement however. He felt that the two were as similar as chalk and cheese. Aaren had been given no reason not to believe him. He was an older, much more experienced martial artist. He ought to know just how different the two art were.

Aaren had never danced before. She doubted she would be any good. She knew how to fight, however. She knew that quite well.

Neither she nor any of the other students had been expecting what came next after their meeting with the heroes. They had all been under the impression that they would be going straight back to the hostel afterwards. They were back at the bus when the teachers stopped them.

"We weren't sure whether to save this announcement for tomorrow or not..." Ravenhead said as the thirty four students and one ghost crowded outside the buildings. "...but since you've all been on your best behaviour the last few days, and you've been patient with us and involved in the activities... We've decided to arrange another activity for the day."

There was immediate chatter of curiosity. The students wondered what this next activity would be. Some were suspicious that it would be laborious or boring, but others were hopeful it would be more relaxing or exciting. They only had to wait a few seconds to find out.

"There's a small martial arts dojo nearby, which runs one-on-one matches for trainee heroes." Aries explained to them. "It'll be open until six tonight. Seeing as how it's twenty-past-one now we're prepared to take anyone who's interested there for a chance to show off what they've learned over the last few months."

Aaren's attention peaked. She hadn't expected this to be an opportunity. Obviously there was a need for them all to train for close combat situations, but so far most of their activities in Scarow had revolved around looking further into the Hero Movement in some way. This offer seemingly had no relation, though perhaps the dojo was owned by the movement as well. How could she turn down a chance to show off her martial arts talent?

The other students seemed to be thinking a similar way, and when it came time for them to decide, most of the thirty four students chose to go to the dojo. Only two others chose otherwise. Ty and Catherine had opted to go back to the hostel instead, as Aaren had suspected they would. Those two seemed to avoid interacting with other students at every opportunity. Catherine had been in her group while interviewing the heroes that day. She had barely cared about anything they had to say. Aaren already had enough experience with Ty to know that he behave the same way. That only made Aaren wonder why either of them were even there in the first place. If the two of them didn't want to learn how to become heroes then why were they studying at an academy for training heroes?

So instead of taking both the Junior and Senior classes back to the to the hostel, the bus instead took a detour a little further into the city, to a small but sturdy brick building in a slightly less appealing area of the Tivoly District. The wall was still visible from here, though it was more distant that in had been so far in their activities. They hadn't come this far from it even while patrolling the streets, and until now that had taken them as far as they thought they would go from its looming shadow. Ty and Catherine had gone back to the hostel with Aries, but their other teachers – excluding Madam who was still with the guests – had stayed with them for safety's sake.

They exited the bus once more and grouped up at the edge of the street. The building of interest was only a few steps to their right. It had a large metal sign above the doorway, with Japanese kanji written underneath a set of large letters; 'Ishiken Martial Arts Arena'. It was a much smaller building than the one her father worked at. She had been there many times throughout her life, visiting at least once a week before she started studying at BHA. His martial arts studio was massive, at least around four to five stories tall, and as wide as a supermarket parking lot. There were dojos on each floor, as well as several gymnasiums and a swimming pool. Her father was a health nut, and a lot of his attitudes had rubbed off on her and her older brother. She had always thought that was a good thing, but more recently she started to wonder otherwise. That pervasive need to be fit and able seemed to get in the way of her friendships quite often. Scolding Jared when he made mistakes or ate unhealthy food certainly helped him keep fit, but did he hate her for it?

The interior of the studio explained why the exterior was so small. This wasn't just some random dojo set up as a place for normal people to get some basic training in martial arts. This was a proper fighting arena, specialized for actual combat performances and competitions. Rather than bright hanging lights there were sharp yellow spotlights focused only upon the fighting ring, which was a metre squared raised foam mat with an elastic rope barrier surrounding it. Around the ring the floor was covered in soft mat, and beyond that were the seats where the audience would watch each match. Though it had seemed small from the outside, Aaren had now realised that much of the arena was actually below ground level, as the entrance to the building had a set of steps leading down into the ring itself.

The students and their teachers walked down these steps, to be greeted by an adjudicator dressed in a black and white striped shirt and shorts. There appeared to be other staff around as well, but most of them were engineers or technicians, working the lights and other equipment that might soon be activated. There was also a medic on site, sitting in the front row of seats with an emergency grab bag at his side. It was probably a good thing to have him around, considering some of the individuals who had just entered the room.

"Are you Mr. Victorsson?" The adjudicator asked as the teachers approached.

Ravenhead nodded at him, raising his feathered arm as an additional acknowledgement. "That's me."

"And this is your class?" The adjudicator asked further, glancing past the teachers at their students.

"It is."

"How many of them are there?"

"Thirty Two." Ravenhead said, then made a correction. "Technically twenty three if you count Mitchell Anderson." He pointed back at the ghostly twin, who noticed them looking at him.

"Both adults and children?" the Adjudicator inquired.

"Yes, both the Junior and Senior classes together."

The adjudicator turned away for a moment, thinking. "I can't allow the adults to participate with the kids." He stated after a few seconds. "To great a health risk. If they want to participate they have to do so in their age groups."

"Fine by us." Cyanide answered for them.

The adjudicator seemed appeased by everything, and allowed the school to move past him onto the mats by the edge of the ring.

"Alright everyone..." Ravenhead turn back to his students. "Before we start allowing you to enter the ring we're going to have our friend explain the rules to you." He beckoned the adjudicator to join them, and he did, standing between the students and their teachers with his legs spread and arms behind his back.

"Okay, listen up all of you!" He stated in a loud voice that filled the entire arena. "Have any of you ever done martial arts before?"

Most of the class members raised their hands. Aaren could voice that some of them were telling the truth as she had seen them in Aries' training sessions. What they learned during PE wasn't so much related to combat as it was to general fitness.

"Now, have any of you ever taken part in a martial arts competition before?"

Other than Aaren, no one else raised their hands. Normally she would have been proud of this fact, but right now she felt a little too awkward about it, like the others were secretly judging her. She had been initiated into a competition when she was ten. By that point she had already achieved a black belt in Karate, and was quite experienced in Taekwondo, jiu-jitsu and kung fu. Her father had pressed her to take part, and while she had come third place in the under twelve category she hadn't done the best she knew she could. It had left her with a slight feeling of incapability, especially because her father had been upset that she lost. Six years had passed since then, and for the most part that feeling had faded, but it had started to return with the prospect of having to compete in such a similar place with her classmates.

"Well, you'll probably know the competition rules already, but for everyone else I'll explain them." The adjudicator declared.

"Hush it at the back!" Dubstep warned, noticing that George, Phillip and Jean were whispering away near the back of the class.

The adjudicator cleared his throat. "These are the rules! No foul play; including aiming for opponents private parts, head-butting, grabbing hair or clothing, or striking a downed opponent. You may use your Quirks during this fight, but if they pose a direct danger to anyone inside or outside the ring I will disqualify that participant. There will be one round which will last five minutes. The winner of the fight will be the last participant inside the ring or able to keep fighting. If you are unable to keep fighting, forfeit by raising your right arm above your head. If you leave the ring, whether by choice or not, you will also forfeit the match. If both participants are still in the ring and able to fight by the end of the round I will decide who the winner is based on their performance and current state. Once the fight has ended or the time is up I will sound the bell and both of you will be required to leave the ring. Any further attempts to fight will lead to disqualification and punishment. Is this understood?"

There was a general desynchronised head nod from the students. Aaren doubted that any of them had taken it all in, maybe some of the smarter and more interested students had understood most of it, but the few at the back who were still chatting – despite their warning – had most likely not heard a word. She hadn't needed to listen, already knowing the rules of such competitions, though it didn't hurt to be reminded of them.

"So, who wants to go first?" The adjudicator now asked, clapping his hands together. It seemed that this was the part he was waiting for as well. Explaining the rules and making sure the students acted safely was just a necessary step to get there.

Most of the students were eager to be one of the first to take part in a fight. Aaren had not been eager, but she had been prepared. She was simply waiting for her someone else to try and take her on. That would be their mistake, of course.

"Go on, JJ!" She heard George shout from the back of the class. A parting formed between the students, allowing Jason Jones to be shoved forwards by those he called his friends. Behind him George and Phillip was cheering for him, pushing him towards the front of the class. "Our boy here will take on any of you!"

Jason's expression was tough to read. He either didn't care that he was being forced to fight, or he was hiding his anger at his friends and would probably snap the moment he wasn't being watched.

Though Aaren couldn't deny that she was interested in seeing Jason fight one of the other students. She had missed most of his fight with the Bomber during the Criminal Apprehension Exam, thanks to the air blast that had knocked her flat a minute before he arrived. Apparent his quirk allowed him to be exceptionally agile, letting him jump and throw himself around with quick blasts of air. He also been incredibly aggressive, going constantly on the attack and not allowing his opponent time to breathe. Seeing such a fighting style would be interesting, though she was certain that it would utilize very little professional techniques.

"No way is he going first!" Tate interrupted before Jason could make it to the front of the class.

"He absolutely is!" Phillip snapped back defensively.

"We were going to go first!" Mitchell stated, siding with his twin. "We're not going to let you lot steal our limelight."

"What makes you think you could ever live up to any of us?" George growled at them. His bold canine head was especially shiny in this dim light.

"Excuse me, but I'll have you know I'm pretty awesome!" Tate declared without a hint of sarcasm or self-awareness. "Heck, I managed to beat the progenitor's kid with ease. Did you forget about that?"

"A blind girl could beat that Quirkless bastard in a fight." George continued. Though Jared didn't respond to the insult, Aaren could tell that he was visibly angry about it. "And you almost lost to him anyway."

"I did not!" Tate snapped.

"I think we've got our first two contenders." The adjudicator declared suddenly.

Tate and Mitchell turned towards him, and quickly noticed that the man's hands were pointing both to them and to Jason.

"Wait... what?" Mitchell said.

"What's the matter? You too scared to fight after all?" Phillip teased. Aaren was noticing more and more that he seemed very unsure about his taunts. He always said them as if he was looking for approval from his friends, not as if he actually meant them.

"Never!" Tate countered.

"Then fight him, pussy!" George pressured.

"I will!"

Tate approached the elastic barrier, pausing to look back at the class and the adjudicator. The checker shirted man nodded his approval for the match to go through, and with a noticeably nervous gulp Tate slid through the barrier and into the ring, with Mitchell following more confidently behind him.

Jason, who had said nothing to argue against the fight or to encourage it, walked around to the opposite side of the ring and entered from the furthest corner.

"Everyone else should take a seat." Ravenhead suggested, noticing the protective glance of the adjudicator. The chance of a student being thrown into the crowd was rather high right now, and it would be best if there wasn't a crowd of trainee heroes there to catch them.

"Come at me, Fart Hands!" Tate shouted at his opponent, striking his knuckles together. Now that the fights were officially taking place he was trying to pump himself up in preparation. "You probably won't even put up a proper fight!"

Jason raised a mocking eyebrow, and flexed his arms. "Okay, No Balls!" He snapped back, saying his first insult since he was shoved into the ring. "This match won't last one second."

"Bring it, bitch!" Mitchell yelled.

"No foul language, please!" The adjudicator snapped.

Tate and Mitchell looked at him awkwardly. "Sorry." They muttered pathetically. This seemed to earn them forgiveness.

The adjudicator raised his arm up, waited for a few seconds, and then brought it down in a swing. He blew into the whistle, which let out an ear-shattering high-pitched squeak.

None of the students would ever get to see what Tate's idea of a proper fight was. He didn't even get to take a single step.

Jason had been stretching both his arms out behind him. The moment the match began he had thrust them both ahead of himself. The ripple of air they released was massive, and strong enough to make the foam-covered ring ripple and swing.

It hit Tate and Mitchell like an explosion, not even allowing them a moment to blink, and threw them hard into the barrier, through the elastic bars and out onto the matted ground around it.

The students who had been cheering were stunned into silence. No one had quite been expecting that sort of an outcome, largely because they had actually been expecting a fight.

The entire match had lasted almost a second, as Jason had predicted.

"Next?" The adjudicator declared.

Cyanide was helping Tate onto his feet, and he in turn was helping Mitchell onto his. They were shooting a few vicious glares in Jason's direction as they were lead away to the audience's seats to re-join their fellow students.

"Impressive." Lu mocked them.

"Shut up." Tate warned, sulking.

"I've never seen a fight end that quickly." Payton joined in. "That must be a new record."

"Shut up." Tate repeated. Mitchell wasn't saying anything much either, but he too was sulking just like his twin.

"What was that you said about being awesome?" George snidely slithered his way into the mockery.

To everyone's surprise neither of the brothers had anything to say to him. Considering that he was the one who had egged Jason and the Andersons on in the first place, the fact that they couldn't even attempt to stand up for themselves against him was a sign that George Asher had totally crushed their self-confidence. Aaren supposed that someone had to succeed at that at some point, but she admittedly felt a bit sorry for the twins. Most of the other students would have laughed at them and moved on, but they had fallen foul of one of the few students who would continue to rub it in their face.

Jason was now stepping down from the ring, not so much as breaking a minor sweat. He sat down beside Philip, shuffling as his spines nearly jabbed into his right arm.

"You put him in his place all right!" Philip told him with an overconfident grin.

"Morons didn't know what hit them." George agreed, still glaring with hungry eyes at the twins sat in front of them.

In a much quieter voice Jason said "If this had been a fair fight they might have stood a chance."

Tate almost burst a blood vessel in his temple. The rage in his heart was almost exploding out of him. It was fortunate then that a new distraction quickly came along.

Another match had begun, decided while the students were talking. This time it would between two of the senior students; Deborah Fry and Ryan Mackay. Their fight lasted several times longer than the one between Jason and Tate and Mitchell, but even then it didn't last much longer than half a minute. Both participants decided to rely on their Quirks during the fight. Ryan's Quirk, which was called Hand Gun, allowed him to fire a series of small metal pellets from both his palms. Because of how dangerous this could be he was only able to fire off two pellets – one into the floor by his opponent's foot and the other into the wall just to the left of the adjudicator's head – before he was given a warning and told to stop using it. Deborah's Quirk was a little more wild and uncontrollable. Aaren had been warned about it once before. It was called Spontaneous Combustion. The moment she activated it her entire body became engulfed in flame. Six seconds later the match was being called off, and several technicians and medics were rushing to the scene with fire extinguishers. Deborah was quickly scolded for her rash actions, and the victory was given to Ryan through disqualification. Someone should have foreseen that letting two students who had blatantly dangerous Quirks go head to head was not a smart idea, but somehow this had slipped through the cracks. Perhaps the teachers simply hadn't expected it.

A minute later and the ring was back in use, the fires now put out and small mattings of grey foam covering the squishy floor. A new match was already taking place, this time between Jason's lackeys. During the wait George had started an argument with Phillip over who would last the longer in a fight, and Jason had suggested that they both fight each other to prove it. Now they were both standing in the ring, facing each other down.

Aaren had never really paid attention to the way that either of them fought before. She hadn't really watched either of them during the Combat Exam and neither of them had been in her team during the Criminal Apprehension Exam. They also did not take the self-defence classes, so their styles of combat would be interesting to watch, especially considering that one of them was part canine and the other was covered in long, sharp spines.

"This'll be interesting." Jared whispered to her before the fight began.

She nodded in agreement, though she was probably interested for a different reason to him. Jared probably just wanted to feel good about watching one of the two ruffians lose for once. It would be cathartic.

When the fight did begin, it did indeed provide a very entertaining viewing, though not quite for the reason Aaren had wanted. It turned out that neither of the two arrogant teenagers knew much about hand-to-hand combat, and had instead relied mostly on their Quirks. Philip used his spine-covered back as a shield against George's flaming balls of saliva. Since George did not want to get close to Philip's defence, and Philip was not prepared to lower said defence, the both of them were left at a stalemate, unable to do much to the other but wait for them to give up their current tactic and try something else.

One thing that was impressive about the fight was the body paint that George put on. Well, perhaps body paint wasn't the right term. It would be better described as Body Fire. He coated the pinnacle of his bold skull in his own saliva, letting it run down his forehead and across his eyebrows. Then, when he had spread it enough, he set it alight with his breath. Several sprouting flame horns now sat upon his head, stretching out from his eyebrows and his cranium. This was a rather impressive image, and Aaren suspected that he had been practicing it. She wondered if it burned him at all, and if such an absurd action had rather painful consequences.

The fight ended after the five minutes were up, and still both boys were stood in a stalemate. No matter how hot George's fire was or how much of it he threw, he simply couldn't penetrate Phillips spiny shield. Because this defence was working so well, Phillip had no plan to change up his strategy. So the both of them were left untouched and unfulfilled.

"Who won then?" Payton mussed, confused.

"No idea." Jon told him, just as perplexed.

"Do they even know?" Tate joined in.

Considering that the two boys were now arguing outside of the ring with the adjudicator about who the winner was, Aaren was pretty sure that they didn't.

"Damn." Jared muttered with disappointment. "I was hoping that one of them would at least be humiliated."

"There'll be other times for them to do that." Aaren told him. Neither George nor Phillip were especially smart. They would certainly do something to humiliate themselves in the future. Though she had to admit that so far neither of them had done anything to garner the reputation for stupidity and general foolishness that Tate and Mitchell had. She could see them still sulking about their instant loss at the end of the bench. They must have known it wouldn't end well, surely.

"You could probably make fools of them." Jared murmured without thinking. "Most people in this school would probably lose in a fight with you."

Aaren felt that this was a subconscious hint, but she had never been good at guessing that sort of thing. The only person worse with social cues than her was Maisie, and Aaren suspected that she might have the excuse of an undiagnosed learning disability, though she wouldn't voice that concern around her or Jared. She knew that saying something like that would upset both of them. Aaren didn't have an excuse for not knowing this stuff, however. She had spent most of her life in a dojo or a gymnasium, fighting men twice her size on soft blue matted floors. There hadn't been much time for a social life in her childhood.

"I think you're idolizing me too much." She discouraged him. "Maybe I could been most of the students in our year, but the older students wouldn't be so likely."

Jared gave her an encouraging grin. "Nah, you could take them on." He said totally honestly. "You're Aaren Whitley. You can beat anyone!"

She laughed at him. As if saying her name somehow made her more important. She had been training in multiple fighting styles since she was a child. Of course she was good at it. But that didn't mean she was great at it. That didn't mean she could fight an adult who was twice her age, twice her size and most likely more experienced than her. Her fight with the Bomber had reminded her of that. She had thought that she could handle one man with relative, up until the point his explosives had sent her flying into the ground and left her shell-shocked and barely clinging onto consciousness. Fighting with your hands and feet worked against individuals with ranged or specialized Quirks, or against people with no Quirk at all, but against someone with an Quirk that worked best in close combat...? Could she handle that? Some of their fellow students, both old and young, had Quirks that would destroy her if she were to fight them up close. In such a fight her many years of training wouldn't mean very much. Perhaps that was why Jared idolized her skill. He was the only person who could truly experience it at its height. His lack of a Quirk meant that he had to train as much as she did.

Then an idea struck her. They had been training together for several months now, both in classes and outside of them. Perhaps it was time to put that training to the test and display what the both of them had learned in front of their entire school.

"Fight me."

Jared paused. He didn't blink for a few seconds, his green eyes staring widely into her narrowed brown ones.

"What?" He asked her after a few seconds.

"You heard me." She said in an encouragingly confrontational voice. "You think I'm so great. Now you can prove that I'm not, if you can beat me that is."

He chuckled, evidently thinking that she was joking. "Come on, Aaren, don't mock me." It was only as he looked more into her eyes, saw her stern and serious expression, that he realised she was not joking. At that moment his smile dropped completely, and a large bout of nerves began to build up. "You're being serious?" He asked weakly.

"Very." Aaren said, much more relaxed than he was. "It's about time you proved what you're capable of." She held out a hand. "So fight me, Jared Wreath!"

Jared looked at her hand. Aaren could not read minds, as was most likely obvious, though she imagined that right now he was mulling over the decision, fighting back against his anxiety, fear and doubt. It was only as George and Phillip finished their argument with the Adjudicator and sat back down that he made his decision.

"Okay." He stated, and shook Aaren's dry hand. "You're on, Aaren Whitley!"

Neither of them every found out who won the match between George and Phillip, but that didn't matter to them anymore. They both had something much more important to focus on.

The Adjudicator was able to figure out what the two approaching teenagers were aiming to do, and he did nothing to stop them from entering the ring. Behind them Aaren could her the other students, her friends, whispering in surprise. Then they began to cheer their encouragement.

"Good luck, guys!" One of the voices shouted, most likely Jon.

"Knock 'em out!" That one was definitely Payton's voice.

"Don't piss your pants fighting a girl, Wreath!" That was George throwing in his highly appreciated advice.

Aaren took her place at the left side of the ring. Jared stood opposite to her, looking very nervous. The cheers were not helping him, especially when the loudest were the taunting calls of the bully boys. Aaren was confident that he would do fine. They had practiced plenty of times. But she had to remind herself that this wasn't practice. This was a proper fight, their first. They would both have to treat it as such.

"Good luck." Jared called across to her. Already he was being far too nice. That wasn't good. He couldn't be nice while in a fight, certainly not to his opponent. That would only weaken him.

"Don't go easy on me." She warned him, before putting a mouth guard that she had brought with her around her upper jaw. "I won't go easy on you."

Jared's confidence quickly shot down after that, and his face paled slightly. It was really sinking in now, but it was too late to back down.

"Combatants, take your places."

Aaren raised her hands up in front of her face, fists clenches, and slid her right leg back and apart so that she stood sideways on to her opponent. Jared mimicked her movements, though slightly more sloppily. This was going to be something worth witnessing. They had both done so much training together over the past month. Now she would get to see how much he had learned.

The adjudicator raised his arm high above his head, his fingers pointed and flat. After a passing three seconds he swung it downward in a harsh chop through the air.

"Begin!"

Aaren could have gone easy on Jared. A part of her – the mothering part she had learned to repress – wanted to. But that would not have helped him. He had to learn to take fighting seriously, and he had to learn that the hard way.

She came at him with a left hook punch first. Through the rigorous training he had taken, Jared instinctively blocked it with his right arm. His hand flinched open slightly as her fist struck it. She mentally scolded him. He was still letting his body loosen after being struck. How was he supposed to hold out against a combination of attacks if he let his body weaken after one.

Continuing her assault, she swung her left arm around in a chopping motion towards his unprotected neck. Jared quickly retaliated, striking the open hand away and pushing her arm downwards, just as they had practiced. Aaren followed up with a roundhouse kick, which Jared ducked underneath and hopped backwards out of reach. So far he was focusing on avoiding her attacks, rather than attempting to land his own. She had to encourage him to fight back, else it wouldn't take much to push him into a corner where she could pulverise him with ease.

Taking a few steps back to create a short distance between them, Aaren sharply sprinted at him, pulling her right arm back for a proper punch. This was something she had done time and again during their training. The run up was a distraction, something to make him flinch and panic. The real danger in her attack wasn't the speed of her movement. She had always done her best to implicate her Quirk during their sparing, so that Jared would be prepared for expecting the unexpected in an actual fight. If he had remembered this lesson, he would follow up this threat with the appropriate reaction.

For a moment Jared seemed scared, but that passed in a flash. Aaren could see him recalling the training at that moment, remembering what had happened the previous times she had done this. Aaren was still moving, still attacking, yet now he seemed much calmer than he ought to be. When she swung at him, Jared didn't react. Her fist was about to collide with his forearms, but still Jared didn't move. By this point it was too late for Aaren to pull back, but neither she nor Jared were concerned by this.

Her hand passed through his arms, as she had planned, and headed instead for his face, regaining its physical presence before doing so.

This was exactly what Jared had been preparing for. The moment he saw her fist passing through his arms, he began to move. He sharply shifted his head to the left, leaning his body around the punch. Aaren's clenched hand missed his cheek by only an inch. He had avoided her attack, bruise free.

Now that he had predicted her attack, he was able to counter it. He swung his left arm upwards, striking Aaren in her unprotected chin.

To Aaren's impressed surprise, Jared had been the one to land the first blow.

She stumbled backwards, feeling the bruise form on her lower jaw, tasting her own spit as it welled in her mouth. The punch reverberated through her skull. She hadn't expected it to hurt so much. Either she was not as resilient as she had always assumed or Jared's punches were getting better. Through the pain she was able to smile at him, proud that he could land such a well-placed, well timed hit on her.

Well, that made it very clear for her. She couldn't go easy on him anymore. He was ready to experience a proper fight.

Before either of them had a proper chance to breathe and recover, Aaren was charging back in to attack. Jared assumed she was attempting a similar attack to before, as she had her right arm pulled back once more. So he blocked his face with his forearms just as he had before.

This was his mistake, however. Aaren had been expecting him to defend, and decided to aim for the areas of his body which he wasn't protecting. Instead of punching at his face, she instead lowered her head and rammed into his chest, tackling him and grabbing him by the waist. Jared yelped in surprise as her head struck his stomach. Considering that Aaren was a rather short young woman, it was terrifying to learn that she was strong enough to lift Jared almost an inch off the ground. She threw him into the barrier, and he ricocheted off it and onto the soft floor of the ring.

She could hear the crowd wince and cheer. Aaren could make out the shouts of their friends from amongst the other calls. It felt strange to know that the others were trying to encourage her. She focused her mind away from the audience and back onto Jared, who was now pushing himself back onto his feet.

The blow to his stomach had left him winded and wincing. He was clutching it tightly with both hands. Aaren felt guilty about hurting him, but she hardened her emotions. This was a fight, she couldn't go easy on him. Before he'd even had a chance to recover she was preparing her next attack.

"I believe in you, Jared!"

The shout stood out amongst the many cheers and calls from the crowd. Aaren paused upon hearing it. That was Maisie's voice. Out of everyone she had expected to hear shouting at them, she was at the bottom of the list.

Jared had also heard her encouragement. Rapidly his pained expression changed to one of surprise. Then it hardened into confidence. Knowing that the girl who was his best friend was trying to encourage him had filled him with further courage. He stood up and faced Aaren once more, ignoring the pain in his stomach and any doubt in his heart. He was ready to continue the fight.

Aaren was impressed that he could keep going. Many people would have stopped after an attack like that. She admired his determination, and now she had to respect it by pushing him further.

This time it was Jared who attacked first. He went for a simple, sharp punch aimed at her face, which she blocked easily. She followed up with a roundhouse kick, which he also blocked, only the impact of her foot against his arm made him flinch in pain and recoil slightly. Jared recovered quickly and darted back, gaining some distance between himself and his opponent.

The fight continued on in a similar way for a while. Jared or Aaren would go in for an attack, which the other would block. They would then counter and either land an attack on their defence or miss by a narrow centimetre. They would then move backwards, gaining some distance from their opponent in preparation to attack again.

Two minutes had passed since the fight began. Still they were at a stalemate. Aaren had started to go easy on him again, which she scolded herself for. She had promised that she wouldn't do that. She had to change this situation quickly.

As Jared came in to attack, she responded with the technique she had taught him over and over again. Blocking his punch, she struck out with her foot and hit him in the ankle. She caught hold of his arm, turned, and pulled forwards. She lifted Jared over her back and threw him to the ground.

At first it seemed that her attack had winded him, but moments later he was lashing out with a swift kick. His feet struck Aaren's chest, pushing her backwards. She almost fell onto her back with the force of the unexpected attack. She caught the barrier with her hand and held herself up, her legs weak underneath her. She was impressed that he could strike her down in such a sudden way.

The both of them were back onto their feet, breathing heavily but still able to fight. Aaren had improved so much since they started training together. Now that they were facing each other in combat she could see just how far he had come. A move that had once left him unable to fight was now easily walked off. Not only that, he was using it to his advantage, striking her while in a vulnerable position to knock her off balance and regain the upper hand. She felt so very proud of him at that moment, seeing the fighter he was starting to become.

They continued to brawn for another minute, landing punches and blocking kicks, Jared having to avoid Aaren's tricky Quirk at the same time. Now that their time was halfway up, Aaren realised she would really have to start pushing him, and began utilizing her Quirk in regular attacks to throw him off kilter. It was beginning to work. The more she used it, the more unsure Jared became of which attacks were intended to hit him or to pass through his defence.

While assuming that one of her punches would hit him in the forearm, it instead passed through them and into his face. It then passed through that, properly surprising him. He then realised too late that he hadn't been paying attention to Aaren's legs, and was swiftly kicked in the side of the head by her naked heel.

He went down again, rolling until he reached the barrier. He had to use it to stand up again.

Aaren moved in a circle around him, forcing him to follow her, to keep his defences up. He was clearly getting tired now, the blow to his head stunning him a little. She was impressed that he had stood up after that attack, though he was clearly struggling. His legs were shaking with fatigue. She wondered if she should let him retire from the fight, but doubted he would accept that. He was as keen to keep fighting as she was.

Knowing that he was losing, Jared started to play more offensively. He went on the attack more and more, forcing Aaren to defend against his punches. If he had had her Quirk he would had probably beat her shortly afterward. Even without a unique power he was managing to push her back, forcing her to skitter and dodge as well as block. He aimed for her legs with fast and low kicks, and while sometimes Aaren was quick enough to avoid them, other tines it was her Quirk that had to safe her. She didn't like using it for defensive reasons, as this could to easily backfire on her. Making your feet become intangible allowed for them to slide into the ground.

She was astounded that Jared could press her life this. She had been on the losing side of a fight before, but never against someone like him. The boy who had seemed so timid and unsure when it came to real combat was now overpowering her.

She couldn't let that happen. She was the master here.

She struck out with her leg, aiming for Jared's foot as he moved for a punch. Ducking underneath the strike, he buried her heel into his ankle, and heard a crack. Jared exclaimed in pain and fell forwards, towards her. Immediately she rose up, grabbing his chest with both hands and squeezing him in a bear-like grip. With a sharp turn she threw him down into the ground. The impact was sudden and hard. Jared gasped, saliva flying from his open mouth.

It seemed for a second that the fight was over, but before anyone could decide if it was Jared was rolling over and pushing himself onto his knees.

Aaren watched him try to stand. He could barely support his weight anymore. She had hit his ankle hard, and his foot was limp and apparently sending sharp pain up his leg. He stood leaning against the barrier, his injured leg lifted slightly above the ground. With an injury like that he couldn't keep fighting. He could barely stand anymore.

She was shocked when he tried to run at her, hobbling with his injured leg behind him. He swung at her with a fist, his arm rigid and extended. He was forgetting what she had taught him, to the extent that his punches were becoming pathetic. She could see that he was struggling, and yet still he was fighting her. He ought to give up, for his own sake. He would only hurt himself further.

"Jared-" She began, but was stopped by another punch that struck her blocking forearm. More punches followed after that, weak but fast, limp but powerful.

Finally he managed to hit her, catching her cheek as she was moving to dodge another of his punches. It hit her with such force that she lost her balance and stumbled backwards into the barrier.

The crowd of students were roaring with excitement. Originally they had been expecting an easy win for Aaren, but now Jared was getting the upper hand, even though he had an injury. He was somehow still going, though he was clearly in pain.

Jared attacked again, throwing punches wildly. Aaren blocked and avoided them, and was eventually forced to retaliate. She struck his hand away and jabbed him twice in the chest, hitting his ribs and making his lungs clench. He coughed and stumbled backwards. While he was stunned, she attacked again, tripping his good foot out from underneath him. Jared hit the floor hard, landing on his side.

Aaren stood over him, looking down upon him. She felt awful for hurting him, but she fought against the guilt in her heart. She couldn't let that get the better of her right now. Jared was still moving, still struggling and rolling on the floor, trying to get back up.

"Stay down, Jared." Aaren quietly warned him. "You'll get hurt if you stand up again."

Jared continued to push himself to his feet, struggling to stand but only just managing. His left foot was limp while his right had to support the weight of his body. His breathing was quick and weary, his arms were shaking with fatigue. He couldn't go on much longer.

Yet still he was standing, trying to stay in the fight. He looked at Aaren, saw how concerned she was for him, and only smiled weakly back at her.

"Never!" He stated, his stern gaze fixed upon hers.

Aaren was now very worried for him. He wasn't giving up, even though he was clearly exhausted and injured. She didn't want to hurt him any further. All she had wanted was to test him, to push him, but now they had gone too far. Any further and he would actually get hurt. But she couldn't convince him to surrender. He was too keen to fight, too desperate to win, too stubborn to give up. Though Aaren was scared for him, she couldn't help but feel proud that he was pushing himself so hard.

The fight had become like a dance now, both of the participants moving around the other cautiously and wearily. Jared's attacks were coming slower and weaker than they had before. Aaren only had to defend against them with little effort, and each time she did she was given the chance to counter attack with ease. No matter how many times she knocked him down, Jared stood back up. No matter how battered and bruised he was, he kept on fighting. Aaren considered giving up for his sake, but while that would have spared his body it would have hurt his confidence. She could see determination in his eyes. If she ended the fight prematurely and let him win he would never forgive her. He wanted to win by his own merits... but he was in no state to do so.

Finally the fight was brought to a close with a ring of the bell. Their five minutes were up.

Jared and Aaren both left the ring, with her having to help him limp out of the ring. Immediately a medic was running over to examine his foot. He hadn't broken any bones, but the muscle was bruised. They could speed up its recovery, though it would still take a day to heal properly. Once that was resolved, the two of them went to speak to the adjudicator to find out who had been decided as the winner.

Aaren's arm was held up above her head by the trainer martial arts referee, deciding her as the victor of the fight.

Aaren looked at the crowd, their cheering deafening her. Faces who had before never so much as noticed her before were now shouting her name. It felt strange to see that, when she had done little to associate herself with most of them. Even the students who she didn't particularly like were celebrating her victory. For one of the first times in her life she felt proud of her talent. It was no longer just something she knew.

She had seen her victory coming, so that alone didn't surprise her much. She hadn't expected such a celebration for it, however.

Jared had also seen it coming. Though he was disappointed at his loss, he was also happy that she had won.

"Congrats, Aaren." He said to her as they returned to their seats. "That was a good fight."

Aaren would have agreed if she hadn't witnessed him push himself too far. Watching one of the few people she could call her friend limp around a fighting ring, covered in bruises and balancing on one leg would forever haunt her with guilt. She had pushed him to fight. He had chosen not to give up. She had to know what had been going through his head.

"Why didn't you back down?" She asked.

Jared's smile faded, and his expression became stern and defiant. "How could I?" He asked rhetorically. "I was doing so well. I couldn't let myself give up so easily."

"But you were injured." Aaren reminded him. "Backing out at that point would have made sense. No one would have judged you for it."

"I would have." Jared told her. She could hear the disappointment in his voice, the self-hatred. "If I had stayed down at that point, I would never have stood up again."

"Getting metaphorical, are we?" Aaren asked with a chuckle. At least his personality wasn't hurt.

"I will never stop fighting, Aaren." He told her with determination. "I will keep fighting until I can't stand. And if I can't stand, I will crawl, and if I can't crawl I will drag what remains of me across the ground until I reach my goal."

"Admirable..." Aaren retorted, "...but unrealistic." What had those heroes been saying to him? Had he gotten any silly ideas from them during their meeting earlier that day?

"I don't care how unrealistic it is." Jared murmured, more to himself than to her. "I won't give up, no matter how hopeless my struggles may seem. I will keep fighting until my body breaks and my heart stops beating... and then I'll continue to fight even more!"

This was the first time Aaren had felt scared for him. Would he honestly risk his life like that? Perhaps he was only exaggerating. No one would honestly push themselves that hard for something so trivial.

But when she looked in his eyes, she found that her concerns were legitimate.

He was not exaggerating. He truly would keep fighting... until his body gave up.

So again I tried to write a shorter chapter, and again it ended up longer than I intended. I don't know how I keep managing this, it must be some kind of superpower.

I'm going to spend a bit of time off after new years, to relax and get some energy back, as well as work on new ideas and plan out the next few chapters. I know what I want them to be about, I just want to make sure those ideas work in execution.

Since we're entering a new decade as well as a new year, I've decided to make a promise to myself. Next year I will try harder to get more chapters up, I will work on writing more, improving in the areas I'm not so good at and making this story twice as good as it already is. That is my promise to you guys. I can't promise you'll have a new chapter soon, but I will do everything I can to get one out before the end of January.

I'm also going to start leaving a question for you guys to answer, as I want to get my readers more involved in my work. You don't have to answer it, as there's no reward for doing so, but it'll be interesting to hear what your answers to these questions are.

So here's the first question I have for you guys: Who's your favourite character from this story, and why?

You don't have to post an essay in responce, just a short sentence is fine. It would be very intriguing to hear what your answers are.

So, have a good night, get lots of rest, eat plenty and have a great last day of 2019. I'll see you all in the new year!