Lightning – My Hero Academia
Chapter 18: Nothing Personal
"Two more students from class 1-A have been pitted up against each other. It seems like the randomizer this year is really looking to get some rivalries started." All Might commented.
"It's sure to be an interesting fight this time! In this corner we have Chikashi Sugawara, with his mimic quirk. He's going up against Aya Ayala with her teleportation quirk!" Present Mic announced as the two students took their positions on opposite sides of the arena stage.
"Hey, Aya. You won't take it personally if I win, will ya?" Chikashi asked, stretching his arms out and getting into a fighting stance.
"Depends on whether you go all out or not. I expect nothing less from our class rep." Aya commented with a teasing smirk, getting into her fighting stance.
"Long as we're cool after. Win or lose, I'll buy you a churro after." Chikashi promised.
"I don't want your pity churro."
"It's only a pity churro if you lose. Think of it more like a...consolation churro." He said with a chuckle.
"...I can't tell if they're fighting or flirting." Ako said to himself.
"Okay! Fighters, take your positions! Ready...set...begin!" Mt. Lady announced the start of the round.
Chikashi took a step forward and did a quick spin. Aya advanced forward before teleporting. Suddenly she was right next to Chikashi, who was still in mid-spin. Aya threw a kick at his side. He was able to catch her foot with his hand and pull her to him.
Aya teleported again before Chikashi could hit her. They both stumbled forward, their backs to each other now. Chikashi turned around. Aya jumped up into the air before teleporting forward again. She suddenly appeared right in front of him, drop-kicking him in the chest and making him fall back.
"Ooooh look at Ayala, putting her quirk to good use and catching her opponent off-guard!" Present Mic said approvingly.
"Her quirk gives her a very distinct advantage in this fight. She's able to keep Chikashi constantly guessing. Plus, he can't use his mimic quirk against her unless it's in hand-to-hand fighting." All Might added.
"Looks like Chikashi's the underdog in this fight! Can he pull off the upset, folks?!" Present Mic added more tension to the fight with that statement. The crowd was in more of an uproar now, and they became even more focused on this fight.
Chikashi rolled backwards and got to his feet. He blocked another attempted kick to the upper body by Aya, who had teleported in front of him once again. He threw a punch at her, but she turned her head and teleported next to him before his hit could connect.
Aya elbowed Chikashi in the side of the head, making him stumble to the side. She then teleported back in front of him and tried to sweep his legs out from under him. However, he was able to catch himself and mimicked Aya's sweep kick, making her fall onto her side.
Chikashi tried to kick her while she was down, but she teleported once again. Now she was laying on her side on the opposite side of the stage. She got up and took a moment to compose herself. Chikashi rubbed the side of his head and did the same.
"She's a tricky opponent," Ako commented. "How does her quirk work?" He asked Fizo, who was sitting next to him and also watching the match very closely.
"What's that? Oh! Aya's quirk activates when she blinks. She has to fix her eyes on one spot, and then she blinks to instantly transport herself there." He explained simply.
"Chikashi's gonna have a rough time getting past her then." Ako figured.
"Eh, well there are limitations. She can't move her body until she finishes teleporting. And she can only teleport in straight lines, so she has to plan her movements very carefully." Fizo continued. Ako hummed.
"So you have to predict her moves to keep up with her." Ako concluded.
"Let's try that again." Aya taunted before attacking again.
Chikashi started running towards her. Aya jumped into the air and brought her knees up to her chest. She then teleported right in front of Chikashi. Her knees slammed into his chest, causing him to fall back hard. Her full weight crashed down on top of him, making him yell out in pain.
"Ohhh that's gonna leave a mark! And possibly a cracked rib." Present Mic commented.
Chikashi groaned and lifted his legs up, contorting his body awkwardly to get his legs around Aya's torso. Before she could react, he pulled her downwards off of him. Her back hit the ground with an abrupt slam. Chikashi rolled backwards and got to his feet again. Aya got to her knees.
Although he was clearly still reeling from the hits he'd taken, Chikashi marched forward and tried to kick Aya in the face. She leaned back and teleported behind him. She jumped up to her feet and turned around just in time to dodge one of Chikashi's punches.
"Having trouble keeping up, Chikashi?" Aya teased him before turning her body and teleporting behind him again. She jumped onto his back and pulled him into a choke hold, wrapping her legs around his body and squeezing his neck.
"Uh oh. Looks like Aya's tryna wrap this up now." Fizo said.
Chikashi's body tensed up from the strain. He grabbed Aya's arm, trying to loosen her hold on him. However, she was able to resist and maintain her hold. Chikashi's eyes darted around in a panic. He needed to hurry and get her off of him before he passed out.
Chikashi tried harder to pull her off. He struggled before he was able to slam his head back into her jaw. It wasn't much, but it did surprise her. Chikashi threw himself backwards, slamming Aya's back into the ground and landing hard on top of her.
Her hold wasn't completely broken, but it loosened enough for Chikashi to turn towards her. He reached for her face and forced his hand over her eyes. He then punched her in the stomach. She gasped in pain and kicked him in the side of the head.
"Oh crap!" Fizo exclaimed. He wasn't sure who he should be more worried for here.
Chikashi's head whipped back from the kick. It knocked him back enough for his hand to come off of her eyes. He grabbed her by the foot, but Aya was able to turn her head and teleport away, giving herself some breathing room. Chikashi rubbed his neck and took a few deep breaths.
"That was a dirty move." Aya huffed, getting back to her feet.
"You're one to talk." Chikashi swallowed hard, glaring at her.
Aya growled and teleported behind him again. She elbowed him in the back. He jolted in surprise and swung at her. She teleported next to him and kicked him in the leg, making him fall to one knee. He tried to grab her shirt. Aya teleported to the other side of him. She spun on her foot and kicked him in the side of the head.
Chikashi's head was spinning as he fell onto his side. The cheering of the crowd, Present Mic and All Might's commentary; it all started to fade. He blinked a few times. He pushed himself up to his hands and knees, groaning a little as he got back to his feet.
"What?! You should be out cold!" Aya yelled in surprise. Chikashi turned to look at her. His expression was totally blank. It didn't even look like he'd heard her.
"I'm not giving up until I can't move." Chikashi said. His voice was a little shaky, but his determination was clear. Aya's eyes narrowed on him, and she raised her fists up again.
Aya threw a punch at Chikashi. He blocked it and threw a punch at her. She leaned to the side and teleported behind him. They both turned around at the same time. Aya threw a backwards kick at him. He caught her leg and swept her other leg out from under her, making her land on her back once again.
Chikashi dropped the weight of his knee down on her. She cried out in pain. He grabbed her by the face again, holding her head down and punching her in the chest. Aya clawed at his face and scratched his cheek up. He maneuvered himself over her head and pulled her into a choke hold.
With one arm around her neck and a hand over her eyes, Chikashi was able to get to his feet and pull Aya along, dragging her backwards. She got her feet underneath her and started pushing him back faster, desperately trying to fight her way out of his grasp. Chikashi twisted his body and threw her behind him...
"Aya Ayala is out of bounds! The winner is Chikashi Sugawara!" Mt. Lady declared.
Aya groaned. She was laying on her back on the grass, out of bounds. She whined unhappily as she pulled herself up and sat on the ground with her back against the arena. Chikashi, meanwhile, sat down on the edge of the steps.
"He took way more hits, but he was still able to pull out the win." Ako said.
"Yeah...I don't think I would've been happy regardless of who won, but man that was rough." Fizo said, folding his arms and shaking his head.
"Man, a lot of students are having to fight their immediate classmates this year. It's been pretty intense. And that's saying something, all things considered." All Might commented, stroking his chin.
"But there you have it, folks! Chikashi Sugawara is moving on to the finals!" Present Mic said.
Chikashi leaned over the side of the steps and threw up on the ground with an ugly retching sound. He spat on the ground and wiped his mouth with his arm. He looked up at Aya, who was still sitting there with a disappointed expression.
"That came really close, Aya. You did good." He said, managing a smile. She looked up at him.
"Not good enough though...you need to see the nurse."
"Yeah...and then churro after?" He offered.
"...yeah, then churro after." Aya agreed, returning his smile finally.
Aya got up and took Chikashi's hand, helping him up to his feet. Together, they exited the arena. The crowd applauded them. Some of them started chanting, but some were chanting Aya's name and others were chanting Chikashi's name, so all the noise just blurred together.
"The sportsmanship on display today is beautiful to see." Mt. Lady commented with a smile.
"Couldn't have said it better myself, m'lady! In just a few short minutes, we'll find out who will be going up against Sugawara in the finals! Will it be the speed demon, Ako Tanaka? Or will it be another battle of classmates against Fizo Sasaki?! I can barely contain my excitement!" Present Mic laughed.
"That's our cue. Better start getting ready." Fizo said, tapping Ako on the arm. Ako's gaze had been focused on Chikashi and Aya as they walked away, so Fizo's tap on the arm broke his concentration. His head perked up in surprise.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, let's get going." Ako said, getting up too. Fizo and Ako made their way down to the ground floor...
"Hey, Fizo, can I ask you something?" Ako requested.
"Yeah. What's up?"
"These battles have all been pretty rough. Do you guys just, like, not get along very well? Or do you use fighting to sort out your problems?" Ako asked curiously. Fizo looked at him.
"You mean our class?"
"Yeah." Ako nodded. Fizo laughed.
"Haha, it's nothing like that! We all get along pretty well, I promise!" Fizo reassured him, "It's just competition, you know? It's nothing personal."
"Really?" Ako raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a doubtful expression.
"Heheh, of course. At the end of the day, we're all just trying to show our stuff for when we get to work with the pros. There's no animosity, it's just how it is when you're trying to be the best." Fizo reasoned. Ako looked forward, thinking about this.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." He said absently.
"Yeah. But I'll tell you this. If Chikashi had lost that fight, he would've acted exactly the same. Just because we're competing doesn't mean we can't be happy for each other's success." Fizo said with a shrug.
Ako stuck his hands in his pockets. He didn't respond to that. Through the course of this tournament, he had already developed a couple grudges - especially against Chikashi, but also against Eiichi Morita from class 1-B. Was that attitude really becoming for a future hero?
"Hey, Fizo?"
"Yeah?"
"Here's to a good match, alright?" Ako said, offering a fist bump. Fizo smiled and nodded, fist bumping him.
"Yeah, man!"
