Kei-Kei Yuki: If anyone got ideas they would like to share for this story then please send them in. They might really help me and allow me to write out more chapters to upload. Let me also thank a friend of mine for helping me with this chapter~!
Beta By: Ana-DaughterofHades
Chapter Four
First Exam
"Alright, listen up, for the first exam it will be a one-on-one match, which you will have to demonstrate down in the arena area. When you see your name appear on the screen above, please make your way down. First up we have... Kurosaki Akane vs Kurokawa Hana!" Nezu-sensei announced. Sitting far away from Tsunami's group, an arrogant girl with dark burgundy hair stood up. Tsunami recognized the girl to be one of her bullies, who once tripped her in the hallway and called her mean things besides the usual famous nickname that she earned herself as Dame-Tsunami.
"Troublesome, first one up and it's against someone annoying. Well, might as well and get this over with," sighed Hana, before rising up as well.
"Good luck, Hana-chan~!" Kyoko cheered on her best friend.
"You can do it, Kurokawa!" encouraged Yamamoto.
"... I-I wish you good luck as well, Kurokawa-san!" Tsunami nervously encouraged the brunette, who smirked, before confidently making her way down. Once down on the arena floor, both girls stood a far distance away, facing each other.
"So you're my opponent. A little warning beforehand: give up now. You may be the smartest in our class, Kurokawa, but in terms of actual battle skills, I excessively outrank you." Akane wore a proud smirk on her face as if she already knew that by the end of this match, she would be left as the winner.
"You always had a big mouth on you. But... I wonder if you truly have the ability to back up what you said. Well, we won't know until the end of this match." Unlike her opponent, Hana seemed much calmer and collected, mind in deep thought as if she was already trying to strategize a plan. Sitting in Tsunami's lap, Reborn had his eyes on Kurokawa Hana, noticing the look in her eyes, that caused the cursed-baby tutor to smirk.
"This is going to be interesting." Tsunami heard Reborn say and was curious as to why he said that, but before she could ponder on the question, the match had begun. Down below, the silver ring Hana wore on her left index finger had a bright crimson glow emitting from the small ruby that was embedded in the ring before flames consumed her hand for a short second. Though once they extinguished, the brunette was now holding a sniper-rifle in her hand.
"Hmph, let's see what you're truly made of, Kurokawa! Pyro Anguis!" Right before Akane's feet, a red spell circle appeared, and later a small tornado of red flames shot out, only to take the shape of a snake.
"So this is a match between two Storm Magic users. In terms of brains, Kurokawa is the smartest, but when it comes to battle... I gotta say Kurosaki-san is the better between the two. I mean, she's got the best scores when it comes to our Magic Combat lessons," Yamamoto shared his opinions with the group, though as he brought up their Magic Combat lessons, Tsunami couldn't help but shudder from the memory when she was paired up with Kurosaki-san one time.
Those who possessed Storm Magic were known as Tempesta Mages and had the ability to manipulate and generate superheated red flames as a form of offense and defense. Flames which in a way worked like actual fire, which could burn an opponent to various degrees, and based on the user, could create heavy damage, able to reduce a person or the area around them to ashes or rubble when adding enough heat.
Akane sent the storm snake to Hana, who used her sniper-rifle to shoot at the creature that was made from strong storm flames. Seeing how her storm bullets were doing nothing, Hana cursed and for a second she lost her concentration, causing her to drop her weapon far from her. Seeing this, Akane smirked and mockingly said to Hana,
"What can you do now that you are defenseless, Kurokawa? This is the difference between you and me! You have brains, but I have skill!" At this point, Hana was running around trying to dodge the storm snake that slithered across the ground like a red blur, ready to strike her at the chance it spotted her lowering her defense.
"Tch, so annoying," grimaced Hana as Tsunami spotted the thin silver chain necklace worn around the brunette's neck with a small but cute playing-card deck charm attached, glowing red. In the next second, playing cards appeared in Hana's hand, that she infused with her Storm Magic, before targeting them at the storm snake. The creature easily dodged each of the cards that were thrown its way; seeing this, Akane's smirk grew wider.
'Idiot! Even if your attack landed, my Pyro Anguis only grows stronger, seeing how it is able to absorb Storm Magic. This match is mine,' confidently thought Akane. From afar, Reborn seemed to have realized Hana's strategy.
"This match is already over." His words caused Kyoko and Tsunami to worry while Yamamoto kept his eyes on the match. The only one who paid not an ounce of attention to the match was Gokudera, who found himself content in lying in his hime's lap. Just after Reborn said this, a sly smile appeared briefly on the brunette's face that was only spotted by both the cursed-baby tutor and Tsunami. Just after that smile appeared, Tsunami suddenly noticed that all the storm cards that Hana threw out before landed in a circle that entrapped Kurosaki-san.
With the snap of Hana's fingers, the cards exploded, creating a huge smoke screen that filled the entire arena floor, but after it was cleared, everyone saw Hana holding the sniper rifle that she had dropped before and aimed directly at Akane's head. Sweating bullets, no one expected this outcome, not even Akane herself who obviously had a hard time holding back her anger, just when she thought the battle was in her hands, in the end, she lost.
"Checkmate," smirked Hana. Hana was soon declared the winner and afterward returned back to her seat.
"Nice win. You had everything planned right before the match start." Reborn had his attention directed towards Hana as another pair was called to come down and face-off against each other.
"Kurosaki's biggest flaw is her huge ego. I purposely dropped my gun on purpose which landed in close proximity to her, but I couldn't just blindly run up to her with the stupid storm snake in my way. So that's where the next part of my plan came into action. Honestly, it was a simple win," Hana stated this like it was a pure fact, barely paying any attention to the match that was happening down below.
The next one from their group to do battle was Kyoko, who was up against a Fulmine Mage, one who specialized in using Lightning Magic. Honestly, Tsunami was more worried for Kyoko than she was for Hana; even though she didn't know much about Kurokawa, something had told her that the brunette was able to handle herself in a fight. Though when it came to Kyoko, Tsunami didn't even have to rely on that feeling to tell her that Kyoko wasn't a fighter.
If anything, the popular orange haired female was more of a healer than she was a fighter. Tsunami didn't know what to feel when it turned out that the boy she was up against was one of Kyoko's fanboys. The boy looked as if he lost the lottery as he stood facing Kyoko, who offered him a kind smile, which only made him feel worse. Especially since the boy had to pass every final if wanted to graduate, meaning that even though he was infatuated with the school's most popular girl, he still had to defeat her.
During the mist of the battle, Kyoko summoned forth a few defensive sun spells, but they couldn't hold out for long. After the boy summoned forth a powerful lightning attack, she was knocked unconscious but with medium damage, leaving only a few light scratches on her skin. It was obvious how badly Hana had wanted to go to the nurse office's to be by Kyoko's side, yet for some reason, she remained sitting beside Tsunami. When questioned, the brunette simply answered...
"Kyoko is in good hands and the boy held back with his attacks. Besides someone's gotta be here to cheer you on, Tsunami." Hana sent her a wink and Tsunami, for the first time, felt something close to friendship with the brunette she had only shared a few words with throughout their school years, but nevertheless, Tsunami could sense that Hana possessed a good heart and that made her smile.
After Kyoko's battle, a few more names were called and after a while, it was Yamamoto's turn. "Looks like I'm up!" Yamamoto, who had once again tried to pat Gokudera, received only a vicious growl and almost had his hand scratched off by Gokudera's claws.
"Baka-Dog, only my hime is allowed to touch me!" growled Gokudera, trying to scratch at Yamamoto's hand, who laughed him off. Tsunami wondered why Gokudera had insulted Yamamoto with "dog" when she heard Hana speak up,
"Good luck, Yamamoto!" cheered Hana, though in a less energetic voice.
"Knock 'em dead," pinched in Reborn, giving the taller male a thumbs up.
"A-Ano... Good luck as well, Yamamoto-san!" Tsunami shyly sent her own encouragement, only to have Gokudera soon butt in by adding,
"Hurry and get lost, Baka-Dog!" yelled Gokudera, only to be reprimanded by Tsunami, resulting in him sulking and Yamamoto laughing.
"Don't worry, I promise to bring back a win!" He grinned, making his way down to the arena floor. There were not many things Tsunami knew about Yamamoto, other than he was nice to everyone and was very skilled in using Rain Magic. Down below, a katana appeared in Yamamoto's hands and shortly after the match was issued. His opponent tried to openly attack Yamamoto, only for his attacks to end up useless as Yamamoto had fast reflexes that allowed him to dodge and maneuver around his opponent's attacks.
Everything went by so fast that the match was over in three minutes when Yamamoto's opponent felt the pressure of a blade pressed against his neck. The deadly serious look in Yamamoto's eyes frightened the teen, who immediately fainted from fright. Once the match was over, Yamamoto placed a cheery smile on his face, making his way back up the stairs.
"Wow, that was fast. Way better than my own match," commented Hana. Yamamoto took his seat beside Tsunami, a large smile on his face.
"Mmm, I think Kurokawa's match was better. What do you think, Tsuna?" Yamamoto turned his attention towards Tsunami, whose cheeks flushed red, now that she was at the center of attention.
"Oi, who said you can refer to my Hime by name, Baka-Dog?!" Gokudera turned his glaring eyes onto Yamamoto, who seemed to not mind that the gray kitten disliked him.
"I-I... liked both matches! You both are special and strong in your own field." This was Tsunami's best and most honest answer she could give them, timidly looking down at her lap, running her hand through Gokudera's soft fur.
"Tsuna, you're very honest, ya know that right? I think I'm liking you more!" smiled Yamamoto, that for once wasn't as fake as most of his other smiles. Though, Gokudera wasn't too pleased when the other reached over and began ruffling Tsunami's short, soft, fluffy brown locks.
"Don't touch my Hime!" yelled the angry silver kitten; gleaming green eyes was promising death to Yamamoto.
"Ah, I just noticed your pet can talk, Tsunami. Wow, first a talking baby who proclaims to be your tutor and now a talking possessive cat. You are filled with weird things," blandly pointed out Hana, while Tsunami was fighting to keep Gokudera away from scratching Yamamoto's face. Reborn stayed in his same spot, only now he was drinking some expresso... and Yamamoto was doing nothing but laughing at the death glare Gokudera was throwing his way.
At least twelve more matches had proceeded before it was finally Tsunami's turn. Once the brunette saw her name broadcasted on the screen, she felt a swarm of butterflies fill her stomach, resisting the urge to throw-up. It was situations like this that sometimes made Tsunami want to run away. She wasn't good at being thrown in the spotlight and she also wasn't that good in combat. For a moment, Tsunami began doubting herself, until she felt a hand land on her shoulder.
"You can do it, Tsuna!" Looking up she saw that the hand belonged to Yamamoto who was wishing her well. Joining in next was Hana who slapped a hard hand against Tsunami's back.
"Go and make that monkey eat dirt, Tsunami." Tsunami could sense that Hana shared some dislike towards her opponent, who was one of Tsunami's notorious bullies and also a huge Kyoko fanboy, Kensuke Mochida. Remembering all the cruel things Mochida had done to her, Tsunami felt a sense of dread when she felt someone pinch her cheeks.
"Stop panicking and going down memory lane, Dame-Tsuna. Remember you have a match to win. Remember what you said to me when you finally decided to make a difference about yourself," Reborn reminded Tsunami when her attention was next stolen by Gokudera.
"I believe in you, hime! And if things get too rough, I'll come in and protect you!" declared Gokudera. Hearing all of this, Tsunami couldn't help but smile, feeling a small sense of confidence. Getting up from her seat, Tsunami made her way down onto the floor.
"Hah, so I'm against Dame-Tsuna. This is going to be quick and easy." Mochida gripped a sword in his hand, already confident that he would for sure win this match. Seeing how his opponent was none other than Dame-Tsunami, the clumsy idiot and laughing stock of the school, there was no way he would lose against such a weak person.
"How dare that idiot looks down on my hime! I'll bomb the bastard!" angrily shouted Gokudera, who, despite his struggling, was easily being held back by Reborn. Soon the match was issued to start and Mochida wasted no time, shooting out first with his sword, trying to slash Tsunami with it. Luckily Tsunami was able to dodge most of his attacks but she knew she couldn't hold out for long.
"You were always one to run away like a wimp, Dame-Tsuna! Can you run away from this!? Aqua Slicer!" After slashing his blade horizontally, multiple blades of water blades were projected towards Tsunami. Tsunami was smart enough to use a sun spell that increased the strength of her body, allowing her to reduce the amount of damage she would take from Mochida's attack. Which was a smart move, seeing how those blades were powerful enough to the cut the arena floor.
Even though the amount of damage she would take was reduced, Tsunami still couldn't help but scream out once those attack hit her. The pressure was like being hit by a small truck; Tsunami's body was sent flying, until roughly hitting the ground as she struggled to get back on her feet.
"Hime!" At this point, Gokudera tried everything in his power to remove himself from Reborn's iron grip. His precious Hime was being hurt and he had to do something about it. He just couldn't watch her be the punching bag to this jackass's attacks! Reborn stayed silent, eyes on the match, while both Hana and Yamamoto wore a worried expression.
"Still trying to stand? Then try this, Vi Aquarum Ruptis!" A jet stream of water burst from out of his sword; still injured, Tsunami had no way to dodge. A stream of high-pressure water pummeled into her gut and sent her flying back even farther. At this point Tsunami was drenched in water and pain; a part of her deeply wanted to give up, but... she still got up. She was tired of being weak and hopeless all the time.
"Oh... It seems someone is either stupid or finally got some guts," mocked Mochida as Tsunami, despite the screaming protest of her body, still moved her body, placing her hands flat on the ground.
A green circle appeared as Tsunami called out, "Levius Fac Forum!" Bolts of electricity sparked from her hand. Mixing with the water on the ground, it directly attacked Mochida. Most who saw this was surprised that Dame-Tsuna, the weakest girl in the school, had managed to land an attack, including Mochida, who soon found out that even though the attack didn't hurt as much, he couldn't move his body.
"What the... What have you done to me, Dame-Tsuna?!" Mochida was angered when he found himself paralyzed, watching as Tsunami, trembling and pathetic, got to her feet. Calming herself down, Tsunami stretched out her arm and from her palm, a bright glowing red spell circle appeared.
"Ignis Fatuus Voluntatem-o-Versus!" Tiny red fireballs appeared; ever since her training with Reborn, the spartan tutor had been forcing Tsunami to study and work more on practicing fire spells. At the moment Tsunami could perform up to five Level D-Storm Magic spells, which was better than when she could perform none. Right now, she was using one of those spells that she learned in her match against Mochida.
Tsunami sent the crimson fireballs shooting towards Mochida who was still paralyzed; upon impact, the only thing that everyone saw was a large smoke screen. Upon the fourth fireball attack, Mochida was finally able to move his body and dodge the attack. Though the screen of smoke left him unable to see his opponent.
"Where are you, Dame-Tsuna?! You're a coward!" shouted Mochida, only to receive nothing but silence, but after a while, he heard the faint sound of static electricity somewhere in the distance. Searching wildly for where Tsunami was planning on ambushing him, only to noticed a large green spell circle glowing from underneath his feet.
By now the smoke was starting to clear and Mochida looked down and saw he was caught in the lightning spell. Directing his eyes towards where he saw a battered Tsunami standing far across from him, the teen couldn't help but glare at the girl, but was left caught off guard when he noticed a subtle change about Tsunami. It was her eyes; no longer were they naive and innocent, but serious and intense, burning a light shade of orange. Never had he seen such an expression come from the wimpy and stupid girl, who at the moment brought a chill down his bones.
"Fulgur Carcerem!" Tsunami called out as a green burst of electricity shot upward from the spell Mochida was trapped in. There was no way he would be left standing after taking on the brute force of a Class B-Lightning Spell. Immediately, the medical staff came and carried the unconscious teen to the nurse's office, while everyone else was in a state of shock. Not only had Dame-Tsuna defeated Mochida, but she was also able to pull off a Class B-Lightning Spell.
Tsunami felt so happy and proud of her win, yet felt faint and weak after performing a Class B-Lightning Spell, that Reborn forced her to learn at the last minute. To be quite honest, even Tsunami was surprised that she was actually able to pull it off. Feeling something lands in her arms, Tsunami saw that it was Reborn. "Good job, Dame-Tsuna," Reborn congratulated the brunette, who couldn't help but smile after hearing such rare words come from the infant.
Proud at what she was able to accomplish, Tsunami's world soon turned dark as she fainted, but for some odd reason, she felt herself fall into a pair of strong arms. Her nose was hit with the relaxing scent of the misty rain, feeling safe in the warm arms that held her, offering nothing but peace and tranquility to her mind.
End of Chapter Four
Sorry for the wait~! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!:)