Disclaimer: I do not own Boku no Hero Academia.
They barely made it back on time. Hotaru and Ayame arrived as soon as Ume announced her name. Ayame didn't have time to watch any other matches from the second years and instead, ran off to the stage so she wouldn't be disqualified.
"Tch, so she did make it on time," Takarada had recently finished his match and returned to the 2-A booth to sit. Yuu had a few classmates gathered around him but as soon as they noticed Takarada, they made way for the other boy to sit.
"Lucky her," Yuu smiled.
Ayame breathed and studied the opponent before her. The girl was a Class 2-B member, Aiko. She was cheery in the same sense as Eimi and from what Ayame remembered, they were best friends. Aiko's Quirk was a bit unique; she had the ability to make bubbles and roses appear out of thin air.
But…she often uses that around Yuu-kun and Takarada… Ayame sweat dropped. Just like a shoujo manga…
"Ayame-chan~!" Aiko sang from the other side of the stage, "Good luck!"
The brunette returned the smile. Well, Aiko wasn't a bad person anyways. "Let's have a good match!"
"Second round, first match; begin!" Ume announced.
As soon as it did, Ayame jumped back. Dozens of roses had appeared below her feet and from the other side; she heard Aiko let out a whine of disbelief. Her lilac eyes focused back on the pink haired girl and quickly, smoke began to manifest from Ayame again.
"Not so fast, Ayame-chan!"
Aiko waved her hand and dozens of little bubbles flew in her direction. Ayame gasped and attempted to pop the bubbles but before she can even reach them, the bubbles joined together into one giant one. Ayame was trapped in the floating sphere and she pounded on the thin wall, shocked that she couldn't break through.
"You did well, Ayame-chan!" Aiko smiled brightly, long tresses of pink hair blowing behind her, "But I'm going to win instead! I heard you were partners with Yuu-kun, too. I'm so jealous!"
The short girl cupped her hands to her cheeks, sighing dreamily about the vice president and giggled to herself.
"I'm going to end this now! Tell me more about your adventure with Yuu-kun later!"
Aiko motioned for the bubble to float out of the stage. Ayame gritted her teeth, eyes closing in concentration as she stopped pounding on the bubble. Instead, she imagined her trusty kitsune as before, forcing the nine tails to expand within the space.
"W-wait—stop!" Aiko gasped as the bubble began to shake and lose the circular form.
"This is a match, Aiko-chan!"
Ayame pulled back her fist and aimed a punch to the bubble. This time, the bubble popped from the attack in its unstable form and Ayame landed on the fox. The kitsune swished its tail around and flexed its full form, glowering at Aiko from above.
"I'm fighting seriously," Ayame commanded the kitsune to lower its body slightly, "If you're only focused on others, then I'll be taking my win now!"
The fox began to sprint forward. Aiko summoned flowers and bubbles to block its path but it was trampled afterwards. She pouted in displeasure and jumped on a large bubble, floating away.
"Not fair, Ayame-chan! Since when did you care about a tournament like this?!"
The smoky tendrils of the fox reconstructed its form to a tengu. Ayame stayed on the mount and have the bird fly upwards, chasing after Aiko.
"I've always cared," Ayame whispered more to herself than answering her opponent, "But it took me longer to realize 'caring' does not always equal to strength. So, I'm going to get desperate, too!"
After watching Ochako and Bakugo's match…Todoroki and Midoriya's as well, Ayame realized again how lacking she really was. Aiko had touched upon a sore spot for her; maybe Ayame really didn't care for the sports festival last year. Otherwise—how could she have lost on the first game? But she had wanted to win so badly—yet her determination had seized when she didn't see her family in the audience.
This time, I'm going to fight for myself, Ayame narrowed her eyes to concentrate on the bubble, pushing her tengu to fly faster. 1-A are giving their all—so why should I let something trivial stop me?
"Brace yourself, Aiko-chan!"
The tengu sped through the bubble and popped it, causing Aiko to scream from her sudden lost in air. She faced the ground to create many bubbles and roses to cushion her fall, concentrating on the masses of flowers and soapy bubble to multiply.
Ayame swooped upwards on her bird and turned around to dive straight down—towards the falling girl. The claws grasped onto Aiko's uniform from the back, causing her to stop her Quirk while Ayame continued to hold Aiko down.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
"Ayame has Aiko trapped!" Nao gasped from the booth, shaking his friend from the side excitedly, "Since when did she get so strong?!"
"Aiko-chan! Don't give up!" Eimi cheered from the next booth, "Nao-kun! We lost against her! You're just wondering now why Ayame-chan is strong?!"
"It's different experiencing it and watching it!"
"Go, go, Ayame-chan!" Hotaru cheered.
They crashed onto the ground, kicking up a dust cloud around them and blocking the audience view. Aiko groaned beneath Ayame as she landed on wet roses and smoky, transparent trails of the tengu. Ayame was considerate enough to cushion a majority of the crash but—it still hurt like hell!
"That hurt…" Aiko whined and let her head fall down.
"Aiko-san! Will you still fight?" Ume asked from the sideline.
Aiko tensed and moved to say yes. Roses began to bloom and spun underneath Aiko and she turned her head to focus on Ayame. A speedy rose darted upwards to slice at the brunette and she moved at the last second, barely dodging the flower Aiko had meticulously sharpened from momentum. The flower brushed past her head and waves of light brown hair fell over her shoulders. Ayame gave more power to the tengu and the bird squeezed Aiko, forcing all of her body to stay on the ground.
"I give, I give!" Aiko barely cried out, "You're crushing me!"
"Aiko-san forfeits the match!" Ume announced, "Sasaki Ayame-san advances to the third round!"
The tengu disappeared into smoky trails and Ayame stood up, breathing heavily from the match. Her eyes were wide as she hastily helped Aiko up, laughing sheepishly when Aiko jokingly refused. Long strands of brown hair blew in the wind and Ayame raised one hand up to brush the hair from her face.
"She looks like LullaCry!"
"I didn't believe it until now!"
"That's the little sister!"
"What completely opposite Quirks though!"
"I like it!"
Ayame looked up from the cheers and focused on 2-A's booth. She could see a few classmates waving to her and she smiled back. Off to the side, she saw Takarada and Yuu looking at her.
"Annoying," Takarada frowned.
"She's doing better than expected," Yuu smiled in amusement and offered one hand up as a greeting.
"She'll lose eventually," Takarada didn't believe in her. It must be pure luck for Ayame to get so far within the sports festival. Their Quirk assessment barely showed any improvement with her—and now she had the ability to summon two at once? Since when does she actually train?
"Oh! What's this? You're actually staring at the two princes?!" Aiko immediately bounced back to her cheery self, hopping up to Ayame with a wide grin.
Ayame snapped back to reality to stare at Aiko with a bewildered expression. She wasn't staring that much!
"No—that's not it—I was just saying to hi to my classmates!" Ayame quickly defended.
"Oho~" Aiko giggled with a love struck expression, "You can't fool me! I'm the queen of love, Ayame-chan~ I knew you weren't able to resist their charm!"
Ayame could only stare at her in disbelief. Once Aiko began to rant about 'love', no one could stop her. This girl was the embodiment of shoujo manga—always seeing something there when there's usually nothing going on between their classmates. And now—she wants Ayame to be the next victim?!
"You always act so aloof with them and arguing with Takarada-kun but—you actually like them! Ohhh, Ayame-chan! Tell me! Who were you really looking at?!"
"No one!" Ayame shouted and turned around to run away. "You read too much shoujo, Aiko-chan!"
"And you read too much shounen! You're a girl too, Ayame-chan! You can't lie to me!" Aiko chased after her.
By the time Ayame returned back to her booth, many of her classmates surrounded her.
"Oi, Ayame! Since when did you get so strong?!"
"Was it Aizawa-sensei that trained you?"
"Or LullaCry?!"
"Hey!" Ayame was offended, "I've always been strong!"
"Coulda fooled us," a few members from 2-B looked over the railing to snicker.
Ayame pouted at them and crossed her arms. She went back to sit with Hotaru, peeking over her shoulder to look at the phone she held. The match displayed on the screen was Bakugo versus Kirishima. Ayame was personally cheering for Kirishima and currently, he was putting Bakugo on the defensive!
"Aw, man, I wanna go cheer on Eijiro-kun too," Ayame sighed.
"It's probably best if you stayed, Ayame-chan," Usagi advised, "There are plenty of opponents in the bracket to be wary of."
"Don't forget, most of 2-A are still in the tournament," Natsumi stood up, "I'm going to go prepare."
"Ah, good luck, Natsumi-chan!"
"I-I'll go cheer for them in your place, Ayame-chan," Hotaru offered with a shy smile, "My Quirk will allow me to get in and out fast."
Her eyes light up at that information, turning to Hotaru with sparkling eyes. "Really? You'll do that? I want to go see the finals in person though! Give me a call when that happens!"
Hotaru nodded her head and with a quick wave, disappeared. Ayame turned her attention back to the next match and waited. The winner of this will be her opponent next round. Ayame also needed to stay wary of the future opponents as well…
There was a chance she may have to fight Shimizu Yuu or Takarada Noeru…
For the semi-finals for the first-years, they were Todoroki, Iida, Tokoyami, and Bakugo. Ayame had watched the matches on her phone while also keeping track of the second-year's battles. So far, all of the matches had ended quickly for them as well.
Todoroki had bested Iida fairly quickly compared to the other matches. Even though he took a direct hit from Iida's kick, he still managed to freeze Iida in the end. There were no flashy flames this time around and Ayame couldn't help but wonder why Todoroki seemed different from before. His ice from the previous rounds had been confident and overbearing but this time, it felt…almost cautious.
For Tokoyami and Bakugo's round, Ayame felt bad for Dark Shadow. Not many knew of his weakness and during their training exercise, she had kept Bakugo preoccupied. Now that they had to fight one-on-one, Bakugo quickly learned of Dark Shadow's weakness against light.
Kacchan's smart and strong too… Ayame sighed, but what's with his attitude? Well, I guess it can be…endearing at times.
"Ayame, who are you cheering for in the finals?" Nao leaned over from the row behind her to ask, "You're pretty attached to those 1-A kids."
"They're cute!" Ayame quickly defended, "It's hard to say who will win… Todoroki-kun and Kacchan are both strong…"
"And handsome!" Aiko chirped in, "Especially that icy boy! Oh I love the strong and silent types!"
Ayame looked at Aiko oddly—where did she come from?! Did she sneak in from the other booth?! This girl—she always has love on her mind.
"If Todoroki uses his flames, I think he will win," Natsumi returned after her match with a stunning win, plopping down to sit next to Usagi.
"I think Bakugo will," Nao nodded his head; "I like his spunk!"
"Ne, Ayame-chan, what do you think?" Usagi turned to her with wide grey eyes, long bunny ears twitching. "You know them best. Who do you think will win?"
"Uh….." Ayame rubbed the back of her head, long brown hair moving with her. Since her hair tie had broken from Aiko earlier, Ayame had nothing else to fix her hair again. "Who knows…?"
They sighed at her sheepish response and suddenly, a flash of light appeared before them. Hotaru shook the dizziness from her head and locked her neon eyes to Ayame.
"The finals are about to begin!" Hotaru grabbed Ayame's hand, "You wanted to watch, right?"
Ayame grinned at the sight of her friend and nodded her head. "Oh, Hotaru-chan! I can always count on you!"
"You're leaving again?!" Nao gaped in disbelief.
"Ne, ne, take me, too! I want to see the cuties in person!" Aiko hopped over to Hotaru.
"Hey! I wanna go!" Eimi shouted from the wall and jumped up to look over them.
"H-Hotaru-chan, let's go," Ayame quickly grabbed onto the shorter girl and without wasting a second, they both disappeared.
"No fair," Aiko pouted, "She's keeping the cute boys to herself!"
"But I'm right here," Nao pointed to himself.
Aiko turned to him, looked at him up and down, and sighed in disappointment. Nao gaped again while his friend laughed at him from the side. Aiko turned her attention back to the two princes and lost herself in daydreams again.
Personally, Ayame didn't want to admit out loud who she wanted to win. Despite everything that had happened, maybe she felt a slight bias towards the half-and-half boy. Since the beginning, Todoroki appeared so…lost and alone that she couldn't help but to always find him. Even if it was not what he wanted, she hoped maybe she can change his mind.
"Ah! Ayame-senpai—you're here again?!" Kaminari asked as soon as they reappeared again.
"Do you guys not want me here?" Ayame asked back; why was everyone always shocked about that?!
"No, that's not it," Jirou waved her hand with a laugh.
"We would not want to see you disqualified for missing your match, senpai," Tsuyu reassured.
"We're cheering for you from here!" Kirishima pointed to his phone.
"Ehe," Ayame grinned, "You guys have to come to the second-year's arena afterwards! We're not done yet!"
"Okay!"
Ayame took a seat next to Midoriya and Ochako, looking around but couldn't find their third partner.
"Where's Iida-kun?"
"He…had to leave early," Midoriya replied, "Due to family reasons."
"What?" Ayame gasped, "I hope he's okay!"
Hotaru stayed quiet as she took the seat next to Ayame. They all turned their attention back to the upcoming match. Both Todoroki and Bakugo were already on stage.
"Start!"
As soon as Present Mic announced the battle to begin, Todoroki slammed his hand down. A bombardment of ice was rushing forward in Bakugo's direction, causing the blonde to curse loudly and starts retaliating with explosions.
"Todoroki gets a blow in right away! Is he trying to avoid close combat with Bakugo? Has the winner been decided already?!"
"It's not on the same scale as in his match with Sero-kun," Midoriya analyzed, "He aimed his attack while being careful of what'll come next."
"His style changes depending on the opponent," Ayame added, "Against Kacchan…he wants to eliminate him as fast as possible."
Thudding can be heard from within the ice and echoing the stadium. It felt like the giant ice block was shaking with every sound.
"What's that sound?" Mineta asked.
"It's Bakugo-chan's doing," Tsuyu answered.
The ice cracked and a giant hole appeared in front of Todoroki. He jumped back to avoid the scattered ice while Bakugo hands were steaming with fire.
"Did he dig his way out through the ice like a mole with his explosions?" Sero asked in disbelief.
"That's so weird!" Kaminari shouted.
Bakugo launched himself out with his Quirk and Todoroki ran forward with his right hand stretched out. Right before Todoroki can touch him, Bakugo repositioned himself in midair to the right, avoiding the ice hand and grabbed onto his head and uniform.
"He avoided his right side and grabbed him?!" Midoriya exclaimed.
"Wow!" Ochako said.
"He's…a scary opponent," Ayame followed up.
Bakugo landed behind Todoroki and swung him over his shoulders. The boy flipped in midair a few times before quickly stabilizing himself with an ice slide and heading back to Bakugo. Using the ice for momentum, Todoroki surrounded Bakugo with ice. The blonde did not relent and ran forward with his right hand sparking in explosion. Immediately, Todoroki grabbed onto that hand with his left, shocking everyone when he merely…tossed him away.
"He's…not using it…" Ayame said softly, he's avoiding his flames again…
Both of them landed on the concrete again. From a few distance away, Bakugo slowly got up with a snarl.
"Stop screwing around," Bakugo taunted, "Am I not strong enough to make you use it?"
"With the way he grabbed Todoroki's left side on purpose and timed his explosions… He's been doing his research. That kid's abilities shine every time he fights," Aizawa complimented Bakugo. "Todoroki's moving well, too, but his attacks are too simple. Ever since the match with Midoriya, he's lost his touch."
Ayame glanced at the short boy next to her, silently wonder what had happened between them. Although they could not hear the exact conversation word for word, something must have happened for Todoroki to use his flames against Midoriya…
Midoriya caught onto the stare and smiled sheepishly.
"Bastard…" explosions went off in Bakugo's hands, "I'll show you what'll happen if you make a fool of me! I'll kill you! I want an indisputable first place! I can't get that even if I beat scum that underestimates me! There's no point if I can't get higher up than Deku! If you have no intention of winning, then don't stand in front of me!"
"Everyone—is doing their best in the tournament! So I hope—you will also fight with no regrets!"
"Why are you standing here, damn it!" Bakugo rushed forward.
Todoroki looked at him in shock. Ice began to frost over his right side again, a sign that Todoroki was reaching his limit with his ice Quirk. Ayame couldn't take it anymore and stood up, leaning over the railing to scream.
"Todoroki Shoto! Win!"
He looked in her direction, eyes wide and surprised at her cheer.
"That damn senpai," Bakugo grunted and used his explosions to ricochet off the ground.
Todoroki focused back on the battle, heterochromia eyes glaring at the blonde. Fiery flames appeared on his left side, melting the ice from his right and pointed towards Bakugo. Bakugo looked absolutely excited and started to cast more explosions from his hands, twirling in midair into a tornado.
Everyone watched on for the clash, all wondering the same thing. Will Todoroki use the same move as he had done against Midoriya? But…no, Ayame saw—at the last second, Todoroki lowered his left hand and the flames…extinguished.
"Howitzer Impact!"
A giant explosion set off on stage again, breaking all the ice Todoroki had created before. It cracked and shattered, smoke and ice covering the stadium again as everyone waited for the results.
"He added momentum and rotation to the huge blast he showed us in his fight with Uraraka! He was like a human projectile! It looks like Todoroki didn't fire off the huge blast in his match with Midoriya!" Present Mic sounded just as excited, "But the winner is—"
The smoke cleared, revealing Bakugo face down on the stage. Right in front of him was a mountain of shattered ice block. Lying right on top…was Todoroki…unconscious.
"Todoroki—" Ayame stopped herself.
They watched as Bakugo forced himself to stand upwards, slowly making his way to the edge of the stage. Soon he broke into a sprint, reaching the unconscious boy in no time and—grabbed the collar of his shirt.
"Stop screwing around!" Bakugo was angry, "Didn't I tell you that there was no point, damn it?! To get first place like this! Like this?!"
"Kacchan…" Ayame whispered but also didn't know what to say afterwards.
Midnight activated her Quirk; pink powder released from her skin and put Bakugo to sleep. She approached the two unconscious boys and raised one hand.
"Todoroki-kun is out of bounds! Which means, Bakugo-kun wins!"
There were cheers all over the stadium at the end. It felt like 1-A was quiet as they stared at the two unconscious boys, everyone not knowing how to react with Bakugo's sudden win.
"All of the events have been completed! The winner of this year's first-year U.A.'s Sports Festival is from Class 1-A, Bakugo Katsuki!"
"He…won…"
Everyone was stunned by the results. Maybe they were also not expecting Todoroki to suddenly…give up in the end.
"Oh no, Ayame-chan," Hotaru grabbed onto her hand again, "You're up again!"
"Already!?" Ayame barely had time to process any of this. Part of her was still worried about Todoroki—about Bakugo—and she wanted to see the awards presented but—she must fight again. She had plenty of leeway earlier because of all the matches but now—the numbers were dwindling fast.
"Don't worry, senpai," Ojiro comforted with a smile.
"We will go to your arena after!" Ochako reassured.
"O-okay…" Ayame still had a longing look on her face, eyes focused below on the unconscious boys while Hotaru kept tugging on her hand.
"A-Ayame-senpai," Midoriya turned to look at her seriously, "We'll be there."
Ayame finally smiled and nodded her head. Quickly, Hotaru's freckles glowed and both bodies disappeared. Midoriya turned back to Todoroki, his heart beating quickly as he formulated a plan to speak with him. It was what Ayame wanted, after all.
"I'm here, I'm here!" Ayame ran towards the stage quickly, resting her hands over her knees to catch her breath while Ume shook her head at her.
"You've been running late quite a lot today, Sasaki-san," Ume scolded lightly.
"S-sorry!" Ayame smiled sheepishly.
"Fancy running into you here, Sasaki." Her opponent greeted from the other side, silver hair shining under the sun.
"Hey there, Gin-kun!" Ayame waved.
Gin, another 2-A classmate. He was good friends with Nao, too, and the werewolf boy was definitely disappointed to see his friend pass but not him. Gin's Quirk was blood control but—it only works with his own blood.
"Ready… Begin!"
"It's a surprise you made it this far but, I'll be stopping you now!" Gin bit his finger and bleed, a long string of blood flown out like a whip.
Ayame shuddered briefly; she always did find his Quirk a little odd. "Why does everyone say that… I'm strong, too!"
"Well, it was luck you beat Nao," Gin moved to slam his whip forward. Ayame jumped away and looked back to see a small crack in concrete of where the whip hit. "But your opponent is me!"
Ayame frowned and crouched down, smoky trails emitted from her body again to take form of an ookami. The wolf darted forward in Gin's direction and he moved his whip to slice through the summon. The ookami jumped away and continued to close in to Gin.
"Damn it," Gin bit his other finger on his left hand, creating two long whips and used them both. The second whip sliced through the wolf but Ayame expected this result and reconstructed the trails into two smaller wolves. "I see you did improve!"
"Of course!" This time, Ayame ran forward too, "I'm not the same as before!"
"Still not good enough!"
The two whips sliced through the wolves and into Ayame. She let out a small yelp and jumped to the side, clutching her stomach where the blood tore open her uniform. Luckily, it did not cut into her skin.
Small summons won't work, Ayame thought, I need to make them bigger—stronger.
Smoke manifested again from her body as she watched Gin move. He combined the two whips together and solidified the blood into a long sword. He began to dash forward while Ayame was still creating her creature, lilac eyes watching him seriously.
"Here goes!"
Gin swung his sword.
"Amaterasu!"
A giant ookami appeared; the design was different from Ayame's usual wolves. It had more swirls circling its body and smoke was dancing around the wolf's body like flames. The size was bigger than five of Ayame's usual ookamis combined.
Amaterasu's jaw snapped on the sword to prevent it from cutting into it. Gin gasped in surprise and tried to move the sword but—it would not budge. While he was kept in place, the wolf's paw moved up to swipe him away.
Gin cursed again and jumped back, leaving the sword locked in the wolf's jaw. The ghostly paw broke through the concrete of the stage and Ayame hopped onto her summon, smiling as she patted the head.
"It's funny," Ayame began, "Back in our first-years, you've often made fun of my little summons being based off games and comics. I wonder if you'll still say the same now?"
"Damn it," Gin smirked, "You've gotten cocky too."
He reached out his hand and revert the sword back into liquid. The blood returned back to Gin's hand and he recreated the two whips as before, moving to slash at the wolf.
"You're just an easier target now!"
Amaterasu ran forward despite the barrage of whips attacking it. It had torn apart the smoky swirls but Ayame reconstructed it quickly, one hand reached up to clutch her head. A minor headache was beginning to form but it was not painful enough to distract her concentration.
One whip circled around the wolf's front paw and the other reached up to attack Ayame. She jumped down from the wolf, allowing Amaterasu to pull the whip back while she ran in Gin's direction. Gin had one hand playing tug-of-war with Amaterasu and the other hand moved the whip in Ayame's direction.
"Ah!"
The whip latched onto Ayame's left hand and Gin tugged her towards him. She scowled, trying to think of a way to escape. Amaterasu was keeping Gin occupied but the boy was still strong by himself.
However, Gin was able to pull Ayame towards him, the whip bounced back to wrap around Gin's hand and hardened as a gauntlet. Once Ayame was within range, Gin punched her right in the stomach.
"Ayame-chan!" Hotaru gasped in surprise.
She looked around to see if other 1-A students were there to cheer for her but—no one else was here. Their classmates looked amused by the result. Hotaru knew they've been expecting Ayame to lose because she had never been serious in training but—she's changed! She knew Ayame has!
"Give it up, Sasaki," Gin smirked, "You did well making this far."
Ayame shivered from the ground. Crap, she hadn't gotten hurt in the tournament yet. But it's not worse than the Nomu's… Ayame stood up and wiped the saliva from her mouth.
"I think you forgot something, Gin-kun," Ayame grinned, "I'm not alone."
"What?"
Gin realized too late. He turned around to see the giant wolf right behind him, smoky eyes glaring down at the boy. In one swift bite, Amaterasu swallowed Gin and kept him lock in its mouth. Gin tried to swim within the ghostly summon but Ayame moved faster, commanding the wolf to run out of the arena.
The blood around Gin's hand spiked up to pierce the wolf. Amaterasu stumbled but did not dissipate and Ayame ran forward. In a few more meters, they would be out of bound!
"Not yet!"
The blood spiked out even more and aimed for Ayame. Her eyes widen at the piercing blood flying at her and she jumped to the side. The wolf stopped for a brief second and Gin moved to jump out of the ghostly creature. He landed right beside the wolf and turned around to run away while the wolf was stopped.
"Hah!" Gin grinned, "Can't trap me!"
"That's what you think!"
Ayame slammed her fist forward and punched Gin, causing him to stumble back from the surprise attack. Gin gasped in pain, silently cursing when Ayame gotten so strong, and moved to jump at her.
"Gin-san is out of bounds!"
Ume's voice broke through the arena and Gin stumbled again, looking down to see the white line…a few inches in front of him. Since when did he step out?!
"Sasaki Ayame-san advances to the 4th round!"
"Hey… That Sasaki…really improved…"
"Damn it, Gin! How can you lose?!" Nao shouted.
"Yes, Ayame-chan!" Hotaru cheered.
"She's in the semi-finals now!" Usagi jumped with Hotaru.
"Wow…" Natsumi was also stunned, a slow smile emerging on her lips as she looked at Ayame. "If I win my next match…I'll be fighting her next."
"Well, good luck then, Natsumi-san," Yuu stood up at that time, icy blue eyes turning towards the short girl. "Let's have a fair match."
She smiled but it felt strained. Right, Natsumi must beat the second in the class, Shimizu Yuu, first.
Takarada glared down on the stage, not paying attention to his classmates behind him. His crystal eyes were locked on Ayame's form below as she waved to the crowd happily.
How the hell…did she improved so much?
All Might was the one to present the awards to the first-years. Midoriya watched as the three students stood on the first, second, and third place podium respectively. Tokoyami was alone, however, as Iida was supposed to be up there with him. Midnight had briefly explained Iida's absence due to a family emergency and Midoriya hoped his friend will be alright.
In the end, that had concluded the first-year's sports festival. Everyone was bustling around excitedly but a majority of Class 1-A was gathering around quickly.
"Hurry! Ayame-senpai won her third match!" Kaminari pointed to his phone.
"We missed out so many of her matches already!" Ochako waved her hands around. "She came to support us—we need to go do the same now!"
"I saw her stomach," Mineta blushed with an odd smile, "That last match…that Gin-senpai—he really knows how to rile up the audience!"
"Mineta-chan, Ayame-senpai would not be happy with that remark," Tsuyu lightly scolded.
"Oi, Bakugo! Let's go!" Kirishima went to grab Bakugo, laughing at his angry face and hands still in handcuffs. "We can see our senpai fight!"
"Damn half-and-half bastard! Rematch! Right! Now!" Bakugo roared, ignoring Kirishima's attempt at dragging him along.
Todoroki did not even spare him a glance. He looked down on his left hand; the heat of the flames was still lingering beneath. He looked towards the student's booth in 2-A's section but no one was there.
"T-Todoroki-kun!"
He focused back to the front and saw the short boy standing before him.
"Midoriya…"
"Can I—talk to you for a second?"
Todoroki blinked slowly. He didn't feel the same hatred as before. Midoriya…had been the one to remind him of the past during the match. He was battered and beaten, using his Quirk to negate his ice just to have a standing chance on the same stage as him. Now, Todoroki was feeling a bit confused but…not as angry any more.
"What is it?" Todoroki asked as soon as they were moved to the side of the exit.
Midoriya noticed the change in mood with the other boy; he didn't put up the cold intimidation as before. Todoroki felt almost…approachable now.
"U-um!" Midoriya wished he knew where to begin, "I—well—you see—um—"
Todoroki stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue although he had no idea what this was about. Was Midoriya trying to confess?
"A-Ayame-senpai!" Midoriya managed to say her name, "She—I think—you should give her a chance…!"
"…what?"
"I know it's none of my business—and your family circumstances are difficult but… Senpai was the one—who encouraged me to fight you," Midoriya grew more confident with each word, looking at Todoroki boldly. "She—talked back to Endeavor and cheered for you in the finals…! She—may seem pushy but I think—she's just passionate about what she believes in!"
Todoroki blinked, unexpected for this sudden conversation. He hadn't expected Midoriya to…personally come up to him to talk about their upperclassman. What did he mean when he said Ayame talked back to his father?
"We're going to the second-year's stage to cheer for her," Midoriya turned around, "I think…she would be happy if you came, too."
Midoriya left to join Ochako and the others, all of them racing out of the stadium to meet at the second-year. He really hoped…Todoroki would listen to him. Although Ayame had not requested Midoriya to do such a thing, he felt like he owed it to her. Especially when right before she left, Ayame had been so adamant and daring.
"So don't worry, I'll take it from here now! I'll finish what we started!"
After Ayame and Hotaru left, Recovery Girl had ushered the rest of the 1-A students to leave. Midoriya was still feeling disappointed and angry at himself, apologizing to All Might with a hand covering his face.
"It's true that it is a regrettable result," Toshinari said quietly, "Saying what you did was foolish won't change that."
Toshinari smiled in reassurance then.
"But you know, meddling when you don't need to…is the essence of being a hero. You and your senpai should feel proud of that fact."
Todoroki stared at his classmates back running out of the stage. He could hear their shouts of hurrying the others along and cheering for their teacher assistant. Midoriya's words rang in his mind as Todoroki looked in the second-year's arena, contemplating.
"I'll prove to you that I'm different than what you or anyone else believes me to be! I'll show you that people can change—starting with me! Just watch me!"
Slowly, Todoroki walked in that direction.
Natsumi lost against Yuu.
It was hard to say whether it was an expected or unexpected result. Shimizu Yuu was the second in their class—in their year of being the strongest contender. Natsumi had done her best to hold out against him and had managed to even hit him once. But that was as far as she could get before being washed off the stage by Yuu's Quirk.
Usagi was the next person to be eliminated. The bunny was a strong opponent as well but against an opponent that can shoot energy beam from his hands, Usagi was easily overpowered. Both girls appeared to be completely unsatisfied to have lost as they returned back to the booth, heading straight to Ayame.
"Ayame-chan!" Usagi grabbed onto the girl's shoulders, startling the brunette. "You're the last girl for the semi-finals! You have to do your best!"
"Against Shimizu…" Natsumi clicked her tongue, "Find a way to battle around his water."
"Uh—okay!" Ayame tried her best to follow them. Her eyes landed to Yuu again as he looked amused in their direction. He casually turned back on stage where Takarada was fighting another Class 2-B member.
His opponent was someone with a flexible body Quirk. He can stretch his body out and twirl his hands into a tornado for an extra powerful punch.
Kinda reminds me of the main character from the pirate shounen, Ayame thought to herself in amusement.
But in the end, Takarada remained undefeated. Both he and Yuu were the instant killers of the second years. They were able to quickly subdue their opponent and send them out of the arena before the other knew what hit them.
"That's last year's winner, Takarada Noeru!"
"Wow, his Quirk had gotten stronger too!"
"Amazing!"
"He was first in the battle royale this time too! Is he going to win again?!"
Takarada left the stage without a word. The next match up would be Yuu versus that Sasaki. He had no doubt Yuu would win. Against that girl who relied on luck; how can he lose?
As he made his way back upstairs, someone was already waiting for him. Noeru tensed as he stared at Tatsuo standing by the wall. His fists clenched together involuntarily but Noeru still bowed his head in respect.
"Father."
"This looks like a repeat of last year," Tatsuo commented blankly, "That Shimizu boy better put up a good match."
"Yuu would," Noeru defended with a slight edge in his tone, "He would not waver on such an important event."
Tatsuo hummed, looking at his son who had reached his height already. He knew his son was strong, he had seen his matches from the previous year and now; but Tatsuo doesn't believe 'hero' was what Noeru should be. That job was a self-indulgent role for adults who never grew up from children.
Noeru was meant for greater things than that. He was a Takarada. It was in their blood to be stronger, better, smarter than the average civilian.
"That may be so," Tatsuo finally said, "But, since he is your…friend, he should also know of your agreement with me." Tatsuo turned around to walk away, "Winning…by relying on your friend's kindness… How disgraceful."
Noeru glared at his father's back, biting back the remark he wanted to say. Noeru wanted to yell and fight back; defending Yuu that he would not do that—that Yuu was also serious in becoming a hero—
But he cannot.
Since the beginning, Noeru did not know Yuu's true thoughts at all.
Shimizu Yuu was born in a prestigious family.
The Shimizu clan was well versed in onsen and tea ceremonies, making them a well-known traditional clan across Japan. Anyone with money would spend their vacation in the many Shimizu hot spring resorts high up in mountains or close to the beach to receive luxury treatment.
And, the only heir to the Shimizu clan was Shimizu Yuu.
Since young, Yuu was trained meticulously in the art of tea ceremonies, business, management, and traditional values that had been passed down the Shimizu clan for generations. He had a powerful Quirk inherited from his parents to control the onsen business. The young boy was perfect in everything he was trained in, nearly earning the title of 'prodigy'.
Shimizu Yuu was the perfect doll for his family.
He does not get angry, he does not fight. Yuu had trained, since young, to control his emotions and only allow gentle smiles to surface. His family had planned out his life for him. His family had controlled him since young.
And Yuu allowed them.
There was not a lot Shimizu Yuu desired.
He followed the strict regime because it was his duty. He excelled in his studies because it was only natural for him to.
But Yuu never said he enjoyed them. Yuu was excellent in everything he attempted; but there was no joy in learning when he can easily perfect it.
He never found anything of interest—and found many things…boring.
When Shimizu Yuu met Takarada Noeru, he thought he found a companion.
Takarada Noeru grew up in the same controlling environment as Yuu. Noeru had a domineering father that controlled his future, a prestigious reputation and responsibility to his family, and was heir to their respective clan.
But, it wasn't long until Yuu realized, Noeru was different.
Noeru was different…in the sense that he was…pure.
Noeru's emotional inept was due to his lack of love. It was something Yuu had the privilege to receive—but not him.
Noeru's childhood dream—was to be a hero like All Might… A dream that Yuu had found ridiculous because heroes were only there for fame and fortune.
Noeru was pure—because since young, he wanted to help people with his powers. He didn't want to exploit others with his Quirk to gain wealth. He wanted to be a hero like All Might.
Yuu was only able to learn all of that—because Noeru had confided in him when they were hiding from their family. This seven year old boy, who had grown up in similar environment as him, was more…kind than Yuu can ever try to be. Noeru truly wanted to help people but every time he mentioned that to his father, he was harshly reprimanded by Tatsuo.
And so, Yuu taught him the way to trick adults.
"You must control your emotions," Yuu whispered, "If you act just like them, they will listen to you."
Maybe, now that Yuu thought about it, he was the cause for Noeru's emotional dysfunction. Because Noeru had listened to his first friend seriously and masked his emotions so well—he looked just like his father. He had learned to be apathetic and condescending—where the mask had seeped far into his face and encased his heart.
It was different from the mask Yuu wore; Yuu knew he was twisted in his own way—but not Noeru. Noeru had chained up his emotions so well that the mask became a part of him.
And, the only time that mask slips, was around Sasaki Ayame.
In a way, Yuu can kind of understand Noeru's…fixation on her. She was wild and free, not scared by their family reputation and let her emotions loose unlike them. Ayame always spoke her mind and was boisterous and kind—a comic relief to their class that everyone enjoyed speaking to.
But, due to her first-year, everyone had written her off as a weakling; a girl that could never compare to her overachieving sister. And no one could blame them—not when Ayame always spoke of video games and comics, always laughing off her failing grade and always playing around with her Quirk—not training.
And yet…she had managed to make her way to the semi-finals of this year's tournament.
It was amusing, in Yuu's mind, to see such a drastic change in her. Not many things can arouse Yuu's interest and yet, seeing her stand valiantly before him—was, dare he say, entertaining. Just hours ago, Ayame had been the one to grasp his hand boldly, confidently saying she will take care of their opponents as long as he supported her.
Now, they were enemies.
"Let's do our best, Yuu-kun!" Ayame smiled from the other side.
"Ah, how ironic," Yuu smiled, "We were such great teammates awhile ago."
Yuu had seen the way she fought the previous rounds. Ayame had improved—immensely. It seemed like the lock she put on herself was gone. Now, Ayame was confident and reckless with her abilities.
But… Yuu smirked to himself, that lock isn't hard to place on.
"Sasaki Ayame versus Shimizu Yuu! Begin!"
As soon as it began, Ayame readied a stance, dark smoke trails floating around her body yet it did not take form, prepared to counter any attack he throws at her. Yuu was…unexpectedly, not summoning his water.
Instead, he was walking leisurely to her.
"What's…Shimizu-senpai doing?"
Class 1-A looked down with a surprised expression. They had managed to arrive on time for Ayame's match. Even Bakugo had begrudgingly followed—but it was only because he 'wanted to see the others fight', his words exactly.
"T-Todoroki-kun!" Midoriya gasped in surprise. He—really came!
Todoroki gave a small nod in acknowledgement before all of them turned back to the match. Bakugo glared at the heterochromia boy once yet Todoroki paid no attention to him. They could only watch Yuu walk up to Ayame with his usual smile, shocking the brunette to even—move.
"Ayame-san," Yuu was within reach now. His hand reached up to her face, index finger brushing along her cheek—then to the loose strand of long brown hair near her ear. "You have such pretty hair."
"What is he doing?!"
"Yuu-kun?! What?!"
"This is a match—isn't it?!"
"Why is she just standing there?!"
"Get away from Yuu-kun!"
Everyone was shocked by the boy's sudden affection. Even Ayame had frozen from Yuu's touch, her eyes wide and mouth parted from his proximity. T-this was a match—right? What was he doing?!
"Y-Yuu-kun?" Ayame blinked at him, the smoke slowly disappearing.
Yuu kept his smile up.
"Your hair," he continued, "Reminds me of LullaCry."
Ayame's blood froze.
It was different from the way her body tensed by his touch. This type of chill can only be felt when Ayame felt her incompetence eat up within her, relentlessly reminding her she will never be good as her sister.
"You put it up before…to differentiate yourself from Yume-senpai, right?" Yuu brought a lock of hair up to his lips, gently kissing it before allowing the strands to slip from his fingers.
Ayame's face was a look of pure horror. She didn't want to believe—she didn't want to accept that Yuu—a classmate she had considered a friend—purposely tormenting her like this.
I'm not kind, Ayame-san, Yuu smiled again, Noeru…is the kind one between us.
"W-what is senpai doing?!"
"A-Ayame-senpai is just standing there!" Kirishima gasped.
"Did she fall prey to his charms?!" Mineta cried out, "Again?!"
"No…" Midoriya answered, "Ayame-senpai…looks…scared…"
Todoroki frowned at the icy blue haired boy, his mismatched eyes turning back to Ayame. She was still frozen by Yuu's words and he was mentally hoping to see the familiar hotheaded flare from her again. Why would she allow herself fall victim to his charm—or was that even considered charm when Ayame looked so terrified?
"It's a shame, really," Yuu leaned down to whisper, setting one hand on her shoulder, "That you are nothing like her."
Suddenly, water appeared out of thin air to surround Ayame. She choked back a cry as she was engulfed in a water sphere, eyes burning from the liquid and quickly losing oxygen. Yuu moved the water bubble up, his smile turning into a smirk and through her hazy vision Ayame saw his eyes.
Icy blue…excited and cold.
"Ayame-senpai!" Ochako yelled.
"Don't give up!" Kaminari and Sero followed.
"S-senpai!" Midoriya cheered as well.
Todoroki gripped the railing as he saw the bubble float higher up. Yuu was commanding the water to move out of the stage. Ayame clutched one hand to her nose, her lungs screaming for oxygen as she tried to swim out of the giant sphere. Her eyes looked up again and accidentally saw the audience.
Her family was nowhere to be found.
Ayame closed her eyes again to focus, ignoring the painful ache within her lungs and stomach as she tried to keep the water out. Somewhere, in the corner of her mind, she thought she heard voices call out to her. It sounded like they were screaming her name—telling her to wake up.
"Senpai!"
Her eyes snapped open and looked towards the audience again. There, in 1-A's booth, were her kouhais. In the very front was the boy with white and red hair—eyes of grey and turquoise were staring fiercely in her direction. Even though he did not speak—Ayame felt what he was trying to convey.
Don't you dare give up! You still need to keep your promise!
Smoke manifested from Ayame quickly, entwining together and surrounding Ayame in a cocoon. A serpent form began to appear around Ayame as the dragon flew out of the sphere, bringing Ayame on it as it landed back on the stage. Ayame coughed the leftover water from her lungs, her body wet completely from head to toe but—her lilac eyes were angry in Yuu's direction.
I was right, Ayame thought, I knew—something felt off about Yuu-kun—!
"I've been wondering…" Ayame said with labored breaths, unzipping the heavy jacket and discarding it to the side. "This is…the real you…isn't it, Yuu-kun?"
Yuu kept the perfect smile on his face.
"I don't understand what you mean?"
The water bubble fell back onto the stage. Ayame's dragon surrounded her protectively as the water splattered around them. Yuu waved his hand and water shot out in her direction. Ayame hopped onto the dragon and floated on stage.
"This is good, this is good," Mineta muttered to himself happily, eyes focused on the tight black tank top on Ayame. "I have a newfound respect for Shimizu-senp—ow!"
Jirou lifted her fist from his head, glaring at the perverted boy before turning her attention back to the two clashing upperclassman.
"What happened with Ayame-senpai?" Jirou asked quietly.
"Weren't they friends…?" Ochako asked, "They…worked so well in the battle royale…"
"He must have said something!" Kirishima added, "Senpai…looks mad."
Takarada looked down from his side of the stage. A few rows below him, he can hear his classmates screaming about Yuu and Ayame's…'affection' as well. He cared none for that as his crystal eyes focused back on his childhood friend, thinking, why is he just playing with her? Hurry and end this already, Yuu.
Shimizu Yuu had always been perfect in his eyes. He was the only one that can stand right beside Takarada's side. Yuu was intelligent and cunning, the perfect heir to lead the Shimizu clan into further greatness. Yuu never wavered in his decision and everything was easily achievable within his grasp. But, he never flaunted his wealth or his intelligence, keeping the humble appearance in public and at home.
Takarada had admired him for that.
Despite growing up in the same condition as him, Yuu was...kind. He was respected in his family and he was admired by his peers. People had often said Takarada was the luckier of the two but—how can he compare to Yuu?
"Damn old man," fourteen year old Noeru entered the sliding door to Yuu's room, sitting down on the tatami mat with a scowl as he shrugged off his uniform. "We signed a contract today."
Young Yuu looked up from practicing his tea ceremony, gently lifting up the green yukata sleeve to rest his hand over his folded legs.
"That's new," Yuu smiled, "What for?"
"I'm going to U.A. High School," Noeru brushed back his hair, "So he will finally acknowledge me to be a hero."
Yuu blinked in surprise. Noeru had often mentioning his dreams when they were children but as they grew older, the older boy never brought it up again. Yuu had thought his friend had forgotten such a dream—until now. And…he's saying he wanted to go to U.A.?
"Interesting," Yuu smirked, resting one hand on his chin in a lazy manner, "I can probably pull some strings behind the scenes—get recommendation and such—"
"No," Noeru frowned, "The agreement was for me to earn my place. To be the top of my class during my period in U.A. It's meaningless if I was recommended."
"Wow," Yuu blinked, "You're really risking everything."
"It was the only way for him to listen," Noeru scowled again, pushing back the mocking look in his father's eyes away from his mind. "It doesn't matter. Compared to the lessons that old man put me through, becoming number one in U.A. is child's play." His crystal eyes turned to his friend then, serious yet inquiring as he said, "…Let's meet up in U.A."
Yuu blinked again. Was Noeru…asking him to attend U.A. with him?
Maybe that wouldn't hurt, Yuu thought, I was starting to get bored of this routine life.
"It's going to take a while to convince my parents," Yuu sighed, "But if I don't go with you, you're going to be friendless for all three years."
Takarada scowled for the third time.
You never said you wanted to be a hero, Yuu, Takarada continued to look down at the two opponents fighting. What are you really thinking this whole time?
Yuu stretched in front of Noeru, smiling as Present Mic announced the first-year's final stage in the tournament. Both of them had made it onto the finalist in their first sports festival. It was a result both had expected, one that Noeru had been hoping for.
"I'm going to win, Yuu," Noeru declared, "But don't you dare hold back."
Yuu chuckled in amusement, brushing his icy blue hair away from his face to smile at his friend.
"Of course I won't," Yuu smiled, I just need to stage a great play.
He never had any intention of winning.
And Noeru knew.
Noeru had seen the previous stages. He had seen Yuu's eyes change from boredom to excitement as the matches began. The boy toyed with his opponents and messed with their minds, a complete change from his normal demeanor.
Noeru can understand why Yuu had his own mask, too. Shimizu Yuu never had control over his life. Yuu had never mentioned how he 'convinced' his parents to attend U.A., and Noeru never questioned it. They both had family complications to go through; if anyone thought that simply because they were in prestigious family meant they had an easy life—they were foolishly wrong.
The only time Yuu can be wild—was during a competition like this. No one can control Yuu's Quirk; that was his own power no one can rule over. He felt powerful and strong, feeling absolutely free and unrestrained with his power.
But against Noeru, his friend since age six, the person who wanted to be a hero more than anyone—Yuu controlled himself. All he had to do was provide a good show to the old Takarada patriarch and lose. Yuu wasn't invested in being a hero like everyone else here.
"It's been fun, Ayame-san," Yuu smiled pleasantly, "But it's time to end this."
Water sped towards Ayame, circling the girl and the serpent as she stared at Yuu with wide eyes. The water closed in on her again and Ayame moved to fly higher. The water followed with every inch, chasing after her close behind.
"You can run, if you want," Yuu said lightly, "But it's futile."
Ayame gritted her teeth, eyes focusing back to the boy standing in the center of the stage. Why—why did Yuu change so much? Back when they were partners—he would never openly taunt their opponents like this.
Was this really him?
Was this really—Shimizu Yuu—the boy everyone in the class depended on? The boy with gentle smiles and graceful bearings that can put girls to shame? If so—how did no one notice it? If this was really him—why was he showing himself now? To mess with Ayame's mind?
"I don't have time to play around," Yuu's voice lowered in warning.
She glared at him. The serpent dragon had flown high and suddenly—it turned around. It started diving straight down, through the spiral of water chasing it, and immediately flying towards Yuu. Yuu stepped back in mild surprise—he wasn't expecting Ayame to be on the offensive.
"I'm not playing!"
The dragon crashed right into Yuu, sending him straight to the ground on his back while Ayame straddled him on top. One of her hand was clutching his collar while the other hand was slammed on the floor next to his head. Her eyes, shining and angry—were glaring at Yuu's surprised blue ones.
"You—!" Ayame lifted his collar higher, "None of us are here to play around! Stop looking down on us! When you were fighting against your opponents—were you just thinking they're here to play?! Everyone is working hard to be a hero! Why are you here?!"
Yuu controlled his expression again and looked at her blankly. This girl—who does she think she is?
"Because I can," Yuu whispered mockingly.
Streams of water wrapped around Ayame from behind. She was lifted off of him by the water surrounding her, struggling to break free—and failing. Yuu dusted himself off as soon as she was away, the water continued to entrap her once more.
"Liar!"
Ayame screamed and fought, lilac eyes glaring into icy blue ones.
"It's more than that and you know it! Shimizu Yuu—you wouldn't be here for all three years just to trick everyone into believing you're someone you're not!"
It was reckless, she knew. It was stupid, she knew. Ayame was still holding onto a small part—that Yuu was only pretending right now. The kind and helpful Yuu, the smiling and gentle Yuu—they were him too, right?
Although Ayame was not close to him and had only really spoken with him during the battle royale—what about all those girls who were heartbroken because of his gentle side? What about their classmates who had gotten close to him—?
What about Takarada—
Her eyes widen, staring at Yuu with a newfound knowledge.
His secret, the one Yuu whispered to her hours ago—was ringing in her mind.
That—couldn't be it.
No, Ayame refused, there was nothing for her to confirm.
"But," Yuu smiled again, one that was familiar and kind. A smile he had put on hundreds of time—a smile he had perfected since childhood. "What if you're wrong? What if—I am?"
Ayame clenched her fists.
"Then I'll beat you."
Dark wisps of smoke swirled around Ayame again. It circled her arms and legs, her head and torso as it slowly gave her to strength to move in the water trapping her body.
"I won't let you trample on our dreams," Ayame pulled back her fist, "Including Takarada's!"
Amaterasu appeared between the two of them, rescuing Ayame from the water and pounced on Yuu. Yuu escaped at the last second to jump by his water sphere, an amused smirk on his lips at the sight of an angry Ayame. He knew that giant wolf was stronger than her normal one. She must be really upset to have called upon it.
But what was that stupid last remark?
Trample on Noeru's dreams?
It was what he was preventing.
"So you're going to get serious now?" Yuu chuckled softly, "Then so will I."
He put his hand into the water sphere, heating the liquid within to an abnormal degree. Steam began to form from the water and Yuu forced the water to spread out over the arena. Soon, the water evaporated into a steamy mist, clouding everyone's view from the match.
"What's going on?!" Ashido gasped.
"It's Shimizu-senpai's Quirk!" Midoriya answered. "He heated the water to create steam!"
"We can't see anything now!" Sero groaned.
"What the heck is happening?!" Mineta cried out, "They're all—over each other!"
"Can you focus on the match for once, Mineta-san?" Yaoyorozu sighed.
She's mad, Todoroki thought to himself, ignoring the rest of the class to see the shadows move around within. But why is she so mad?
"I have to thank you, Ayame-san," Yuu's voice echoed in the mist around her. Ayame whirled around to locate the source, her ookami standing next to her protectively. "This had been an enjoyable match. But, I have to beat you now—because I'm not going to ruin Noeru's dreams."
Ayame gritted her teeth and dodged to the side, still unable to miss the water attack completely as she turned to the source. The heated water had burned part of her left arm but she ignored it in favor of facing Yuu.
"By giving him a free win?!" Ayame guessed as much, "Do you think—someone as prideful as Takarada—would want that?!"
She turned around right as she saw a fist flying towards her. Ayame sidestepped the attack and grasped his wrist in one hand. She got behind him quickly and pushed Yuu down on the ground while Amaterasu was glaring down at the boy from the front.
"If he's here to be a hero—then what about you?! Why are you here?!"
"You let me win," Noeru glared at Yuu, his trademark frown upon his lips as he looked down at the fallen boy.
"No way," Yuu helped himself up, "You bested me, as always."
"Yuu…" Noeru stared at him, "Do you actually want to be here?"
"Why not?" Yuu brushed back his hair, a small smirk on his lips as he turned towards the audience. "It's better than any other school. Seeing the other students competing…how interesting. Maybe I'll find my own goals one day, too."
But so far, everyone else seems subpar compared to us, Yuu's smile dropped, how boring.
Yuu turned his head and moved to slam his elbow up. He hit Ayame's stomach directly, causing her to fall backwards from the attack. Amaterasu moved to bite Yuu's arm and lifted him from the ground while Ayame coughed.
"I'll beat you," Ayame glared at Yuu, forcing herself to stand again as she ran towards him, "I'll show you—our desperation to win!"
Smoky tendrils wrapped around Ayame's right arm. The form of a serpent began to appear but—Amaterasu was not disappearing. The serpent coiled around her arm and fist as she brought the hand back and—slammed it forward. Amaterasu released Yuu's arm as soon as Ayame hit him, causing the boy to fly backwards.
The steam finally cleared from the arena. Everyone watched eagerly onto the stage. They saw Yuu fallen on the ground, one hand clutching his stomach while the other was brought up to his lips. Ayame was standing tall and breathing heavily, tan hair blowing in the wind with one hand reached up to clutch Amaterasu's smoky fur.
Yuu looked enthralled by her state. His icy eyes were wide and focused on hers, an amused smirk split onto his face as he got up. She's challenging him? Ayame—wanted to beat him?
"Then let's play, Ayame," Yuu grinned and took a step forward.
Waves of water appeared behind Yuu. Ayame flinched yet stood her ground, lilac eyes focusing on the streams of water dashing towards her. She jumped on Amaterasu and the wolf dashed forward.
"She's running into the water?" Tokoyami asked curiously.
"What is she planning?" Sato wondered.
Let's hope this works, Ayame thought seriously, Just like how he did it.
Amaterasu began to change forms. The smoky wisps moved to reconstruct the body again, elongating the wolf's body into two serpents. Ayame clutched onto the mane tightly and the serpents began to twirl around each other.
"That damn senpai," Bakugo said again, glaring at the cyclone rushing straight into the water, "That's my move."
Yuu moved his hands into the water, heating up the temperature within as his eyes were focused on the incoming twister. It had slowed Ayame down—but barely, as the serpents were moving so fast—it created a mini whirlpool within the water.
Damn it, Yuu smirked sardonically; you're just as reckless, too.
But I'm not losing!
A pool of water appeared beneath Yuu, circling his legs as he used the water to prepare for the upcoming attack. The flood of water circled around to chase Ayame and the serpent; Yuu continued to disrupt the water current within, trying to apply pressure to slow them down.
"I'm going to win!"
The twister shot through the water and straight into Yuu. He rose up his arms to block and felt himself fly back. The water moved behind him to stop his momentum but the pain from the impact disrupted his concentration. Yuu gasped and flew through the water while Ayame's serpents disappeared, leaving her to fall straight down on the ground.
It took a second for everyone to register what happened. As the mist, smoke, and water finally cleared, they saw the result of the match.
"Shimizu Yuu is out of bounds!"
Ume's shocking voice brought everyone's attention to the stage. Ayame was lying down but—she was still within the line at the very edge. Meanwhile, Yuu had landed a few meters away, eyes wide by their teacher's voice.
"Sasaki Ayame advances to the grand finals!"
A/N:
Do you guys like the Sunday updates or is there any day / time you guys prefer this?
I just love BnHA so much and am writing a lot of chapters now ahah. The Sports Festival is reaching the conclusion soon! I love Yuu and Ayame's match a lot too…and a lot of future scenes to come…gonna be my fav as well ahaha
Reviews or comments would be much appreciated! Please let me know what you think! How do you guys feel about Yuu? Takarada will have his time to shine too!