With high speed, Yang lunged towards Yin with her left arm aimed back. All in a few seconds, she planted her feet in front of him, bringing her arm forward to make a hit on his side.
Yin easily sidestepped her shot, sending her falling forward. She quickly regained her balance, and turned back to face him.
"Wow! What an incredible dodge by Yin. What will happen now?!" The professor's declaration to the audience annoyed Yang.
Yin smiled, placing his hands in the pockets of his pants. "Come on, Yang. Give me a real fight." He called out, enjoying the battle.
Yang yelled in fury and charged at him again, but like before, he moved out of the way just as the her weapon shot out. They continued like that, with Yang delivering heavy blows that never connected.
She decided to reconsider her moves and figure out his motive. She pulled back her right arm to act like she would hit his stomach, only to then drop to the ground and pull his legs out from underneath him. A surprised reaction quickly flickered across his features, but he cleverly disguised it with a calm, poker face.
He felled back onto his side, and Yang thought that was a victory. She hurriedly jumped towards him to land a blow, but he placed his hands on the ground and did a windmill move. Yang stumbled back, unable to get it him. She had to land a hit, that way her semblance would lend some assistance.
Without warning he buckled his legs together and sent Yang flying to the ground. Pain shot through her back, but she ignored it. With a growl she punched upwards towards his face, but he rolled to the side, sending her along.
They rolled until he was on top of her, looking down with an impressed smile. "Way to go, no one has ever gotten this far in a fight with me." He said.
She huffed, struggling to break free. A sudden wave of exhaustion hit her. "Don't gloat. That won't intimidate me." She glared up at him, but honestly, she was enjoying the fight. It felt like a real battle.
He gave her a knowing look. "I know." Yin pushed away from her and regained his stance. She stood and clasped her gauntlets.
"I will get a hit in!" She yelled out, declaring her goal.
Yang heard her friends cheering her on, which gave Ysng a boost of inspiration. She breathed in deeply, focusing on drowning out the sudden noise. She felt confused by the weakness in her bones, suspecting that it had something to do with Yin.
She closed her eyes, to properly see and feel her strength. She felt her body temperature warming, giving her a touch of the semblance within her.
When she opened her eyes, Yin was staring at her with an expression she didn't understand. One that looked like...awe.
In the corner of her eye, she saw her hair alight, and she knew her eyes glowed deep red.
She looked towards Yin, feeling calmer. Yang smiled, knowing she was capable of landing a blow.
The branch swung high above, cracked near the tree's side. Yang's eyes were a blur, her tears covered the clear sight. Her side hurt, and she couldn't hear the kittens' faint cries for help. The kitten had disappeared when the branch gave way.
Yang was five, barely old enough to harness her semblance. She tried to save a kitten from a tree, but fell when she climbed too high. The kitten ran away, frightened, leaving her lying on her back while she silently cried.
Footsteps neared her. Her father knelt down, picking her up and cradling her tiny body.
"Yang, what happened?" He spoke in a calm manner. His honest eyes watched her.
Yang sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "I was trying to save that stupid cat, but I fell when I reached for him." She looked down, embarrassed.
Her father smiled warmly, patting her head softly. "You were very brave, and I think the kitten is grateful for your help." He said.
Yang looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Really?" Her voice rose with the question.
Her father nodded and stood up. He carried her to the house. "Yes, Yang. Remember that there are always goals in life that will be difficult. But to overcome them, you must try, try, and never give up."
Yang looked at her gauntlets, seeing how far she had come. She pulled them down, clicking the blasters together. Yang lifted her chin in confidence before attacking. With a fast blow, Yang successfully landed a hit to Yin's side, which sent him to the right. He rolled several feet, before quickly barrel-rolling to a stand-up position.
It was just visible to Yang that he was breathing heavily. She looked at him and prepared for the next blow.
Yin lowered his eyes, looking directly at her. He lifted a corner of his mouth, pleased with her strength. Yang was about to dive into another hit, but stumbled forward. She looked frantically at herself, wondering what was wrong. Her knees gave way and she tumbled to the ground, her vision blackening at the edges of her sight.
She was panting; the energy in her body slowly fading.
"What's happening? Yang is down!" The professor's voice was too loud for her ears, echoing like a cave. The audience was muffled; she couldn't distinguish any of their words.
Faint footsteps approached her. Yin knelt down, lifting her chin so she could look directly into his eyes.
Her breath caught.
His eyes glowed the deepest of blue, swirling as if underwater. Yang wasn't sure if it was his semblance reflecting those details, or her exhaustion.
Yin leaned forward, whispering in her ear. "I have won this battle. But I will be generous and tell you how I defeated Sky." His voice was low and dangerous.
"I drained him of his energy; that's what my semblance is." He moved back to look directly into her eyes.
Yin smiled. "But I did have fun with you, our abilities really do affect each other."
With a sudden change in his eyes, all of Yang's nauzia left. She sighed and closed her eyes.
Yin stood and walked away, leaving her defeated. The professor declared Yin the winner, but others whispered doubts. Yang hesitantly looked up at where her friends were seated, seeing their shocked and worried faces.
Yang slowly rose on shaky legs, moving towards the exit. She never thought that this would be the outcome. But she didn't feel like she had won, because she was able to find out a secret of his. Though many people would have guessed by now what his semblance was, Yang felt even more determined to find out the rest of Yin's secrets.
She smiled, fighting with him felt like her opposite, which gave her a new mission to accomplish.
She would win against him, learn all about him, and she would be the better one out of the two.