— — START — —
Sorashi closed his fingers around the cool metal of his staff and stepped forward onto the grass, the dew still clinging to his shoes. He planted himself a few paces across from his opponent, posture loose but deliberate, weight centered.
Across from him, Iida reached down and slid his uniform pants off in one clean motion, revealing fitted athletic shorts that ended just above his knees. He rolled his shoulders once, the movement practiced, before setting his feet against the ground.
The light-haired teen spun his staff lazily, metal humming as it cut through the air. The motion wasn't just for show—each rotation tested balance, spacing, rhythm. From the sidelines, Tensei watched with quiet interest, eyes sharp as he took in every detail.
"When was the last time we did this again?" the smirking teen asked, staff settling across his palms.
The dark-blue-haired boy paused, gaze lifting as he searched his memory. "Almost a year ago now…" A confident smile followed. "So prepare yourself, Sora-kun. This won't end in a tie this time."
Sorashi's lips curled upward. He shifted his stance, feet angling just slightly, staff raised and ready. Opposite him, his friend lowered into a runner's stance, fingers brushing the grass, engines primed.
'He'll explode forward immediately,' Sorashi thought, grin widening. 'Aim for my sides. Same as always.'
"Go!"
The shout had barely left Tensei's mouth when Iida vanished in a blur.
A moment later, he was already at Sorashi's right, leg snapping out in a sharp, practiced kick. Sorashi met it head-on, staff flashing up just in time. Metal rang as it intercepted the strike, the impact vibrating up his arms.
"That's too predictable, Tenny!"
Iida didn't answer.
He rebounded off the block and sprang upward, fist driving toward Sorashi's chin. Sorashi ducked smoothly beneath it—but that was exactly what his opponent wanted. As he lowered his head, a kick whipped toward his left side, fast and precise, timed to catch him mid-movement.
*POW*!
Sorashi's shoes tore shallow lines into the grass as he skidded sideways.
His body twisted mid-slide, heels digging in just enough to stop himself from falling flat. The moment his momentum died, a thin veil of cloud peeled off his side and dispersed into the air, dissolving as if it had never existed.
Iida was already moving.
Not charging this time—circling.
His footwork was precise, steps light despite the power coiled in his legs. He didn't rush in again immediately. Instead, he angled away, forcing Sorashi to turn with him.
Sorashi followed, staff shifting in his hands.
The cloud clung close to him now, faint wisps brushing his forearms and the shaft of the pole as he rolled his shoulders loose.
Iida burst forward again.
Sorashi thrust his staff straight out—
—and the cloud detached.
It shot forward like a compressed wall of pressure, slamming into the ground where Iida would have been. The earth dented slightly, grass flattening outward in a rough circle.
Iida was already past it.
He slid low, one hand brushing the ground for balance as he passed under the lingering mist, then kicked off hard. His heel snapped up toward Sorashi's ribs.
Sorashi twisted away, but not quite fast enough.
The kick grazed him.
Not enough to break anything—but enough to knock the wind from his lungs.
He staggered back a step.
Iida didn't let up.
A straight punch followed, then another kick—shorter this time, aimed not to launch but to interrupt. Sorashi brought the staff up to block, metal ringing sharply as it met shin.
The impact jolted through his arms.
Too close. Sorashi exhaled sharply—and the cloud thickened.
It curled around his torso and the length of the staff like fog wrapping around a lamppost, dense enough to blur his outline. Iida hesitated for half a beat, recalibrating.
Sorashi took that half-beat and moved.
He stepped in.
The staff snapped forward in a tight arc, not wide, not flashy—aimed for Iida's shoulder. Iida twisted away, but the cloud shot forward with the staff just enough to clip him.
A dull thump of compressed air struck his side.
Iida grunted, feet sliding back through the grass.
Sorashi pressed.
The staff became an extension of him now—short jabs, angled strikes, each movement followed by faint pulses of cloud that reinforced the blow. He stayed close, almost crowding Iida's space, forcing him to react instead of accelerate.
Iida ducked under a swing, drove his shoulder forward—
—and hit resistance.
The cloud was already there.
Not solid enough to stop him completely, but enough to slow him. The moment his forward motion faltered, Sorashi twisted the staff down and struck it behind Iida's knee.
Iida stumbled.
Only for a second.
But a second was enough.
Sorashi brought the staff down toward his back—
—and missed.
Iida had forced himself forward, falling into a roll that carried him out of range. He came up on one knee, breath sharp, grass clinging to his clothes.
Sorashi frowned—not frustrated, but thoughtful.
Iida didn't rush back in this time.
He stood, adjusted his footing, and waited.
Sorashi shifted his grip, cloud drifting lazily around him. It stayed close, obedient, brushing his shoulders, coiling along the staff. He didn't consciously pull it back—it simply returned on its own.
A habit.
Iida exploded forward again—but not straight.
He zigzagged. Feints meant to bait the cloud outward.
Sorashi reacted instinctively.
A pulse of mist shot toward Iida's left—
—and Iida cut right.
The cloud lagged.
And he immediately took the opportunity.
Iida closed the distance in an instant, shoulder slamming into Sorashi's chest. The impact knocked Sorashi back, breath leaving him in a sharp gasp. His heel caught on uneven ground, balance slipping—
—and the cloud rushed in late, cushioning his fall just enough that he didn't hit hard.
He quickly rose on one knee.
But Iida was already above him.
A downward kick came fast.
Sorashi raised the staff vertically, blocking it—but the angle was wrong. The force drove him further down, staff digging into the ground.
For the first time, the cloud overcorrected.
It surged around him, thick and heavy, almost clumsy as it tried to brace him from every side at once.
Iida backed off immediately, eyes narrowing.
There it was.
Sorashi pushed himself back up, breathing steady despite the tension in his shoulders. The cloud lingered close, denser than before.
Too much. 'I summoned too much.'
He twirled the staff once, twice—trying to shake the feeling loose, and dispersing some of the clouds.
Iida charged again.
This time, Sorashi met him head-on.
The staff cracked against the dark-blue-haired teen's forearm. A cloud reinforced the strike, and Iida hissed as the impact jolted him sideways. He retaliated with a sharp elbow that clipped Sorashi's jaw—not hard, but clean.
Sorashi stumbled back a step.
The cloud caught him.
It pressed at his back, steadying him before his foot fully slipped. He barely noticed it happening—already moving, already swinging again.
Iida noticed.
He lunged low, sweeping a leg.
Sorashi jumped—but not high enough.
Iida's foot struck his ankle midair, knocking him off-balance. Sorashi twisted instinctively—
—and the cloud surged beneath him, breaking his fall into a rough slide instead of a crash.
He rolled, came up on one knee, staff planted.
Breathing harder now.
Iida straightened, chest rising and falling, glasses slightly askew. A faint smile tugged at his mouth—not mocking.
Focused.
Satisfied.
They held their positions for a moment, grass flattened and torn beneath them, mist slowly thinning as Sorashi's breathing steadied.
From the side, Tensei watched in silence.
Not counting strikes. Not judging wins.
Just observing, already thinking of where they can improve themselves.
— — END — —
Please sers and madams, can I have some stones?
A/N: How was the fight?