Solstice and Eclipse: Part II

Chapter VI: Round One

On the right side of the arena he stood, nervously flexing his fingers in anticipation of what was to come. Thunderous roars and exhilarated cheers came from all sides as the crowd shook with excitement at the upcoming match. His stoic face shone on the large screens hanging around the stadium, the letters VS boldened and red smacked square in the center and on the other half of the screen was Mina Ashido.

"So, if I win, you'll go out with me this Saturday, right?" Ashido asked with a smile.

The rest of Class 1A was seated up in the bleachers in their own private partition. From their seats they cheered their classmates on and kept an eye on who their competition might be later down the line. Everyone watched with intense focus, but no one was more intensely focused than Midorya. Notebook and pencil in hand, he scribbled note after note as he watched the matches, muttering to himself the entire time.

"A match between (L/N) and Ashido. Let's see. Both of them are effective at close range and from a distance, but Ashido can really only do mid-range attacks before her acid loses velocity, so she'll probably want to get as close as possible to put pressure on (L/N) and keep him from using his quirk. There's nothing much for either of them to use as cover in this ring, but (L/N) can create his own cover, meaning Ashido is at a disadvantage. Not to mention (L/N) barely uses his quirk. Even at the USJ he only really used the same technique, so his quirk is still an unknown variable. There's no telling just how versatile it is."

"Fifth match, begin!"

As he'd predicted, Ashido immediately began rushing (L/N), trying to close the gap between them. In response, (L/N) fired rays of light from his palms, trying to keep her at bay. Her evasive skills though, were remarkable. She jumped and weaved, changing direction effortlessly as she circled around (L/N), slowly closing in.

"Man, I thought (L/N) would be putting up more of a fight." Kirishima said rather disappointed. "But look, he can't get a bead on her."

Bakugou scoffed. "Look closer you idiot. He's not trying to hit her."

"What do you mean?" Sero asked.

"Do you dumbasses not pay any attention? She's not the one controlling the fight. He is."

"I still don't get it." Kaminari said.

"Would you idiots just shut up and watch!?" Bakugou shouted. "Look, he's been cutting off her movements the entire match. Right now, she's going to far too the left."

As if in response to his words, a ray of light shot forth from (L/N)'s hand, forcing Ashido to change direction. When she traveled to the point where she was almost on his side, another beam directed her back towards the center.

"And look at the edges of the arena." Bakugou pointed out. "You see it, don't you? The way the light is shimmering. Like a heat mirage."

"Oh yeah." Sero said. "What is that?"

"I get it now." Kirishima said.

"Well, don't leave us hanging, man." Kaminari said. "What is it?"

"It's just like Bakugou said." Kirishima responded. "He's been cutting her off the entire time."

She had a confident grin on her face. His attacks were single minded and easy to dodge. Just a few more passes and she'd be right on top of him. As far as Ashido was concerned, she had been the one dictating the flow of the match. But with every attack, (L/N) had been slowly closing in on her, forcing her path narrower, like the pattern of a wi-fi symbol. The distance she covered during each pass was less and less, and eventually, the trap was sprung.

She effortlessly slid beneath another ray of light, and as she came back up changed direction to avoid a follow up attack. She cocked her arm back and gathered a fistful of acid, just about to throw it when she ran into a wall. Stunned, she felt something start pushing her back and out of the ring.