Scales and Feathers

Trial of Strength

     The hidden prince stayed quiet as he geared his attention to a dual haired male who came a little while after Katsuki. The hidden prince soon went to him and places the gold band on his wrist. "Oi! Don't ignore me!" He shouted.

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Katsuki was walking back to his castle as he overheard two of his villagers. "I can't believe that they spoke!" The prince's ears perked up as he glanced their way.
     "Who?" He asked Eijiro, who wasn't paying attention. "Who what?" He asked back which made Katsuki hit his head. "Who finally spoke up, dumbass!"
      "Ow! Ok! The Yomi kingdom!" He responded as he rubbed where Katsuki hit him. "The Yomi kingdom?" He asked as he put his hand on his chin. "The kingdom of demons and yokai...?" Eijiro suggested.
      Katsuki then shrugged his shoulders and thought. "Take me there..." he replied. "T-take you? You don't even know what's happening!"
      The prince gave his caretaker a demanding stare. The black haired male sighed and complied, changing the into his dragon form. Quickly hopping on, Eijiro's back he responded and launched into the sky.

     Once they arrived, they see an old torii, covered with vines. The torii had a birds nest on top and a bit of withering from the wood.
      Eijiro landed in front of the torii, Katsuki looked up and stepped in. As soon as he did, it's like the whole world changed around him, the sky turned dark and the path was filled with little blue flames on the side, lighting the way.  Looking behind him, there was a curved wall around the torii.
        "This is new..." Katsuki told himself. He continued forward, following the blue flames. After a while, he got annoyed and leapt high into the air. "Hm? There's the castle and-" he mumbled to himself. "There are people gathering around."
         He then decided to take flight by running through the air in his human form before landing by the castle. He then went towards the entryway. Katsuki quickly recognized a majority here were princes. "How many trials will there be?" One prince asked.
       "Trials for what?" Katsuki asked with a growl. One of them stuttered nervously. "W-well, the trials to win the young prince's heart! Didn't you hear?"
       "Obviously I didn't!" Katsuki yelled as he went into the castle. When he did, a woman behind a mask stopped him. "What kingdom are you from, sire?" She asked.
       "Tatsu kingdom. I am Prince Bakugo." He replied. "The last prince has come then." She then handed him an unpolished stone. "Keep it safe and unbroken till the end." She then vanished once he took it.
      "The final prince has arrived-" a voice then announced. Everyone geared their heads to a large man with a crown. The emperor of the Yomi kingdom... was huge. "Now, shall we begin? This first trial, relies upon physical strength by carrying your boulder all the way up to the hill that holds the shrine. There, you shall get your very first glimpse of seeing my son. He holds 15 golden bands, to give the winners."
        "O-only 15 But..but there are over a hundred people here!" One prince shouted. "Why yes, it should shrink the crowd immensely. That is the goal after all." The king responded.
        "Now, take your boulder and bring them to the hill!" The king said excitedly. Katsuki smirked as he took a the unpolished stone and put it into a pouch. He sprinted to a boulder that had ropes around it, taking the ropes he began to run as quickly as he could.      
       Everyone else was stunned to see him moving the boulder forward before snapping back to reality. The rest followed the dragon prince and a majority were struggling.

       The hidden prince quietly waited as he got lost in thoughts. Hm...I am curious how many will retire from these trials...father made sure not a single one would be easy. He looks at the bands and sighed. Why did he tell them 15? Did he forget to recount or is he just playing with them?
         He took out 8 golden bands and looked over the hill. One prince caught his attention was Katsuki, who was running towards him like the boulder weighed nothing. Impressive. He thought as he slightly widened his eyes.
        As Katsuki made it, he looked at the bands in confusion as he looked around. The hidden prince then put a golden band on Katsuki's wrist. The band then had the number, 1 etching itself in.
       "Haha! I knew I was number one here!" Katsuki laughed as he then looked at the hidden prince's face. He wore an onii mask that his it which honestly pissed him off. "Oi! Why're you hiding your face?"
     The hidden prince stayed quiet as he geared his attention to a dual haired male who came a little while after Katsuki. The hidden prince soon went to him and places the gold band on his wrist. "Oi! Don't ignore me!" He shouted.
      "The prince of the Yomi kingdom is a selective mute, you brute." The dual haired male said as he slightly moved his band. "Damn icy-hot, how did you get strong enough to carry a boulder?"
       "I trained for this moment." He stated bluntly. Katsuki then looked over and sat, this will take a long time. He then decided to take out the unpolished gem and, no cracks or is there any chips. It was the same as when he got it.
       "Why are you checking on the stone?" The dual haired male asked. Katsuki replied. "It seems important."
      The hidden prince lowered his head, his jingasa covering the mask. "May I ask something, prince of the Yomi kingdom, why can't we know your name or see what you look like?" The dual haired prince asked.
        The hidden prince stayed silent and hopped onto the shrine. "Aren't you the one who said he's a selective mute, Shoto Todoroki?" Katsuki asked in a condescending tone.
       Shoto crossed his arms and stared at the hidden prince. Then, a blue haired male came, heavily breathing and sweating. The hidden prince hopped down and placed a gold band on his wrist, which then etched in, 3.
       Slowly but surely the rest came and the hidden prince placed a golden band on their wrists. Once the final came, he went to see the many princes that had failed. Snapping his fingers, he teleported the rest of the princes away.
       Turning to the ones who passed, he looked to the castle and teleported them back to his home. Whole everyone else was where they were when they began, the hidden prince sat beside his father. The king rose and widened his wings and gave a terrifying smile.
     "Congratulations, remaining few. Demons admire the strength of a partner, the stronger they are, means more safety." He explained as he then stated. "The next trial is of resourcefulness and survival."
       Waving his arm over the area, he looked down as the floor sank. "Find your way back, after from infinite hallways of my castle, once you do, my son shall give you a jade beaded necklace."
     "What happened to everyone else though? There are only eight!" A blue haired male asked. "Hn? Ah I just wanted to raise your little spirits!" The king laughed.
     "There are 4 necklaces, so try your best..!" He smiled as he teleported everyone into random places and himself beside his son. "And the second trial begins."

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Hope you enjoyed!