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"GOOD LUCK EIJI!" with a bright smile shining my way, i give the girl a curt nod in return.
"the same to you konomi, remember i said i wasn't gonna go easy on you! it wouldn't be very manly of me."
"i wouldn't expect anything less from you eijiro. we'll both do our best!" her genuine smile turns to a determined glare. those silver eyes boring straight into my own.
i watch as she gets into the familiar fighting stance i'm used to seeing while we train together. right foot slightly in front of the other, a slight bend to the knees, and both hands up bawled tightly into fists.
i feel a smirk make it's way to my lips at the familiar stance. the exact same one i had taught her just a few years ago when she had no combat training whatsoever.
the blasting of a gun shot off and off of pure instinct, i instantly harden myself.
as if my body predicted it and in the blink of an eye, konomi was right in front of me with a fist-rearing back for a nasty right hook.
if i hadn't been training with her for the last couple of years, there's no way i would be able to block this.
both of my forearms cross to protect my face which is a pattern i find myself remembering from our training. as predicted, the heat of a furnace is blasted right into my hardened skin.
even with my quirk activated i can tell a bruise is gonna form there later. the heat of her own quirk is enough to feel the singeing of my sleeves into a pile of dust.
with those silver cuffs around her wrists, it's supposed to be a slight suppressor of her quirk as to not turn everyone in a miles radius to ash.
i see a clear opening she's left unprotected on her right side after her swing. knowing that i still have to protect my face, i bring a leg up to take a quick jab at her side.
to no avail she reads straight through my attack and flashes off a good distance away.
"you're a lot quicker at reading my attack ko, i see you've been training on your own." unhardening myself, i can practically see the cogs twisting in her mind. calculating her next move.
"i did have a great teacher to train me everything i know!" i notice the quirk smile she gives me before flashing away again.
she's behind!
before i know it, i crouch down practically hugging my knees when i feel her warming presence behind me. i can practically hear the strands of hair she singed off with her punch that narrowly missed my head. i plant both of my hands onto the mat and swing my right leg around to sweep her feet right out from under her.
with a loud thud, i turn to see her body laying against the mat with pain scrunching up her features.
this is my chance and this might be the only one i get.
i grab onto one of her ankles, hardening my hand in the process as not to burn myself too badly, and pick her up. even with my quirk activated, it feels like it's melting away from the heat that's emitting from her.
without giving her a chance to go on the offensive in this position, i fling her to the other side of the mat. she lets out a yelp as i fling her and i feel my stomach drop.
she tumbles and narrowly stops herself before crossing over the white borders of the boundary. i watch as konomi staggers to get up and brushes off her track clothes.
my stomach drops even deeper when she looks up at me with a smirk on her face. now i'm really in for a fight.
within a matter of seconds, i notice the white aura she begins to glow. i feel my eyes widen at the sight, seeing this move only a few times before during our training together.
the white aura that starts to surround her moves from her entire body to focus onto her clenched fists and immediately i know i'm in some deep shit.
i cannot let her touch me, i just have to dodge my way out of this.
her smirk grows when she notices me getting down into my fighting stance while hardening my entire body.
she pushes all of her weight off of one foot to nearly teleport right in front of me. she once again rears a fist back for a punch but i notice the shift in her weight before it's too late.
i leap upward to dodge the swing of her foot that nearly collided into my hip. then continue to dodge the barrage of punches and kicks she sends one after another.
"c'mon now eiji lets not drag this out longer than it has to!" her voice still as sweet as ever with just a twinge of teasing laced in her words.
"i know you can't keep this up for too much longer so i think i'll just keep dodging until you're too tired to keep going!" i yell out over the cheers of the crowd that seem to be roaring the longer this match continues.
the heat that's coming off of her fists is enough for me to realize that my track top is now little bits of ash floating through the breeze.
i can tell after about thirteen punches from her and she's starting to reach her limit.
this is my chance to show her that i've grown stronger too.
that she doesn't have to protect me like she always did back then.
that now i'm strong enough to protect her too.
"i'll always protect you kirishima! no matter what has to be done to do it."
the memory of her sweet voice brings me away from the fight but to that day.
"i don't think your quirk is plain at all! i think it's super manly eijiro!"
i remember her soft hands patting away the blood that trailed over my eye. she had tears in her eyes that day. and i will never forget the promise i made to myself. that i would always protect her like she always had done for me.
"you were super manly eiji." konomi's voice brings me out of my wondering mind. and suddenly everything went dark as a hard pressure hit me on the nape of my neck.
i don't feel my body collapse under itself but instead the warm presence of a campfire surrounding my body.
