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Chapter 4 Countdown to UA (part 1)

time-skip and  Denki and Zuko, now 15,

So I'm making Denki control his quirk a little better than what he has in the beginning of the anime
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The summer sun beat down on the training field, casting long shadows that danced with the breeze. At the edge of the field, two figures stood in the middle of their own makeshift battleground. The hum of electricity crackled in the air, mingling with the swirling, purple-tinted flames that flickered around the other figure.

Zuko wiped the sweat from his brow, his chest heaving from the last set of exercises. His shadowflames were becoming more precise, more controlled—far from the chaotic bursts of energy they had been just a few years ago. He cast a glance at Denki, who was standing a few feet away, sparks dancing across his fingers as he grinned with excitement.

“You ready for another round?” Denki called out, wiping his own sweat on the back of his hand. Despite the heat, he was practically buzzing with energy. He always got like this before a big challenge.

Zuko smirked, flexing his fingers as tendrils of shadowflame coiled around his arms. “You think you can keep up with me this time?”

Denki rolled his eyes, his grin widening. “Hey, just because you’ve got some fancy new tricks doesn’t mean I’m going down easy. Besides, I’ve been working on something special for the entrance exam.”

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Guess I’ll have to see it for myself then.”

The two of them had been training relentlessly for months now, pushing their quirks to the limit in preparation for the UA entrance exam. It was all anyone could talk about at school—who was applying, who had a shot, who was bound to fail. But for Zuko and Denki, it was more than just a chance to get into UA. It was a chance to prove themselves, to show the world that they had what it took to become heroes.

For Zuko, it was also about stepping out of his father’s shadow. The sting of his father’s constant disappointment still haunted him, but training with Denki had helped ease that burden. Here, with Denki by his side, he didn’t feel like he had to prove himself to anyone but himself.

Zuko took a deep breath, feeling the familiar pull of his quirk as the shadows around him shifted and gathered at his fingertips. The shadowflames surged, their purple glow casting eerie patterns across the ground. He lunged forward, flames roaring as he sent a wave of dark fire hurtling toward Denki.

But Denki was ready.

With a sharp, focused look in his eyes, Denki dodged the attack, his body sparking with electric energy. He flipped backward, using the momentum to unleash a burst of electricity toward Zuko. The air crackled as the bolt of lightning shot toward him, fast and fierce.

Zuko grinned, sidestepping just in time, the shadows at his feet surging upward to create a barrier between him and the electricity. The lightning struck the shadows, the energy fizzling out against the dark, swirling mass. Zuko took the opportunity to counter, sending another wave of shadowflames Denki’s way.

Denki grunted as he blocked the attack with a surge of electricity, the two forces clashing in a display of light and shadow. He was good—better than Zuko had ever seen him. His control over his quirk had improved leaps and bounds since they’d started training together.

“Not bad!” Zuko called out as he leaped back, his hands glowing with power. “You’ve really stepped it up.”

Denki gave a cocky grin as he charged up another blast. “Told you! Can’t let you have all the fun, right?”

The two of them kept going, their attacks becoming faster, sharper, more precise. Zuko could feel the heat in his muscles, the burn of exhaustion creeping up on him, but he pushed through it. This was what they’d been working for—the chance to be ready when the UA entrance exam finally came. And they were almost there.