—— In the deep and complex world of skating, people would challenge one another to competitions, beefs, and races to rise above from the others. To attract the attention of the audience, it is essential enchant them enough so they root for you. These are the elements for a skater to become well-known.
That split second decision y/n had made to race against one of the most feared competitors in S became a gossip among the audience, while waiting for the racers to get ready at the starting line.
"Haha, I just might go easy on you, kid. Rookies like you need to be spared." Shadow mocked y/n.
"I think I might be the one to spare you. After all, the elderly gets all the priorities." Y/n fired a witty comeback.
"I'M 24, FOR GOD'S SAKE! I'M STILL A YOUTHFUL HUMAN!" Shadow said back angrily.
"Shadow, we both know you're certainly not a youth." A voice boomed out.
Turning around, y/n could see a man with long pink silky hair, riding on a futuristic-looking skateboard, glowing a pink hue.
"C-cherry blossom?! You're here today?" Shadow sputtered, looking at the unexpected guest.
"I'm here too, you know. Cherry is stealing my attention." Said another voice, coming from behind Cherry Blossom.
It was a muscular tanned man, with a dark forest green shade of hair colour. He wore a smug smile on his face, looking at the both of you. Y/n couldn't help but look at his huge muscles.
"Who're you guys?" Y/n asked, a bit confused.
"HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW THEM?! THAT'S CHERRY BLOSSOM AND JOE, THEY ARE SOME OF THE FOUNDERS OF S!" Shadow cried, surprised at y/n's lack of knowledge.
"I wonder if they know dad? I'll ask them later or something." Y/n thought to herself.
"No need to shout, Shadow. What's your name, rookie?" Cherry asked y/n.
"My name is Neon. I assure you that I'm not a rookie, I've just never skated at S before, that's all."
"A skating alias huh, Neon. I feel like I've heard your name before." Joe trailed off.
"I've won the New York City skating tournament 3 times in a row, maybe you've seen videos on me from the internet?" Y/n asked the man.
"Ah of course, you're American. That tournament is one of the top 100 skating tournaments in the United States. Although that is nothing like here at S." Cherry said to y/n.
"Here, you have to race against another skater based on speed, but you can do different tricks to help you boost yourself. Or to help you win." Joe told the teenager.
"Enough talking now, I bet everyone is waiting for the race to start. Please take your starting stances. Good luck to the both of you." Cherry Blossom said to Shadow and
y/n.
Right away, the tall ginger-haired man and the (hair colour) girl skated up to the starting line. Shadow did a final stretch, while y/n lowered her light-up shades from the top of her head, to her eyes. With a click of a button, her equipment lit up, and the faint glow of indigo and dark purple appeared again.
Some people in the audiences gasped at y/n's spectacular skating outfit, and mumbling some compliments at her.
"A little light show isn't going to boost your chances of winning you know?" Shadow said to y/n, in a rude attitude.
"Of course not, but I'd beat you anyways because I'm simply just better." She replied smugly. Y/n heard a small annoyed mutter from Shadow.
"On your marks, racers!" The woman in the middle yelled out loud.
The two bent down, taking their starting position.
"Get set!"
The yellow light of the traffic light lit up.
"Go!"
And with the green light turning on, and the flag the woman was holding was being raised, the two had been long gone, one trying to come out victorious.
—— Miya Chinen sat on the edge of the seat, as he watched the big screen broadcast the race happening between his best friend and the anti-hero of S. He didn't doubt y/n, but he was definitely anxious for her. Miya knew y/n is skilled enough to take on Shadow, but the tricks Shadow uses to sabotage his opponents could seriously injure her.
The race was going pretty smoothly so far, with Shadow and y/n going head to head up to speed, with y/n doing several tricks to turn sharp corners. Many of the audience members were surprised how well this little 13 year old girl could skate.
"Y'know Shadow, it would be a shame to lose to a little girl!" Y/n teased Shadow, knowing damn well that she was not a little girl.
"You little piece of shit! Take this!" Shadow shouted back, as he threw some ignited firecrackers in y/n's path.
"Ooh firecrackers! I love them!" Y/n shouted in return, wearing a big grin to further provoke the man.
The short fuse of the firecrackers burned up, causing them to crackle and pop. The sparks flew everywhere, making them extremely difficult to dodge.
Miya stared at the live broadcast in front of him. He seriously hoped that y/n could find a way to avoid the firecrackers.
And she did.
Y/n used the momentum she had going down hill, and jumped as high as she could, doing a 360 spin to boost herself.
There were murmurs among the crowd.
"I can't believe she was able to jump that high without a ramp!"'
"What kind of skating prodigy is she?"
"That Neon girl could jump this high without a ramp? Imagine how high she could go with one!"
Miya could only grin at the sight of this. Y/n did the unexpected.
"She's no slime, alright." He thought to himself.
Back in the race, Shadow gasped at the teenage girl who was able to successfully dodge his trap that worked almost 100% of the time.
"Wh- HOW?!" He shouted in disbelief. The two skaters continued down the path of the abandoned mines, as they grew closer and closer to the factory up ahead.
"As you said to me earlier, a little light show isn't going to boost your chances of winning, you know?" Y/n replied with a wink.
Shadow could never beat her comebacks, with her wittiness and cheeky attitude, all he could do was try and beat her in this skating race.
"You may have skated past me back there, but the abandoned factory will be the cause of your defeat!" Shadow shouted at y/n, as he accelerated into the factory first.
The walkway of the factory was narrow, only being able to fit one skater in front first. There was nowhere else for y/n to pass Shadow, other than a very worn out railing. It would be a terrible idea to skate on it, and by the looks of it the railings could collapse any second.
"There's no way you can pass me now, Neon. You can give up now and sulk about my victory over you." Shadow cackled.
"I know I can beat him. I need to win this. I can't let Miya down." Y/n thought.
"I wouldn't say so myself." Y/n said with a wink.
Shadow was confused. There was absolutely no way she could pass him, unless she manages to pull something right now-
"See you later, alligator." Y/n chuckled. The skaters were at the flight of stairs right before the finish line. There, y/n managed to get enough momentum to do a jump over the flight of stairs.
It was her signature move, Neon Lights. As she ollied into the air, which allowed her to get a high jump. Y/n flipped her board over Shadow's head, missing it by a few inches. The swirls of colours from her board could be seen far away.
Miya Chinen was impressed. He knew y/n was a skilled skater, and she made herself known in New York City, but he never expected her to be able to pull a trick like this. Her trick was 4 tricks in 1, and none of them were easy to perform. The admiration for y/n grew as he watched her do a 180 in the air.
As y/n landed on the ground facing the opposite direction; goofy edge, she did another 180 spin to complete her move. Doing the spin just accelerated her further, which allowed her to cross the finish line before Shadow.
"Not bad, kid." Joe walked up along with Cherry Blossom to y/n, smiling down at her.
"Thanks, Joe!" Y/n grinned back.
"I guess Shadow really underestimated you. You should come to S more often." Cherry said to her with an approving nod.
"Of course, although I was a bit afraid of S at first." Y/n chuckled at her silly fear back then.
The three of them continued to have a conversation, occasionally laughing. It seemed like they have warmed up to each other.
—— "Her passion is slowly increasing." A certain blue-haired man commented, as he stared at his monitors replaying a footage of y/n's race earlier at S.
"Perhaps she had more potential than I thought... she's almost perfect for my plan."
"But almost perfect isn't enough, I need absolute perfection. Maybe it's time to pull some strings..."
The man laughed like a maniac, as if he's a puppeteer ready to take control of his puppets.
He claims to do it out of love.
What a foreign and eccentric word.
A/n: I honestly didn't expect over 100 reads, but thank you! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this, and I'll try my best to update at least 3 times a week. To celebrate 100 reads, here's a beautiful image of Miya Chinen: