"It has been an electrifying sports festival this year, folks! Now we've finally reached the climax, the pay-per-view main event! It's the final round of the tournament! And then there were two!" Present Mic began.
"We had some amazing students show their stuff today. Even though they didn't make it as far, they should be proud of what they were able to do." All Might said.
"Absolutely! But now we'll see who will be crowned this year's champion! And hoo boy, it's gonna be a real hardcore battle! Mr. All Mighty, why don't you give us the rundown on our two students competing for that gold medal?" Present Mic offered.
"Heheh, sure. From class 1-A, we have Chikashi Sugawara. His quirk: mimic. He can perfectly imitate any movement he sees. This has allowed him to use other students' quirks against them, including Ako's. We'll likely see more of that here.
"From support class 1-F, we have Ako Tanaka. His quirk: speed. He can move any part of his body at superhuman speeds, allowing him to run fast and hit hard. He's had a standout showing all day today.
"I think I can confidently say that these two are evenly matched going into this fight. I can't really give any predictions on who's gonna win." All Might said honestly.
"Well there's only one way to find out! Let's kick things down to Mt. Lady to get this final match underway!" Present Mic said.
"Ladies and gentlemen! This is the final round of this year's sports festival tournament! The rules are the same! You win by knocking your opponent out, immobilizing them, or causing them to fall out of bounds! I will stop the match as soon as a winner has been determined!
"Chikashi Sugawara! Are you ready?" She asked, gesturing to him.
"I'm ready!" Chikashi nodded, fixing his shirt and smirking a little.
"Ako Tanaka! Are you ready?" Mt. Lady gestured to him next.
"Yes. Ready." Ako answered, crouching down to get into his fighting position.
"Alright! Let's have a good, clean fight, gentlemen, and good luck to you both. The battle begins in 3...2...1...begin!" Mt. Lady signaled the start of the fight.
Once the round started, everything went silent. There was a few moments of complete stillness in the stadium. All eyes were on Ako; they expected him to kick his speed into high gear right away...but he hadn't taken a single step yet.
"I have to be careful how I use my speed here. As soon as I start, he'll try to copy my moves. Maybe I can try to beat him without rushing him..." Ako thought to himself.
"What's wrong, Ako? You seem a little apprehensive." Chikashi teased him with a chuckle.
Ako said nothing as he advanced forward at a normal walking pace. Chikashi chuckled again and started running towards Ako, ready to attack. Ako raised his hands up, ready to intercept him. It wasn't his usual style, but this time Chikashi was emboldened enough to make the first move.
Chikashi jumped into the air, spinning sideways before going for a downward punch aimed at Ako's head. Ako stepped to the side to dodge it. He then spun on his front foot and tried to kick Chikashi in the back. Chikashi caught his leg and tried to punch him in the knee.
Ako retracted his leg using his speed. The sudden yank caused Chikashi to stumble forward right into Ako. Ako awkwardly caught him by the arms before sucker punching him in the face. Chikashi's head whipped back suddenly before he responded with his own punch to Ako's face.
"You're afraid to use your speed, huh, Ako?" Chikashi said, advancing again and uppercutting Ako in the stomach, "You know I'll use it against you. Looks like you have nothing on me without your quirk." He taunted.
"Agh! Urgh, shut up!" Ako growled. He wrapped his arms around Chikashi's waist and pushed him back. He lifted him up briefly before throwing him to the ground. Chikashi landed awkwardly on his side.
Ako raised up his foot, using his speed to try to stomp on him and pin him down. However, Chikashi had already rolled out from underneath him. Ako's boot hit the ground hard, making his leg wobble. Chikashi rolled towards Ako onto his hands, getting into a handstand position to bend his body and kick Ako in the head.
"Whoa! What a unique move from Chikashi!" Present Mic exclaimed.
Ako stumbled back in surprise. Chikashi rolled onto his back and kicked up to his feet. Ako balled his fists and threw a punch. Chikashi blocked it and hit Ako right in the nose. Ako's eyes immediately welled up with tears. He took two quick steps back.
Chikashi approached him and threw several more punches. Ako was still stunned. He wiped one eye with his thumb and used his speed to block the punches. Ako threw a kick. Chikashi leaned back and lifted his leg to block it.
Ako threw several punches. Chikashi mimicked Ako's speed to block them, hitting Ako's wrists awkwardly with his forearms. Ako growled, using his speed to throw more punches. This allowed Chikashi to mimic Ako's speed further, and now they were both attacking each other at super speed.
"Uh oh! Things are heating up now! Or should I say speeding up!" Present Mic said excitedly.
"It looks like Chikashi has Ako where he wants him now. I betcha now he's gonna do his best to use Ako's moves against him and catch him off balance." All Might guessed.
"I hope you've been working on your stamina, Tanaka!" Chikashi laughed. Ako growled. He knew he had no choice now but to rely on his speed.
Ako threw several rapid punches that Chikashi blocked. Chikashi took a step back and threw several punches back, advancing forward with every step. Ako moved to the side to dodge the punches. He tried to sweep Chikashi's legs out.
Chikashi jumped up into the air and threw a kick at normal speed. Ako ducked underneath it and grabbed Chikashi, pulling him at super speed. Chikashi, however, was able to hook his legs around Ako's legs, making him trip and fall on the ground.
The two of them tumbled over each other. Ako slid on the ground face down. The edge of the arena was about an arm's length away. Chikashi pressed his knee down on Ako's back, using his weight to pin him down. He reached down to try to hook Ako's neck into a choke hold.
Ako's eyes widened. He pressed his hand onto the ground and pushed his body to the side. He was able to slide out by using his speed to push himself harder. He scrambled to his feet and desperately threw a punch at Chikashi. Somehow, he missed. He then retreated to the other side of the arena.
"What a turn of events, folks! Ako looks rattled by Chikashi's ability to keep up with him!" Present Mic said.
"Rattled? Shaken? I guess either one applies," Chikashi chuckled, getting to his feet and turning towards Ako. "You're not used to fighting someone who can match your speed. It's understandable, but it's going to be the reason you lose this fight." He said confidently.
Ako took a moment to catch his breath. All day long, Chikashi was proving to be a serious challenge. Now, he was using his own speed against him. If he was going to win this fight, he would need to take back his advantage.
"Ah, crap...I gotta admit, man, you're good. Your quirk makes you fast, and you've got good fighting skills," Ako said with a sigh. "But...there's one thing that I have on you." He said, his eyes narrowing on Chikashi again.
"Oh yeah? And what's that?"
"Stamina." Ako smirked a little.
Ako crouched down and got into a running position. Chikashi smirked as he did the same. Ako shot forward with a burst of speed. Chikashi did the same. The two of them collided in the center, slamming their shoulders into each other. The collision sent out a forceful shockwave.
Ako threw several punches. Chikashi ducked down then jumped into the air and threw a kick at normal speed. Ako leaned back to dodge the kick before throwing another punch. Chikashi mimicked Ako's dodge before throwing his own speedy punches.
Ako blocked each punch with his hand. He reached forward and grabbed Chikashi by the shirt, pulling him towards him. Chikashi planted his feet and pulled back against Ako. Ako brought his foot up and kicked Chikashi right in the stomach, making him roll and slide back.
"Ooh! Ako's showing his moxxy now! That kick was full of attitude!" Present Mic shouted.
"You're just copying my powers, Chikashi! Your body isn't built for it like mine!" Ako said, crouching down again.
"Urgh," Chikashi growled before smirking again. "Oh yeah? Then how come I'm doing it better than you?" He taunted, getting into Ako's running position again.
"Prick." Ako said under his breath before rushing forward again.
The two of them collided in the center again. This time Ako raised his leg up and tried to kick Chikashi again. Chikashi threw himself into a slide, knocking Ako's other leg out from under him. Ako flipped forward twice before awkwardly landing on his feet again.
Ako turned around and saw Chikashi running at him again. Ako stepped back quickly, doing a half-turn to avoid Chikashi. He ran behind him and grabbed the back of Chikashi's shirt, slowing him down enough to catch up with him.
Ako threw a punch into Chikashi's chest. Chikashi flinched and responded with his own punch, but it was at normal speed. Ako leaned his head to the side to dodge it. He then elbowed Chikashi in the shoulder, making him step back.
"You can't take these forces like I can! And you can't slow down without me overwhelming you! How long can you keep up, huh?!" Ako said as he threw several more punches. Chikashi did a half-turn to dodge Ako's attacks then elbowed him in the back.
"I don't have to keep up for long! Just long enough to beat you!" Chikashi said, rushing towards him again.
"Then this goes one of two ways!" Ako turned around and grabbed Chikashi's shoulders. Chikashi grabbed his shoulders and they pushed against each other, "Either you wear me down, or I wear you down! Or how about this? Give up now before I break you!" He threatened with a growl.
Ako used his quirk first in his arms then in his legs. Chikashi immediately felt himself being forced back. He threw himself to the ground to make Ako trip over him again. Ako crashed onto the floor but then immediately bounced back to his feet, turning around and rushing at Chikashi again.
Chikashi ran towards Ako at the same speed. But this time Ako grabbed onto him. He hooked his arms around Chikashi's body. Ako spun around to get behind him then threw him over his shoulder. Chikashi landed hard on his back but then immediately bounced back to his feet.
Chikashi turned around just as Ako caught up with him again. Ako punched him in the stomach, digging his knuckles in. He retracted his arm and hit him with another uppercut immediately after. Chikashi cried out in pain, doubling over and spitting up blood.
"You're done!" Ako yelled.
He elbowed Chikashi in the back of the head, making him crumple to the ground. He then grabbed Chikashi's ankles and swung him around, throwing him out of bounds as hard as he could. Chikashi, who was already unconscious, slid across the grass like a ragdoll.
"Chikashi Sugawara is out of bounds! The winner of the tournament is Ako Tanaka!" Mt. Lady declared.
"Ako Tanaka has done it, folks! With one final push, he has taken the coveted spot on that podium with the big number one on it!" Present Mic declared.
"What a crazy tournament. I swear, every year these kids get more and more intense." All Might commented.
Ako wanted to raise his fist up again to celebrate his victory. However, his arm only went up for a moment before he felt a shooting pain in his ribs, like his entire chest had just tightened in on itself. Ako went motionless as he tipped over and fell flat on his back.
Ako let out a slow sigh. His senses went hazy as he stared up at the blurry blue sky. He knew what this was. He had pushed himself too hard. Whenever he overused his quirk, it would cause his entire body to lock up. It would be awhile before he would be able to move again.
Ako closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax, letting the staff take him back to see Recovery Girl again. He didn't even care that he would probably get scolded again.
He'd actually won. His victory was undeniable, and a spot in the hero course was all but guaranteed now. Nothing now could wipe the smile off his face...