The Hero Academy's first-division cadets stood in a semicircle at the edge of the reinforced training hall, anticipation buzzing in the air like static before a storm. The building before them loomed—a three-story concrete block built for simulation, walls patched from yesterday's destruction, corridors fitted with cameras and sensors. Inside, another mock "police versus robbers" match was about to unfold.
But this time, it was different. This time, it was the rematch.
"Eyes up, cadets." Solarius' voice cut through the chatter, deep and resonant. He stood at the head of the group, arms crossed, coat brushing the ground. His golden aura was faint, yet even that subtle shimmer carried weight—commanding silence from everyone present. "Yesterday was a test. Today, you show me growth. No excuses. No wasted energy. If you repeat the same mistakes, you prove nothing but incompetence."
A ripple of unease passed through the crowd. The words weren't just aimed at the competitors. They were a warning to all of them.
Today's first match: Team I vs Team J.
Daichi and Yumi—the underdogs. Brute force paired with precision threads. Yesterday, they'd been dismantled. Today, they burned to prove otherwise.
Versus Akihiro and Yuna—the prodigies. Golden boy of Radiant Body Idol, and the enigmatic girl whose Pale Bloom unsettled everyone. They had won their last match cleanly. Too cleanly.
The cadets muttered amongst themselves as the two pairs approached the staging line.
"Daichi looks pissed."
"Yumi tied the stairwell in knots last time. She won't make it easy."
"But Akihiro's still Akihiro…"
"…And Yuna's fucking creepy."
The golden-haired prodigy ignored the whispers. Akihiro's steps were measured, deliberate, the faint shimmer of his Idol already tracing along his skin. At his side, Yuna drifted silently, her expression unreadable, pale eyes half-lidded as though this was all some trivial game.
Daichi cracked his knuckles loudly, his heavy frame practically vibrating with restrained aggression. "This time, golden boy," he muttered, "I'm putting you on your ass."
Yumi said nothing. She simply tugged her gloves tight, a spool of shimmering threads coiled at her belt, her eyes sharp and focused. She'd already mapped out the building in her mind.
The stage was set.
---
A sharp whistle blew.
"Simulation start!"
The reinforced doors slammed shut behind Akihiro and Yuna as they moved into the third floor of the building, designated robbers. Daichi and Yumi, the police, surged into the ground floor moments later.
Immediately, the atmosphere shifted.
Daichi slapped a palm against the nearest wall. A deep tremor rolled through the structure, dust sifting from the ceiling. "Flush 'em out early," he growled. His Tremor Palm rattled pipes, buckled plaster.
Upstairs, Akihiro steadied himself as the walls quivered. His aura flared instinctively, golden light shimmering across his form to absorb the shock. He looked at Yuna. "They're rushing."
"Let them." Yuna's voice was soft, almost bored. She was already scattering pale blossoms along the stairwell, their translucent petals pulsing faintly. "The more noise they make, the easier it is to clip them."
Akihiro frowned but didn't argue. He knew better than to underestimate her strange Idol.
---
Daichi stormed up the first stairwell, boots pounding, Yumi darting behind him with precise economy of movement. As they rounded the landing, Yumi's threads snapped out, crisscrossing the stairwell in seconds.
"Cut off their escape."
The webbing shimmered taut across the corridor, tight enough to slice if pressured.
On the other side, Akihiro tested a line with his hand—thread bit into his skin, drawing a bead of blood. His jaw tightened. Not bad.
"Step aside." His aura surged, radiant light focusing around his hand like a blade. With one sweep, he severed the strands, but as he stepped forward—
"Now!" Yumi yanked her wrists, the broken threads snapping back like whips. One lashed his shoulder, another cracked against his thigh.
Akihiro winced, staggered. In that same instant, Daichi barreled up the stairs, palm glowing.
"Got you!"
The Tremor Palm slammed into Akihiro's chest. The golden boy hit the wall hard, dust exploding around him.
The cadets watching outside gasped.
"Holy shit—Daichi floored him!"
"Finally, someone tagged Akihiro!"
But Yuna moved before Daichi could press further. One of her blossoms pulsed violently, releasing a wave of pale luminescence that filled the stairwell. For a split second, Daichi's vision warped—the walls bending, floor tilting, Yumi's voice echoing wrong.
"What the—?" His stance faltered.
Akihiro pushed off the wall, coughing, aura flaring brighter. "Thanks."
He lashed forward, fist glowing like molten steel, driving Daichi back down a step.
The tide turned in an instant.
---
The battle spilled into the second floor. Yumi darted sideways, threads anchoring from wall to ceiling, weaving traps as quickly as her hands could move. She snagged Yuna's ankle, yanking hard, sending the pale girl stumbling.
Yuna didn't even cry out. She simply tilted her head, murmured something unintelligible—and the petals blooming around her ankle sliced the threads like razors. She rose, calm as ever, eyes briefly meeting Yumi's. Cold. Empty.
Yumi's breath hitched. For just a heartbeat, her hands froze.
Daichi roared, shaking off the lingering haze of Yuna's earlier pulse, and hammered forward with another quake. The floor shuddered. Akihiro caught the brunt, aura blazing, teeth gritted as he held the structure from collapsing outright.
"Reckless bastard!" Akihiro spat, every muscle straining against the tremor. His radiant body glowed like a beacon, sweat slicking his forehead.
Yuna stepped into the quake as though it wasn't even there. Her blossoms expanded, scattering pale motes through the air that danced around Yumi. The thread-user stiffened, her control faltering under the ghostly shimmer.
For a moment, it looked like Yumi was trapped in a cage of spectral flowers.
---
But Yumi snapped herself free with a guttural cry, threads lashing out in all directions. One wrapped around Yuna's wrist, another snagged Akihiro's waist. She pulled hard, dragging both prodigies toward her.
Daichi lunged at that moment, palm glowing like a miniature sun. He slammed his Tremor Palm into the floor, sending a seismic blast that nearly buckled the entire second level.
The cadets watching from outside roared in shock. Even Solarius' brow rose a fraction.
The building groaned, support beams cracking. Akihiro was forced to burn through more radiant energy just to keep the structure stable.
"Fucking maniac," he muttered through clenched teeth.
Daichi, panting, smirked. "What's wrong, golden boy? Too much for you?"
---
Akihiro's eyes blazed. His aura flared in a brilliant surge, golden light flooding the stairwell and pushing Daichi back. The prodigy's strikes came sharp, precise—blinding arcs of radiance that battered Daichi's defenses.
Daichi stumbled, knees buckling. His earlier quake had drained too much.
Meanwhile, Yuna's blossoms pulsed in eerie rhythm. The threads binding her shredded into ribbons, falling uselessly to the ground. She stepped closer to Yumi, her calm expression never changing.
"Sleep." The whisper was soft, but Yumi felt her vision blur, her body freezing as if wrapped in invisible chains.
Within seconds, the thread-user was immobilized, eyes wide with panic.
---
With Yumi subdued, Daichi fought alone. He roared, launching one last desperate charge at Akihiro. Tremor Palm raised, energy burning wildly.
Akihiro's body glowed blinding gold. He pivoted, fist slamming into Daichi's chest. The impact exploded with radiant force, sending the brute skidding across the floor.
Daichi coughed, muscles twitching, then collapsed, drained.
The whistle blew.
"Simulation over! Team J—victory!"
---
The cadets erupted into chatter.
"Holy shit, Daichi nearly had him!"
"Yumi's threads almost cut them down—did you see that?"
"Akihiro won, but that wasn't clean. Not even close."
Inside, Akihiro stood tall but battered, uniform scorched, blood seeping faintly from cuts where Yumi's threads had caught him. His breathing was heavy. His composure strained.
Beside him, Yuna was pristine, untouched, pale eyes still fixed unnervingly on Yumi's unconscious form before turning away.
Solarius stepped forward, golden light reflecting in his gaze.
"A win is a win. But remember this—" His voice carried across the hall, sharp and absolute. "Pressure makes cracks. Don't mistake shining for perfection."
Akihiro lowered his head in acknowledgment, but his fists remained clenched.
The underdogs had lost. But they had also proved something.
The golden boy bled. And the mysterious girl's eerie calm unsettled even the bravest.
What a match!