Top pic credit: KAZ

Ari POV:

The quiet walk down the hallway the next morning was anything but peaceful. Especially, considering the fact that I had three large guards accompanying my stroll.

Yep, that's right. Two guys behind me and one in front, apparently, were all needed to take me to the training room where my quirk demonstration would take place.

As much as I tried to calm myself down for what was to come within the next few minutes, I couldn't help but feel a massive knot of stress forming in my stomach at how this morning was going so far. Can't say it's looking real good for me.

On top of the guards, Re-Destro kindly suggested that I wear something other than my hero suit when I fight today, because he claims he wants to see what I can do when I don't have hero support of any kind to back me up.

And, of course, Re-Destro 'suggesting' something is a direct order. Passive aggressive asshole. Quit being so fake and call it like it is, will ya?

But, anyways, here I am, instead....sporting a drabby, grey jumpsuit with some slip on navy blue sneakers. The entire outfit looked identical to something one would wear in prison, so you can imagine how it definitely didn't give me any peace of mind when I put the ordered attire on.

No support weapons. No expensive thermal suit, made by UA, to exclusively fit my body and quirk. No sturdy leather boots to protect the bottoms of my feet from any sharp objects I may encounter.

Nope. Today, the only help I had in this situation was me, myself, and I. But, then again, that's the way it is sometimes when a hero has to fight, right? Maybe this could be a good learning experience for me, if I just think of it like a training exercise.

I say, as I'm about to shit my pants....

I inhaled a deep breath through my nose, quietly exhaling it out of my mouth to calm myself down-

"Be quiet." One of the guards behind me suddenly commanded, causing me to furrow my brows and scoff in bitter annoyance at the ridiculous order.

Why are they treating me like such shit here? Do they treat Keigo this way, too, I wonder?

Feeling a little bit too feisty this morning from my hyped up nerves, I couldn't find the strength within myself to let that comment go.

"It's called breathing. Kinda need it to live." I simply stated, trying to control the attitude in my voice to something blank and uncaring.

"And that's called talking." He quickly refuted, matching my cold tone perfectly.

"Well, maybe, if you didn't try to dictate my breathing schedule, I wouldn't have to talk. Seriously, pal. No one likes a control freak." I pointed out with a casual shrug, mentally scolding myself for continuing on with this pointless argument.

I'm just asking for trouble. I need to shut up.

"Keep talking, and I'll make sure you stop breathing. That should solve the problem, right?" He threatened more aggressively this time, causing the guard next to him to utter a quiet "calm down."

I wish someone was here to tell my dumb ass that....

"Oh yeah? And how are you planning to do that? Gonna suffocate me with that bad breath of yours? Ah, but then again, one look at that ugly face is enough to give anyone a heart attack-" I retorted, letting out a sharp gasp as I felt myself roughly yanked backwards by my 'jail' suit.

Spinning on my heel, I instinctively ducked in anticipation for a punch that might have been coming.

And judging by the flurry of air that quickly swooshed past the top of my head, my assumptions were correct.

I stared up at the giant man, who was at least three times my size, getting ready to activate my quirk on him so I could defend myself.

However, before the situation could get out of hand, I felt myself yanked forward by my arm, while the aggressive guard was held back by his friend.

"Knock it off, kid. I'm not usually one to hit women. But, I'll make an exception for you, if you make me angry enough." The other guard stated, keeping a harsh grip on my arm as he practically dragged me down the hallway now.

See, now's a good time to shut up, Ari!

"Gee, you chivalrous Prince Charming." I spat, causing his grip to tighten with a bruising force as we kept a swift walk.

"I mean it. Stop causing problems. Besides, you'll wanna be saving that energy today, if I were you. You'll need every ounce you can get." He countered more firmly than before, keeping his eyes straight ahead as we neared the entrance to the training area.

The reminder as to why I'm here quickly re-entered my head, making me reluctantly back down from the fight, and grit my teeth in suppressed anger instead.

This doofus is actually right. I need to save my energy for whatever's about to come.

Holding my tongue for the rest of the trek, the guards and I finally walked through the door of the training room a few minutes later, causing me to immediately take in my surroundings.

The place was huge. No surprise, since we were in a gigantic mansion with countless rooms and space.

Speaking of space, there was a ton of it in here. The scene before me was a gigantic, circular room with an open ceiling, to show the outside world.

Because the ceiling was open and we were in the dead of winter, the entire floor was coated with a shiny sheen of sleet, making it incredibly slippery. Kinda like an ice rink. Giant chunks of ice had gathered in certain areas, and to my delight, it had started snowing heavily a few minutes ago, meaning I'd have no cover from that, either.

Re-Destro knew what he was doing when he denied me my hero suit and big, cozy jacket to wear. I was left in this flimsy, standard uniform that gave the chilly air full access to seep into my bones. The freezing cold of my muscles is more likely to make my body stiff, and less agile during the quirk demonstration.

At least it's long sleeved, I guess...

I noticed a higher level balcony to the place, off to my side. It was a few feet up, with a decent crowd of people gathered there....conversing and laughing happily as they got ready to watch me fight.

The whole ordeal kinda reminded me of one of those gladiator fights you see in the movies. You know, where the gladiator comes out into the arena to fight a lion with his bare hands? Or gets shanked by one of his other gladiator friends, while the spectators laugh at him?

In this unfortunate situation, it seems that I'm the gladiator, while everyone watching is the spectator, simply here for entertainment.

Except....well, I did notice one spectator in particular, who I know for a fact wasn't here because he wanted to watch me get shanked by something.

Keigo, along with everyone else, didn't notice me walk into the room yet. Or, if he did, he pretended he didn't notice. The bird brain was too preoccupied with working his Hawks charm on the crowd of gathered spectators, flashing everyone the fakest smile I've ever seen as he made an effort to make himself the center of attention.

A few seconds later, everyone broke out into simultaneous laughter at something he'd apparently said-and I couldn't help but do a double take when I noticed the young woman next to him casually place her hand atop his shoulder as she laughed.

While I've never seen her before-and why would I, since I only got here yesterday, Keigo didn't make any effort to remove her hand from him, seeming as if he wasn't completely unfamiliar with her gesture.

Alright. Who the hell is this liberation bitch?

While it definitely was not the time to be getting jealous over a complete stranger, touching my ex-boyfriend's shoulder in a friendly way.........I couldn't help but, wait for it, get jealous over a complete stranger, touching my ex-boyfriend's shoulder in a friendly way!

I mean, seriously, Keigo. I know you're playing the flirty part of Hawks right now. But, could ya at least act like you enjoy her touch just a little bit less? Not to mention, your jokes aren't even funny, so I hope you know she's only laughing at them to impress you. Dumb ass bird.

Letting out a small, raspy groan of bitter annoyance, I darkly averted my gaze away from the gross sight, suddenly feeling a new wave of motivation run through me for this quirk demonstration.

Now, I was ready to let some anger out.

The heavy, loud footsteps of the guards surrounding me quickly gained the attention of the crowd, moments later, causing all chatter to cease as everyone faced forward to get a look at me, like I was a damn circus monkey.

I couldn't help but turn my head to the side once more as I walked, to get a look at the crowd again now that I had their attention.

Re-Destro was here, along with a few of his own supporters who I have yet to meet. This included the girl who'd been touching Keigo-but she looked like nothing more than a PLF super fan, a grungy guy with black hair and bangs that extended far past his face.

There was also a younger guy, wearing a giant parka. The hood of it was pulled back, revealing his snow white hair-as well as a very determined, angry glare.

Toga, Twice, Dabi, and of course....Keigo, were all here, too.

My gaze lingered on Keigo, taking in his appearance for the day.

Of course, he was playing the part of Hawks, and he was playing it very well. His hands were lazily shoved into his pockets, with his head positioned in a lopsided, bored-looking tilt as he watched me walking below him. Even from down here, I could sense how strong his fake, toxic persona was within him, right now....the same way it probably has been everyday for the past month. I almost couldn't even recognize the man underneath.

Almost.

When it comes to the silent language that Keigo and I unfortunately seem to use a lot of, I've learned that it's all in the eyes with him.

Keigo could be looking the Hawks part flawlessly with his body language. With his words, and his tone of voice.

But, his eyes are the way into his soul. The path that leads to Keigo. They always give away when he's sad or happy. Distressed or confused. They never lie, and this moment is no exception, as those golden orbs were filled with absolutely nothing but pure concern and worry for whatever was about to happen.

Sure, he could try to hide it from me, but I see the way his pupils are blinking more rapidly than usual. Or the way he refuses to take his eyes off me as I walk-as if he'd actually be able to protect me from whatever future my fate has in store for me.

I'm sure this is killing him, too. Having to watch me basically fight for my life, and not being able to do anything to stop it.

But, this is the way it is. This is the choice that Keigo and I made together last night at dinner. The one deemed best for the situation at hand. I'm sure it is. Now, all I can do is my best and hope that's enough to pull me through this.

The choice has been made and I must go through the motions of it alone. No one can do this, but me. Not my teachers. Not Diane, from the hero commission. Not Keigo.

I'm alone in this. And I am all I've got.

It will be enough, because there's no other way.

Letting out another shaky breath, I quickly tore my gaze away from Keigo to face forward, cupping both of my hands up to my mouth and breathing on them to bring some kind of warmth to my freezing body.

Once the guards and I had reached the middle of the training area, they quickly stopped their walk, causing me to stop, too. It's not as if I had anywhere else to go.

With one guard in front and two behind me, I slowly turned my direction towards Re-Destro and the others, ignoring the bone chilling shiver that ran through my body.

Ugh, let's hope I don't pull a muscle...

That pointy nosed witch bitch, Re-Destro, was already looking at me from above, flashing a sickly sweet smile in my direction as he rested his hands on the railing of the balcony.

I ignored all of the other stares on me, focusing in on Witch Bitch with a cocky smile of confidence, crossing my arms smugly as I held his gaze.

"Good morning, Ari Parker!" He announced somewhat loudly, signaling the start of the day with that excited mention of my name.

Not saying a word back, I simply gave him a nod, forcing the mechanical smile on my face to not turn into an outright glare.

"Did you sleep well? I hope the whole guards escorting you to the vicinity thing wasn't too much. Skeptic, here, suggested it, and I figured it couldn't hurt. You know, just in case you got lost or something." Re-Destro chuckled fakely.

His words caused my ears to perk up at the name Skeptic, as I remember Keigo mentioning him during our chat last night. He's the guy who monitors his wing cameras.

I quickly followed Re-Destro's gesture towards Skeptic, wanting to get a look at the piece of shit so I'd know who to watch out for. And also cause I wanted to see the asshole who, pretty much, screwed up my relationship, with those damn cameras.

Ah, so it's the grungy guy. Of course.

"Yeah. It'd be real tragic if I got lost on my way here, huh." I uttered blandly, quickly snapping my gaze back on Re-Destro with bored eyes.

He immediately nodded in agreement, keeping that distant smile on his face as he was probably still thinking about my true intentions for coming here.

But, in my defense, Dabi's the one who brought me here. So, technically, this whole thing is his fault, right? Yeah, let's go with that. It's fun to blame Dabi for everything, after all.

"Yes. Tragic, indeed..." Re-Destro agreed absentmindedly, before immediately clapping his hands together to change the subject.

Everyone jumped slightly at the sudden action, and I couldn't help but feel my heart rate starting to spike as I realized we were probably about to get right into this whole thing now.

From my peripheral vision, I noticed Keigo's wings immediately flutter up in stress at the same exact moment my heart rate sped up, meaning he'd probably been using this time to focus on it to see how I was feeling.

He immediately ran an anxious hand through his hair, causing me to quickly start twiddling with my thumbs.

We're not doing ourselves any favors by feeding off each other's nervous energy.

"Right! Well, no more messing around. I say, we get right into it! You know, I'm very excited to see what you can do, Ari. Are you ready?" Re-Destro asked with a lethal kindness, watching with hidden delight as I slipped slightly from the sleet on the floor.

Come on, Ari. Pull yourself together. Your life depends on it.

Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I gave my hands a quick shake to loosen them up, before giving a nod of agreement.

"Yeah, I'm read-"

"Great! Skeptic, get the blindfold!" Re-Destro immediately countered, too eager to even allow me the proper time to finish my sentence.

But, after hearing what he just asked for, I didn't give a flying fuck about his manners right now.

Did he just say 'blindfold!!!?'

Furrowing my brows in growing stress, I watched as Skeptic quickly pulled a black cloth out of his pocket, before tossing it over the balcony to one of the guards below.

Instinctively, my eyes shot over to Keigo as the guard began walking towards me with the blindfold. I expected to see that same Hawks smirk plastered on his face, about to search right for his eyes.

But, what I saw instead, was Keigo looking at me with a gaze of concern and a true smile of reassurance, giving me a small nod of support. He looked confident in my abilities.

Of course, I knew well enough that he put this action on for me as a way to bring comfort and let me know that everything was going to be okay. His body language and the fear in his eyes betrayed that peaceful curl of his lips.

And yet, I focused on that smile for as long as I could, until the world around me went black with the blindfold, still seeing the image of Keigo's smile burning bright in my mind.

It did bring me comfort. And I'm glad I got to see him smile again.

Before I knew it, the blindfold was securely fastened around my head, almost digging into my temples from how tightly it had been tied.

Needing to rely on my other senses to make up for my lack of sight, I began clearing and focusing my mind on what I could hear and feel around me.

"Alright, Ari...." Re-Destro started out, with his irritating voice grating against my ears.

"We're going to begin the first exercise. Dabi explained to me that you can stop three things at once, as long as these objects aren't massively huge. Is that correct?" He asked with confirmation, making me internally dread whatever he was gonna say next.

"Sure."

"Great. So, here's how the first trial will work. This vicinity is circular and within the walls contain little mechanisms that can shoot objects out of them. I've filled these areas with items, and I'm going to shoot them right at you. Because you're blindfolded, it's going to force you to rely only on your intuition and hearing. It's meant to test your reflexes. Do you understand the exercise?" Re-Destro asked, causing my eyes to widen in shock from under the blindfold.

Do I understand the exercise?

Oh, I most definitely understand the exercise.

Because, it's the same exact exercise I used to do with the hero commission, when I trained as a child.

I remember it perfectly. The man, who's real name I was never allowed to know, would throw stones at my blindfolded self, and I'd have to stop them with my quirk before they hit me.

So, now my question is...

"What are you going to be shooting at me?" I asked casually, feeling my shoes starting to slip on the icy floor once more.

Hearing Re-Destro's dismissive chuckle-and then his little liberation posse immediately following his actions, caused me to grit my teeth together in irritation as I realized I probably wouldn't be knowing what was being thrown at me.

That just makes me more stiff and nervous.

"No point in telling you, if you can't see it, right? Trust me, Ari, if something ends up hitting you, you'll know." He laughed over the whispers and gossips of his followers.

Letting out a sigh of defeat, I simply nodded....standing still to prepare myself for whatever was about to come.

When....

"Hey, you can do it, Ari! Don't worry!! I believe in you!" I heard Twice exclaim from above, causing my brows to raise in slight surprise.

"Go Ari!!!" Toga followed in encouragement, before I heard Dabi mutter a lame "just hurry up," from next to her.

And then....

"I believe in you, too, Ari! Good luck out there, kid!" Hawks cheered generically from the sidelines, keeping his voice steady and polite so everyone wouldn't know how nervous he was.

I simply nodded in distant acknowledgement, gently wiggling my fingers to keep my hands moving for quick quirk activation.

"Alright, let's do it!" Re-Destro exclaimed, snapping his fingers-probably, so someone could go and start the exercise.

Here we go.

Everyone went silent. So silent, you could hear a pin drop.

I could hear my own heartbeat in my eardrums, pounding so hard out of my chest, I'm sure Keigo's feathers could hear everything.

Except, I cleared that from my mind....doing the rare action of reflecting on my hero commission training. Hoping it will actually help me this time.

Remember, Ari. First thing's first, slow your heart rate.

Replacing my short, anxious puffs with deep, slow breaths, I began lowering my heart rate as I listened intensely for the sound of the first object to shoot at me-

Shoot!

Looks like I didn't need to waste anymore time as I heard a sharp burst of wind immediately break on my right side, extending my hand out at lightning speed and activating my quirk.

I heard a few gasps from the audience, and I don't know if they were gasps of satisfaction for how quickly I activated my quirk. Or gasps at how dangerous the object coming at me was.

Let's pretend it's the first one-

Shoot!

Another object. Coming from my left side.

Keeping my balance on the slippery ice floor, I shot my left hand out, quickly activating my quirk

Knowing I was already keeping two things immobilized in place, I took a few quick steps back to release the objects, allowing them to move and collide into each other, so I'd be able to stop more things with my quirk.

I jumped in surprise at the loud collision sound of the objects, hearing metal and....some type of crackling hit against each other as I allowed them to move again.

What the hell is this guy throwing at me!?-

Swoosh! Shoot!

Two objects at once now.

My brows raised as I heard two objects coming at me from opposite directions, outstretching both of my hands to stop them in their tracks-

Shoot!

But, Re-Destro gave me no time to think as I heard a third object shoot out straight at me, causing me to immobilize the third thing on instinct-

Swoosh!

That's a fourth object. I can't hold that one.

"Shit!" I spat out under my breath, hearing the object coming in hot from behind me.

Not being able to see, I blindly rolled to my side, hearing the object fly past me and crash loudly into the wall in front-

Shoot!

"Come on." I groaned out, quickly releasing my quirk on the three objects I'd been holding, so I'd be able to hold the new one that was coming for me.

"Excellent, Ari! You're really fast!" I vaguely heard Re-Destro say over the ear piercing slam of objects that collided into each other upon being released from my quirk.

All of these objects are making different sounds when they hit each other, meaning Re-Destro is probably shooting multiple different items at me.

Swoosh!

"Hey, that one looks even sharper than the other one." I heard Dabi comment casually from the sidelines, making me realize that whatever was coming at me was, apparently, lethally sharp.

At the same moment I turned on my heel to stop the object, I felt myself slip on the icy floor, immediately losing my balance and focus as I crashed to the ground.

These stupid, flimsy shoes.

I heard a few gasps and some 'ooo's!" of excitement as I failed to stop whatever was coming for me, suddenly hearing a voice calling out to me from the sidelines.

"Oi, get up!!!" Hawks yelled with desperation, yet his panicked tone was mostly masked with bouts of encouragement.

Knowing the icy floor wouldn't allow me to get to my feet fast enough, I quickly rolled out of the way as far as I could, hoping it would be far enough to miss the object-

Slice!!

"Ow! Son of a bitch!!" I hissed out loudly, feeling a sharp stinging pain slice across my leg.

Although, hearing this object continue its trek past me and stab ruthlessly into the wall ahead made me realize that had I not moved at all, it would have pierced me like a kebab instead of just graze my leg.

Regardless, my thigh was throbbing as I felt blood starting to stream down my leg at a steady pace, making me realize that I still got cut somewhat deep-

Swoosh! Shoot! Swoosh!

This man's trying to kill me, I swear.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" I muttered under my breath, doing my best to focus on the incoming objects as I was given no time to get to my feet, yet.

Those two quick shots from the right, and one behind, forced me to activate my quirk fully, before I sloppily rose to my feet as fast as I could. I don't want Re-Destro to catch me off guard again.

Taking a few steps out of the way, I released my hold on all three objects, letting them collide together with a loud bang.

My breathing was shaky and the room was quiet for a split second, as I focused in on the sounds around me....ignoring the way I could hear the blood from my leg dripping fast onto the floor.

Until, I heard an unfamiliar voice speak to Re-Destro and break the tense silence.

"Is it my turn to fight her, yet?" This young sounding guy said a little too eagerly, causing my heart rate to spike as I realized there was more to this quirk demonstration than just this deadly exercise.

Um, excuse me, what? Who is speaking?

The room was filled with silence once more, with any objects that had been shooting at me being put on a brief pause by Re-Destro, as he thought about how to proceed.

That is, until he said...

"Sure, why not! You can fight her now. I think she's warmed up enough." He stated casually, causing my jaw to drop in slight panic and disbelief as I lifted my hands to remove the blindfold-

"Ah! Not yet, Ari! Keep the blindfold on for a bit. Well done, you've passed the first exercise. Now, it's time for the real test!" Re-Destro exclaimed, before I heard heavy, booted footsteps descending the balcony stairs to get to where I was. It must be the guy I'm about to fight.

But...

You're joking, right?

He wants me to fight with this blindfold on?!! I don't even know this person's quirk!!! Re-Destro's obviously trying to kill me-

"I hope you're ready for a fight, you dog of the state!!" This unfamiliar person called out to, I assume, me, as his voice was now only a few feet away, instead of up in the balcony like it originally was a few seconds ago.

I furrowed my brows in confusion at such a weirdly worded sentence.

"Huh? Dog of the....what....?" I blurted out cluelessly, hearing him uncap a bottle of something before hearing the liquid hit the floor.

Why is he pouring stuff on the floor? It's snowing heavily right now. Anything in this weather will just turn to ice-

"I called you a dog of the state. It's what I call all of you heroes. It's what you are. Nothing more than the government's bitch!" He exclaimed with passion, before I heard him toss the, now empty, bottle aside.

I pursed my lips in casual thought to his words, before shrugging my shoulders carelessly.

"Eh, alright. You know what? I'll actually give you that one. It's kind of a clever name when you hear the context behind it." I pointed out, placing a hand on my hip to attempt to have a conversation and stall time. I wanted to catch my breath.

"I don't need your approval." He spat out at me densely, clearly not realizing I just complimented his insult towards me.

Well, this one's not very bright.

Suddenly, I heard a new voice chime in from the sidelines, realizing it was one I recognized.

"God, this guy's so fucking annoying." Dabi groaned out loudly, clearly referring to this dense idiot I was about to fight.

Keigo quickly chimed in after Dabi's comment, so fast, it's almost as if he was just waiting for a good opportunity to speak.

His words were clear and loud. Loud enough so that I would easily hear him.

"Oh, c'mon, Dabi. You're just bitter because this guy gave you a run for your money, when you fought him in Deika. After all, fire and ice manipulation don't mix well!" Keigo exclaimed, clearly trying to give me a message from the sidelines.

And I got it right away.

Ice manipulation. So, the guy I'm about to fight must have the quirk power of manipulating ice. The open ceiling of the room has allowed for all of the snow and ice from outside to cover this floor, so he's got a great advantage over me right now.

And that liquid he was pouring on the floor a second ago was probably water, because he's trying to make more ice that he can use-

"Geten versus Ari! Begin!" Re-Destro suddenly exclaimed, before I instantly felt the slippery ice my feet were standing on immediately raise and send me flying through the air.

And, apparently, his name is Geten. But, that's not the most important thing right now.

Since my quirk can't work on my own body, all I could do was brace myself for impact, as I felt my body slam into the wall from the force of Geten's ice throw.

I wheezed harshly as the air expelled from my lungs too quickly, feeling my body slide off the wall like a squashed bug.

Wow. He just manhandled me way too easily. That's kind of embarrassing.

I heard Geten laughing mockingly, as I slowly began making my way to my feet, trying to recover from the crash.

"Is that all it takes to knock you out?! I dunno why Re-Destro thinks you're useful. You seem pretty useless to me!" He stated loudly, causing me to start becoming irritated with this hot head.

Wiping the fresh stream of blood from my nose, I stumbled around on my feet. Now, that I was becoming tired from the events of today, not having the privilege of my sight is starting to affect my standing balance.

But, it hasn't affected my attitude...

"You're only allowed to talk shit if you put a blindfold on, as well, tough guy. This is an unfair fight, so I wouldn't get so excited about beating me, just yet! It won't mean anything!" I exclaimed, trying to use some manipulation skills to get inside his head.

Based on what I've learned about Geten in these past two minutes, the guy's a passionate fighter who always wants to prove his worth. He seems like the type to judge others, based on their strengths and potential values. If he judges others this way, it's safe to say that this is also how he evaluates himself.

By reminding him that I'm blindfolded, and he's got the unfair advantage, I'm hoping he'll eventually ask to have it removed from my face so we can have a fair fight.

However, he either didn't hear me, or didn't quite care yet, as I heard another crackle of ice coming straight at me from the left side.

I stopped the ice from charging at me with my quirk, starting to blindly move around on the slippery floor so Geten would have a harder time using the ice on it to send me flying again.

But, I'll be honest....

I can't win against Geten if I'm blindfolded. I just can't. I will die. I mean, this guy apparently gave Dabi a tough fight when he went head to head with him. He's too strong.

I need to try and get this blindfold off.

"Man, your ice quirk sounds pretty cool! Wish I could see it, instead of hearing it! I'm pretty incapacitated here!" I called out to Geten, focusing all of my energy on dodging and immobilizing his ice.

This guy wants a full out fight. That seems to be how he is.

He wants me to retaliate and charge at him, which is exactly why I'm not doing that. Number one, that's stupid, because I can't see. And number two, I bet this guy will get so fed up with me holding back, that he'll cave and want my sight back, so I can-

"Quit standing around and come at me!!" Geten yelled impatiently, causing me to smirk as I realized my plan was starting to work quicker than I thought.

Thank goodness he doesn't have Dabi's intelligence level as a villain, or I'd already be dead by now.

"I would if I could see!" I called out cheerfully, trying to egg him on more and fake a calm demeanor as much as I could.

But, truth be told, I was internally panicking hard. I'm barely hanging on in this fight, as I'm forced to rely only on the sounds of Geten's footsteps and ice. Because of this, I'm barely stopping his deadly attacks at the very last second, hearing them continuously coming inches away from taking my head off.

I held in a hiss of pain as I felt a piece of ice slice across my forearm, then my abdomen...trying to remain as unbothered as possible so Geten would think I'm doing fine.

I sense he's the type of guy to thrive off his opponent's struggle, and if he senses that in me....I'm as good as dead.

But...my god. I can feel myself slipping and losing momentum real fast. His ice manipulations are so powerful and he's literally slicing me apart. I'm legitimately about to die right now if I can't get my sight back. I'm no match for this guy with this big of a disadvantage.

However, it seemed that fate was finally on my side, because after a few more excruciating moments of getting put through the ice shredder, Geten finally let out a loud yell of frustration, before he spoke.

"Let her take the blindfold off, damn it!!!" He yelled to Re-Destro, making me want to cry with relief when the words had been spoken.

As if thinking the same thing, Re-Destro didn't hesitate with a reply this time.

"Very well. Ari, you're free to remove your blindfold!" Re-Destro called to me, not even able to finish his words before I ripped the damn thing off my eyes.

I squinted slightly as I tried to adjust to the light of the world around me, before turning my attention to the man who is Geten.

Oh! It's the guy with white hair and the parka. Should have called that one.

Now being able to see, I couldn't help but feel a bit queasy at the sight of my own body, gruesomely covered in blood from Geten's ice cuts...not to mention, the deep slice my leg took during the first exercise.

I barely even got the time to take in my surroundings, before I saw a large ice structure coming straight at me.

Quickly diving out of the way, I began sloppily stopping Geten's ice attacks as best I could to try and devise a plan.

Now that I could see, I noticed the large pillars of ice that were jutting out of the ground, extending all the way to the open ceiling.

My quirk is one that stops things, and I can only make things move if I exert a large amount of energy, which is something I can't afford right now.

With someone like Geten, his ice manipulation quirk seems to be controlled almost telekinetically. This means, that even if I immobilize his body, his mind can still allow him to use his quirk and control the ice freely.

So, the only way I can really take Geten out is if I get close to him and knock him out, which won't be very easy to do since he can manipulate pretty much everything in this room.

But, I could try to use his quirk against him, and hide behind his ice as I move, using these barriers as a way to gradually close the distance between us-

Making the mistake of standing in one place for too long, I felt myself suddenly shot up into the air once more, realizing Geten had used the ice under my feet to send me flying once again.

Only, this time, I could see, allowing myself to brace for impact more effectively.

Extending my hands out in front of me, I manipulated my fall in a way that would allow me to roll my body forward so I wouldn't hurt myself.

Quickly moving around so I didn't stay in one place, I charged towards one of Geten's gigantic ice pillars, trying to go with my plan of hiding myself from his sight.

But, it seems that he realized my plan immediately. Damn it, I'm too predictable.

"Oh, no you don't! You can't hide from me!!" He exclaimed, quickly exploding the ice I was hiding behind and sending me flying once again.

Well, that tactic failed miserably. Nice job, Ari. Have a good funeral.

I groaned in pain as sharp shards of ice cut up my face, realizing I wouldn't be able to brace for impact this time since I was flying backwards.

Knowing I was going headfirst into the wall at a car's speed, I fully expected this hit to be the one that killed me as the force was lethal enough to.

That is, until I felt a fluffy object from inside my shirt, quickly pulling me forward to slow my deadly speed.

Barely able to open my eyes, I saw a vermillion feather was the culprit, carefully hiding inside my clothing, yet still slowing my fall.

Keigo telekinetically controlled his feather to rotate my body upright so I wouldn't hit my head, yet it was subtle enough to where it would just appear to be a position I naturally fell in.

Of course, he couldn't slow my pace all the way without looking suspicious, so my back still hit the wall with a small amount of force.

But, I'll take it, compared to the death alternative.

Not wasting precious moments this time, I quickly rose to my feet, ignoring the way my gashed leg was spewing blood all over Geten's pretty ice sculptures.

I'm not sorry for that, just so you know.

Okay. So, the plan of trying to hide behind his ice structures has now been shot to hell. I need a new approach to get to this guy.

The reason he keeps tripping me up, is because he's able to move and manipulate the icy floor and make me lose my balance. And as I've already established, I can't immobilize Geten, himself, because his ice would still be able to move. My quirk is only good at this moment for stopping things.

But...

Then again, maybe that could work in my favor somehow....

Having a new plan in mind, I decided to try a different tactic and charge straight at Geten, already knowing how he'd retaliate.

As expected, I felt the floor beneath me vibrating in an attempt to get ready to lift me back into the air. Taking a different approach, I decided to quickly immobilize the small sections of the floor that surrounded my feet, keeping my running pace at him.

Geten's eyes widened in slight surprise as pieces of the icy floor were stuck in place, before he quickly sent another ice structure flying at me instead.

Using the slippery floor to my advantage this time, I slid onto my side to let the ice fly past me.

Damn, that was only inches away from taking my head off.

But even so....

"Looks like you and I are finally getting closer!!" I exclaimed at him with a wild grin on my face, feeling blood from the cuts on my forehead and cheeks running into my mouth.

"Psycho! You sound like my ex-girlfriend, or something." Geten huffed in frustration, sending two more ice weapons at me as he knew I could only control three things at once.

Letting out a small chuckle, I quickly released the hold I had on the floor, jumping off it so Geten couldn't send me flying.

Landing on one of his floating ice structures, I quickly stopped the piece of ice in place, with my quirk. By doing so, he wouldn't be able to manipulate it, while I was standing on it.

That's right. Geten's quirk is ice manipulation, so I can't immobilize his body with much success. But, I can immobilize the ice structures that he makes, and instead of just dodging them like I was doing before, I can actually use them to my benefit.

"You had a girlfriend? Ah, well, she sure dodged a bullet, breaking up with you!!" I mocked out, laughing with exhausted crazy as Geten attempted to manipulate the ice I was standing on to no avail.

Yes! This is the strategy I needed. He can't manipulate the ice I immobilize. Now, I'm finally in this fight.

But, on another note, I'm so tired and I'm bleeding everywhere. I just need this to end quickly. Even though I've figured out a plan, I can't take much more of this.

"The breakup was a mutual decision!!!" He lashed out, shooting another ice block at me out of involuntary fury.

But, that was his biggest mistake, since I'd just found an effective way to get around his quirk.

Quickly stopping the incoming ice structure in the air, I jumped onto it from the one I'd been standing on, manipulating Geten's quirk against him to create a series of floating stepping stones for myself with the immobilized ice.

"Damn it!!" He yelled in frustration, quickly catching on to what I was doing.

Knowing he'd fucked up, Geten immediately began shooting a series of rapid fire ice blocks in my direction, seeing me closing in on him too quickly.

Ouch! These ice blocks are colder than the previous ones he was shooting. He must be able to control the temperature of the ice, too.

However, now I had the handle on this situation, continuously stopping and releasing pieces of his ice with my quirk to make them work with me and get me closer to him.

But, damn. This guy's good! No wonder he gave Dabi a run for his money.

"Shit!!" I yelled out upon feeling my foot slip slightly on one of the ice blocks, causing my pace to slow down.

If only I had my combat boots.

"Come on, Geten!!! Don't let some hero push you around like that!" I heard Skeptic yell from the sidelines, clearly not on my side.

But, that didn't mean I was lacking supporters, either.

"Go, Ari!! Kick his icy ass!!" Toga cheered loudly, clapping her hands together excitedly while Twice shot me some finger guns.

Alright. They're kinda cute.

Quickly regaining my balance-and feeling myself starting to become lightheaded from blood loss, I decided to put all my effort into these last few seconds and leap across Geten's immobilized ice blocks as fast as I could.

If Keigo's feather was still hiding inside my clothing, it was completely stagnant, meaning he was probably focusing on my fight intensely.

He couldn't jump in much more than he already did, without looking suspicious.

And quite honestly...

I didn't want him to.

I wanted to do this on my own now. To prove to myself that I am good enough.

And you know what?

I think I am.

Taking a final jump off Geten's immobilized ice block, I charged straight at him, extending my leg for a powerful kick.

Geten grit his teeth in determination, not backing down as he saw me charging full speed at him.

Instead, I watched as he raised both of his hands in the air, before I heard another ice structure powerfully coming up behind me this time to try and take me out that way.

Damn, I really can't shake him off my tail. Even now, I don't have too much of the upper hand over him.

But, now, I'm already flying through the air, so it's just a test to see who's faster at this point.

The bottom of my flimsy shoe aimed straight for Geten's face, making me realize I'm gonna get the chance to nail him.

Quick, Ari. Say something cool!!

"Eat shit, you frigid bitch!!!" I yelled out like a fucking freak, internally-way internally, scolding myself for being so uncool.

That's okay. I'll get 'em next time.

At the same moment, my foot collided with Geten's face, causing his head to fly back with whiplash as I landed on top of him-

"The ice!!!!" I heard Keigo practically scream at me from the sidelines, causing me to barely remember the ice structure that Geten had coming up behind me.

Damn. I'm toast.

Activating my quirk on the ice behind me, I was only quick enough to slow down the pace of it, not having the time to stop it completely.

I couldn't help but let out a yell of panic as the ice structure came crashing down on Geten and I, feeling the world around me suddenly go dark with unconsciousness.

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Next Chapter Title: Two Sides of the Same Coin.