Lightning - My Hero Academia

Chapter 20: Final Push! Ako vs. Chikashi!

"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.