Chapter 77: The Bell test part 3

Hello hello! How was your week, I hope it was great and I hope these chapters will make them even better. I have been out of commission for over a week, I got so sick I had a fever that made me delirious and seeing things. Not the greatest experience but now I have something in that category to write for scenes in the future, so silver lining. I love fueling my creativity, it means more stories and more entertainment for you all.

Hope you enjoy!

If you have any questions or you want to reach out Please do it through TUMBLR ONLY: tumblr.com/blog/katsura369 

CHAPTER 77

The intensity of the battle continued to grow, as Katsuki refused to let up for even a moment. He knew that his opponent could seize the opportunity even if it was for a split second. Despite his personal feelings, he knew better than to underestimate Sakura. When Katsuki first saw Shouto use his quirk during their training at the beginning of the year and freeze an entire building, he was completely crushed by the realization that it was impossible for him to win against the Todoroki. That was when he placed more stock in Quirk's like everyone else. His inflated ego had lost a lot of air that kept it standing firm.

But that was before he realized that no matter how powerful a quirk, there was a human beneath that power. And that was something they all worked in masking with their power. Sakura seemed to have understood this since the beginning.

He also realized that the same was true for Sakura. She was just as human as the rest of them, the reason she stood on a different level was similar to the ways Olympic-trained athletes could run longer than the average person. What made people different from each other was their mastery of skills. Sakura had rounded herself out in the fighting department by taking a lot more classes than the rest of her classmates. They would use their quirks as a guideline for their regime, but she had covered every surface she could. If he thought about them as video game characters, Sakura's fighting stats would nearly be equal, and of high level, as she honed them.

That was all Katsuki was willing to accept. No way that someone fell into being this capable by sucking their thumb. And he knew that if he wanted to defeat her, he was going to have to improve his own abilities and find what very person in existence has.

Weakness.

'She's just better at hiding hers,' Even Shouto, who would've had a real fighting chance against Katsuki's Howtzer attack at the Sports Festival if he used his flames, revealed his glaring weakness to him. His neglect and uncertainty of that part of his quirk made him unfit to use it in battle at the time. Izuku, who could be praised for his reaction reflexes happened to be the type who got caught up in his thoughts even in the middle of a battle and would lose touch with reality if only for a second giving openings.

They all had their weaknesses, but managing to mask it was what influenced their impression. All Might stood as this mountain impervious to every storm that attempted to beat him down. Only to discover later that he was already hollow inside and on the verge of crumbling. Something that still haunts Katsuki to have witnessed.

He charged forward, his muscles taut like a coil spring ready to snap, his palms stretched out and lit up by his quirk, with sparks dancing around. Sakura had kept on the defensive so far, but Katsuki didn't know when she would decide to switch positions, which is why he didn't want to give her a chance to breathe. He might've seemed like his attack was going on a tirade, but each blast was meticulously calculated and timed. Despite this, Sakura wasn't showing any signs of an opening.

She moved as if she was strolling, dodging a masterclass in precision that Katsuki took note of. She sidestepped and twisted, but her gaze never wavered. For every explosion Katsuki released, it seemed she had a witty response, whether it was a faint pivot, or a narrow evade. At this rate, he was going to get tired before her.

A battle of attrition was the best option for an opponent that outclassed you in strength. Chippin' away at their defenses and power. But Katsuki saw her at the training camp, while they had been run ragged just getting to their destination, she remained in the most pristine condition she didn't even need to take a bath or inhale her dinner like the rest of them.

The one thing that Katsuki could seem to count on was to play on Sakura's childish nature that he invoked from their encounters. She seemed determined to tease his temper, and he was counting on that to keep him safe from her attacks.

"Stay still, dammit!" Katsuki roared, propelling himself forward with a powerful blast that cracked the air. If precision couldn't break her defense, he'd tear it down up close. He lunged, fists crackling, closing the gap between them in a heartbeat.

Katsuki's attacks came in relentless waves—left hook, right palm thrust, an uppercut ignited with a small explosion that could easily knock out a lesser opponent. But Sakura matched him strike for strike.

'He's improved since the last time we fought,' Sakura could tell by reading the patterns of his fighting style that they had become more eloquent. He was even keeping his quirk active to keep her at bay and likely avoid switching from defense to offense. Sakura wondered how aware he had become of the disparaging gap between their ability. When he fought Toshinori with Izuku during the practical, he didn't let up even as he was beaten down over and over. So she thought he might take a similar approach to her. She had given enough opportunities for her classmates to understand the extension of her abilities.

But this was going to be their reality when they became heroes, some opponents might stand too high for them to reach. Especially on their own.

"You're actually just like Deku aren't you?" Katsi said through raging breaths. The muscles under his arms tensed and pulled from the strain he was putting them under with his barrage assault.

"What does that mean?" Sakura asked cooly, bouncing back on the balls of her feet, shifting her shoulders and torso to avoid his hands and the explosions that accompanied them.

Katsuki continued to swipe at her, feeling his sweat increase, running down his palms, "You always have to come up with some plan when you fight!"

Again she smiled at him, Katsuki didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to withstand her.

"Well I don't know about that," She caught his hand mid-swing, her grip was iron. Chakra surged through her palm, an invisible barrier that absorbed and redirected the kinetic energy of his blast. For a split second, sparks danced across their hands, crackling in protest. Then, with a muffled pop, the force rebounded, surging back into Katsuki's arm. He was spared from the heat of the backlash as he wore his protective gloves even so his knees buckled slightly, a snarl twisting his lips as he fought to stay upright.

"Damn it…" he hissed through clenched teeth, struggling to mask the pain.

Sakura didn't release her grip immediately as she momentarily intertwined their fingers, slipping awkwardly through Katsuki's gloves. "I was taught that since I'm a healer, I have to stay alive and always be the last one standing. Otherwise, I can't save anyone. I actually study my opponent during a battle," she explained calmly as if she were giving a lecture rather than fighting for dominance. "That way, I can predict their moves and dodge them. "

Katsuki's fury was brimming in his crimson eyes. "Oh yeah? Well, predict this!"

He yanked his hand free and knocked his wrists together, curling his palms. Light erupted from the center, radiating towards his fingertips, a searing flash designed by Katsuki to blind and disorient his victims. Stun Grenade. The forest was flooded in a harsh light, that covered everyone's vision in temporary white. Katsuki couldn't help but grin, as he heard the chime of the bell on Sakura's waist when she moved.

Her eyes were tightly shielded, and that's when he moved. His hand darted towards the bell on her waist, ready to shut down the infuriating game she had been playing with all of them and more importantly, claim the victory over Sakura. One he had been craving for a long time.

He was going to crush that infernal bell in his palm and rub in his victory.

But as his fingers barely skimmed the bell, Sakura shifted her body, faster than the wind changing direction. Her heels had lifted, allowing her to graze across the ground and turn her movements to liquid. The bell chimed again, with a mocking melody, as if laughing at him.

"What the—?!" Katsuki's eyes widened, disbelief momentarily overriding his rage. He caught sight of her closed eyes, confirming what he'd suspected—she had truly blinded herself. But how? He refused to believe she countered him, in such a state. It was less than three seconds since he released that attack.

Katsuki, never one to simply roll over, attempted another attack, this time a mix of physical strikes and bursts of explosive energy. She ducked under his swinging arm, with precise movements, no wasted energy, no hesitation.

'How the hell!?' He repeated the motion, intent now on hitting her with a blast, his focus distanced from the bell.

"We have other senses besides sight," Sakura said, her eyes still clenched, but her voice calm in the ferocity of dodging. Focusing instead on the flow of the air, the vibrations in the ground, and her fingers on the pulse of Katuski's fighting intent. "You do nothing to hide your presence. I can sense where you are even if I can't see you, Katsuki,"

Her worlds were sharp and cold like a blade. As much as he disliked admitting to this, she was an incredible fighter. She had to be to beat him. In the past, he never would've been able to admit it without breaking down at the concept that there was someone out there who would best him set on easy mode. However, Katsuki knew that just because someone else stood on top of the mountain first didn't mean he couldn't climb up there and throw them from the position.

Katsuki didn't give any comeback and focused solely on his attack, trying to ignore his body which was beginning to fall victim to fatigue. But just as he shifted his stance to continue his assault, a voice called out from behind.

"Gotcha!"

Denki had been forgotten but bidding his time as he waited for his target to move into place, and finally, she did. He pointed his forefinger in Sakura's direction positioned behind the disk he had placed.

"Sorry, Sakura," Denki called, a touch of regret in his tone that didn't quite mask the excitement. "This one's gonna hurt!"

Her head turned to where Denki stood, as he took the shot. A wave of electricity crackled in a concentrated streak toward her. Katsuki didn't waste this opportunity of diversion, and lunged forward as well, aiming a blast meant to knock Sakura back and throw her off balance. While he didn't like playing with others Katsuki wasn't going to let chance escape through the window.

There was a momentary disorientation on her face, but then he saw the way her face twisted back into that sweet little grin with mocking malice. She seized Katsuki's wrist with a single pull he was at eye level with her, his knees bent making his stance awkward. Katsuki's eyes widened, shock and rage flooding his face as he found himself inches from him.

"Nice try," she whispered, her breath a ghost against his cheek. With a sharp twist, she flung Katsuki's body toward the incoming blast.

'OH NO!' Denki's eyes widened in horror as saw Katsuki flying into the path of his attack, the electricity slamming into him and surging through with nerve-searing intensity. Katsuki gritted his teeth but there were the guttural grunts of pain that echoed through the forest with agony and evergrowing rage. Denki's panic spiked as he frantically deactivated his quirk, but it was too late—the damage had been done.

'She used him as a human shield!'

When Katsukiw was about to drop, he was caught when his back was bent forward. Sakura caught him by the back of his costume at the nape, steam rising from his body.

"I'd say he's medium rare huh?" She chuckled, tossing Katsuki back, so he landed into the shrubs, vanishing behind. She then turned to Denki and he froze thinking she was going to come at him for an attack but she just waved and vanished in a blur of red. Leaving Denki alone with his spiraling thoughts. Allowing him to stare at the aftermath of his blunder as his legs trembled under him. Katsuki might've been taking a nap in the shrubbery right now but eventually he was going to come to and when he did Denki feared for the world of hurt that was going to be delivered upon him.

"Crap, crap!" Grabbing fistfuls of his hair, as he teetered on the edge of a meltdown, a glinting touched his eyes from the corner. Denki blinked, focusing on one of the objects, and it was as if all his worries lifted at that moment. The bell-Sakura's bell lay on the ground, glimmering there vulnerable without any sign of the pink-haired girl.

'She must've dropped it!'

That bell would now be the signal of his saving grace, he could end the training, call for help, and get out of here before Katsuki came to and tried to wring his neck.

Without a second thought, Denki bolted toward it. Just a few more inches, and he'd be free. He reached down, fingers closing around the cold metal of the bell. Relief surged through him—

It felt like a snake coil wrapped around his ankle and hoisted him into the air, pulling taut before he was thrown skyward, his world turned upside down in such a flash he barely had time to cry out his surprise. The forest spun as he dangled like a marionette from a string.

"WHAT THE HECK!?"

A giggle drew his attention upward, and he saw Sakura looming over him, perched in a tree with a bemused smile, arms crossed over her chest, "Nice try, but you should know if it's too good to be true, then it probably is,"

As Denki continued to hang there, swaying, Sakura jumped down to collect the bell again. "Who uses old-fashioned traps like this?"

"If it's effective everyone should," Sakura said. Kakashi had quite the talent for setting traps like this during training but Sakura would say she followed his example well enough. He might even be flattered at the prospect.

She tossed the bell into the air, "Lesson one, learn to see through deception,"

He wanted to ask what she meant by that, but Sakura took off again into the trees, vanishing under their shadows and leaving Denki hanging there helplessly.

"Wait…."

How was he going to get out of this one without breaking his skull open?

..

..

..

"And that's what happened," Denki declared, raising his chin a little too high for that string of events. Perhaps he was just proud for recollecting everything so well considering how fast it happened. He heard a chortle of sorts and saw Hanta nearly swallowing his bottom lip, eyes narrowed and shoulders trembling as he fought the losing battle not to pop that bubble of laughter inside his throat. But it came out with a start and a snort.

"That's what happened huh?" He cackled, holding his stomach, "I see, I see!"

"Oi!" Denki snapped, pointing a finger at him. "It's not funny! I was this close—this close—to winning if it hadn't been for Sakura and her crazy tricks! You wouldn't be laughing at me then!"

Mezo, kept a calm composure, his arms wrapped up as he stared at the rope, like he was scanning for it to tell him something. "It's interesting,"

Denki frowned, his attention diverted from his humiliation. "What's interesting?"

Mezo didn't answer straight away, as if he was still aligning his thoughts. "I think, this is how she's testing us,"

"What are you talking about Shouji? This is training of course it's a test," Hanta pointed.

"Kamininari what was it that she said to you again? The lesson?"

The blonde took a moment to recall, "Um, lesson one see through deception?"

Hanta could tell that Mezo was attempting to paint some picture, it's just looking very abstract to him. So he asked for clarity. "What are you getting at Shouji?"

He walked over to the rope, "This trap, do you think she's set others around in the forest?"

Sakura wasn't with them that morning and had been waiting on the grounds when they arrived. They don't know how long she might've been out in the forest preparing for this training. Or if she had set more traps around the forest. When he pointed this out, that shifted everyone. Maneuvering through forest terrain was already harder compared to the city, and now they had to worry about traps like they were in some kind of role-playing fantasy game.

"Why would she set up traps? This was supposed to be a battle royal kinda deal?" Hanta said.

"Why does it matter though?" Denki scratched the back of his head. He didn't see why it was such a concern if Sakura decided to prepare traps ahead of time.

"Because," Mezo explained, "if we can figure out her intentions, we might be able to use that knowledge to our advantage. Think about what she's told us so far, there's a time limit to take the bell, and it's 19 against 1. She might not even intend to fight us head-on,"

Another explosion set off, and all eyes turned to Katsuki. He was finally getting the feeling back in his arms and he was ready to take off again. Gritting his teeth, he made a mental note to repay Denki for his brilliance at the most inconvenient moment possible.

"Wait Bakugou don't you want to weigh in here?" asked Hanta. "Besides you heard Shouji there might be traps set out in the forest if so we need to tell the other's-

He just huffed, his chest rising and falling with the effort to suppress his mounting frustration.

But for now, his fury had a more pressing target.

"Idiots," he muttered, side-eying Denki, Hanta, and Shouji, "You're babbling on like Deku isn't going to get you anywhere. I don't give a dam if she's set traps around every inch of this forest. She won't be able to hide from me!"

He stomped away from the group, his boots crunching loudly against the forest floor. Katsuki was not going to go down like this against Sakura, and he was not going to let her toy with him the way she did at the sports festival. He was going to make sure to draw everything out of her even if he had to tear through this entire forest.

The familiar crackle of his quirk ignited a surge of adrenaline in his veins, overpowering the lingering numbness in his muscles. He welcomed the sting.

It was not going to be the same. She was not about to tell him that they were still standing on the same levels, where she was at fifty and he was at one, and now he was fifty and she was at a hundred.

THAT'S ALL FOLKS! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and Remember to stay strong!

If you want to get a hold of these latest chapters check out my TUMBLR where you can join as a member. You can also get the update schedule to follow. As well as Fanart posts.

https://www.tumblr.com/katsura369/775566839966285824/join-katsura369s-ko-fi-membership-on-ko-fi?source=share

MEMBERS NOW: (BMAC MEMBER)

NEW STORY: Kunoichi amongst Reapers

-Commission: Demon slayer x My hero academia (PART 1 & 2)

 Kunoichi amongst Benders (Avatar x Naruto crossover) ( 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)

-Kunoichi amongst Heroes chapter (78, 79, 80)

-Kunoichi amongst Heroes WHAT IF SPIN OFF: Dorms and Exams

-Kunoichi amongst Pirates chapter ( 32, 33,34)

-Crossroads of Fate chapter 23, 24, 25, 26

-Through the Looking Glass chapter 30, 31, 32. 33, 34

-(SEQUEL) Through the Spyglass chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6

-SPECIAL HALLOWEEN CHAPTER: Shinigami amongst Shinobi

Want more INFO on my STORIES and ARTWORK lookup Katsura369