Chapter 19: The Element of Surprise

Natsu immediately rushed at Asumi, leaving a trail of lightning in his wake – moving faster than ever.

The arena cracked like thunder as he reappeared in front of Asumi, his shinai already swinging. She barely got her weapon up in time – the impact tore through her arms, numbing them instantly as a shockwave rippled outward.

Each movement left streaks of gold in the air, his body flickering between positions too fast for the audience to track. Asumi was forced backward, her guard rattling, her health bar plummeting with every imperfect block.

“How’s that?” Natsu smirked, going down with his shinai once again. “I can see why your friend in the stands relies on this technique so much!”

Asumi clenched her teeth as she got bounced around the arena by Natsu, her health bar falling drastically as she got tossed like a ragdoll.

Eventually… Asumi smiled.

“This isn’t like Meguri.”

Natsu rushed forward before appearing behind her in a flash of lightning.

“Meguri’s better.”

Fire erupted from the floor, forcing Natsu to leap backward mid-strike as heat washed across the arena.

“What the hell?” Meguri yelled from the stands. “Asumi didn’t cast anything, did she? What was that explosion?”

Taichi chuckled.

“It’s a landmine,” he explained. “The embers that she ignited the field with never actually disappeared – they just deactivated… but they’re already loaded with mana. And for the icing on the cake…”

Taichi looked around the field and smirked, remembering all the positions of her previous attack.

“Her landmines are all over the place.”

Asumi surged forward through the smoke, fire exploding at her heels as she slammed into Natsu – one clean strike to his side, forcing him back.

“You little–”

Asumi was already there.

He raised his shinai just in time, locking blades with her as heat and electricity clashed violently.

“Damn it… her arms were still strained from that initial flurry – she can’t overpower Natsu anymore,” Taichi quivered.

“She knows that,” Meguri stated plainly. “She has a plan. I know she does.”

Natsu snarled and forced her back with raw strength, his fire-enhanced strike launching her across the mat.

“You will not beat me. You will NOT beat me!” Natsu screamed, pushing Asumi back and sending her flying back.

Natsu looked up at the health bars.

He was at 25%.

She was at 55%.

“It ends now – Yuki Asumi.”

Natsu funneled mana into his hand and slammed it against the floor dramatically.

“He can’t disarm Asumi’s landmine with either of his aspects, can he?” Taichi asked.

“Technically he could with fire, but he’d have to match her mana control, which is impossible. He’d need a compatible aspect like water to do that,” Meguri explained.

Taichi’s eyes tightened.

“Like water, huh?”

He couldn’t help but think back to his first match against Natsu, when it rained on him and he was struck by lightning. That same loss by the hand of a mysterious attack that nobody figured out the ability behind. There was only one theory from Taichi that was rejected by Asumi.

“It’s impossible for him to have been born with a third aspect,” Meguri said, restating Asumi’s sentiment from all that time ago.

On the field below them, Natsu’s mana flowed into the ground as water began rising slowly to an inch above their feet.

“It’s impossible…” Meguri muttered.

Asumi’s eyes widened as all of her landmines fizzled out, drowned by the water. Her mind raced for an explanation, but the reality was clear.

“You have three aspects,” Asumi whispered, sending a shiver down her own spine.

“I never said I only had two – you all just assumed,” Natsu smirked. “I only ever needed two against you weaklings. Consider yourself honored, Yuki Asumi. You and Hayato Taichi are the only ones who have pushed me this far. You’re strong.”

“So when you struck him with lightning…” Asumi started.

“I formed clouds with my water aspect and created ice to cause friction, forcing lightning to generate naturally with my mana-born products,” Natsu explained.

Asumi’s fist clenched as she thought of what she could do, but her mind came to a blank.

“This has been fun, but… unfortunately…”

Natsu moved all the water around him up toward Asumi, flooding the area of her feet up to her waist. The water began rushing inward toward her from all directions, making it impossible for her to escape.

“All good things must come to an end.”

Asumi tried to evaporate the water around her with a plume of fire, but it was too late.

With a spark of lightning, electricity was sent pumping through Asumi’s veins, conducted by the water half of her body was stuck in. She couldn’t regain enough concentration to use her mana again – Natsu just kept striking bolt after bolt of lightning into the whirlpool of despair that she was stuck in.

“I… surren…”

Another bolt of lightning.

“I… surrend…”

Asumi couldn’t complete this statement.

It was an official match, so Kodaka was unable to cut it short until she was at 0% health, unconscious, or completed the statement.

Natsu kept going and kept going, until Asumi hit 0 HP and finally passed out.

The audience watched in absolute horror at the sight.

There were no cheers for Natsu. Kodaka begrudgingly went up to the stage.

“Natsu wins,” he quickly announced before going to the drenched Asumi, quivering despite her unconscious state.

Taichi jumped down from the stands in a fury, each step shaking the mat beneath them.

“Why did you do it?!” Taichi yelled after Natsu, who was already starting to leave the arena. “She was trying to surrender! Why did you keep going, damn it?!”

“Can’t a guy have a little bit of fun around here?” Natsu shrugged off.

Taichi’s fists clenched – his hand dripping blood as he started vibrating violently.

“DUEL ME! RIGHT NOW, DAMN IT!” Taichi yelled.

“And why should I risk my rank like that?” Natsu asked menacingly. “You aren’t Rank #2. You can’t force me to do anything. You really want to talk about dueling me when you’ve lost both times we’ve fought? Then get the rank necessary to challenge me and we’ll let our aspects do the talking. Until then…”

Natsu walked out.

“I don’t need to hear a single word out of your pitiful mouth.”

Taichi rushed over to Asumi, where Meguri was already crouching over her.

“Asumi! Asumi!” Meguri yelled out. “Wake up!”

“Asumi…” Taichi whispered, holding onto one of her hands, cold with the temperature of the water she was stuck in.

The two of them were doomed to watch as a team of people came out with a stretcher, taking Asumi to the school infirmary, where she was laid in a bed for hours upon hours.

Slowly but surely, Asumi’s eyes began to flutter open, taking in the bright light of the infirmary ceiling before a shadow was quickly cast on it.

“Asumi? Asumi!” Taichi yelled out, hugging her.

“Taichi, Taichi, it hurts,” Asumi groaned.

“Oh… sorry,” Taichi said, quickly letting go.

Seeing Taichi’s face, she realized that their were water marks on his cheeks – and based on his posture, he’d been sitting for at least a few hours. He was by her side the entire time.

“I’m sorry we put all the pressure on you to win, Asumi; but you did amazingly, okay? You have nothing to be ashamed of,” Taichi said, his breath huffy.

“I can’t… I can’t beat him,” Asumi admitted, clenching her body in pain. “I wanted to keep fighting him, tomorrow, day after, as long as I could… but I can’t beat him. Beating somebody with three aspects is just… impossible for me.”

Taichi bowed his head.

“I know,” Taichi said, refusing to lie to her. Natsu was too strong. It was a fact. “Asumi, I know this is a big request but… can you leave it to me?”

“Taichi… you can’t beat him either. He’s been toying with us this whole time and still winning.”

“I’ll win,” Taichi said, his eyes narrowing. “This isn’t just about Tadokoro. This isn’t about the suits. This isn’t about meeting the headmaster. Not anymore – it’s more important to me than all of that. I will defeat Natsu, Asumi. I swear on my father’s memory that I will win.”

“Then you might need some help, right?” Meguri said from the doorway with one other person. “Allow me to reintroduce you to the highest ranked water aspect user in the school, besides Natsu now I suppose…”

“Natsuki Hayama… current Rank #12, and my first opponent in the tournament,” Taichi finished with a small smile, recalling the difficult fight. He got up and walked toward him, stretching out his hand. “Please… help me.”

“I watched the fight,” Hayama started. “I can’t support somebody like that being the representative of this school. Whatever simulation, whatever training you need from me to defeat Natsu, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you,” Taichi said, turning back to the bed. “Asumi? Do I have your blessing?”

Asumi clenched her fist weakly before nodding.

“I concede to your duel challenge. You are now Rank #2,” Asumi stated hesitantly.

“Then let’s get started.”