“Hey, Colbie? Colbie! Where are you?”

“Maybe she's upstairs, with the rest?”

Adilah and Katie walked through PREP ROOM D, where Colbie was slated to be before the first match. The Arena was a large place, and it took them a while to find the rooms that had been given for the competitors to prepare. Upstairs, they could hear the roar of the crowd as the announcer regaled them. A lot more people had flooded in in the last 20 minutes or so; it seemed most of Paragon had shown up to watch, including more than the fair share of tourists. 

As Adilah passed by the third set of lockers, she saw Colbie sitting in the corner, back turned. “Oh! There you are!”

“GAH!” Colbie fell off her tiny stool, recoiling from the shock. There was a big thud as her armored body hit the ground.

She rubbed her back. “Ah, Adilah, Katie, it's just you.”

Katie spoke up “What were you doing?”

“Just, ah, getting prepared!” Colbie laughed it off, quickly standing up to chat and towering over the other two. 

“You are up against Boedhi in the first round, right? That's interesting; probably the only one in Class A who can match you in strength.”  Adliah put her hand on her chin thoughtfully.

“Unless he's charging.” Katie noted. “Then he'll be hard to stop.”

“Tell me something I don't know.” Colbie knocked her head against the wall. “I could take him in rough terrain or water but, hell, it's an open slab!” Katie was seized by the shoulders with large reptile hands, and shaken back and forth.

“GAH IF ONLY I COULD FLY LIKE YOU, YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN PERFECT”

Katie, while being crushed, gave some words of encouragement. “Well, gah, wel ah, not as much!” Colbie put her down, and Katie pulled out the tournament infomatic. “Looks like the boundary lines also extend upwards, meaning I wouldn't be able to just zip around the arena. And I wouldn't have been able to hurt Boedhi, really; if he grabbed me, he'd probably just calmly walk me out of bounds.”

“Actually,” Adilah added, “That may be his strategy with you as well.”

“Heh?” Colbie started.

“Boedhi is a pacifist; like Mr. Morrigan said, he doesn't take the initiative. He'll probably just wait for you to charge him, and then he'll wait for you to make a mistake and he'll toss you out of bounds.”

“Yeah” Katie smiled. “Especially considering the city is watching! The tournament isn't just to show off; it shows the people of Paragon the type of hero you want to be. The type of hero they can look forward to.” She put her hand on Colbie’s massive shoulder. “I bet Boedhi's more afraid of seeming aggressive than he is of losing itself!” 

Colbie thought about it. Boedhi’s calm demeanor… they were right; his biggest flaw was hesitation. 

Adilah pumped her fist, causing an obvious line of aberration to flux in the air. “Yeah! So if you go all out, and don't make any mistakes, you'll be sure to win!”

Katie glanced at the infomatic. “Mhmm! And let's see… Hannah, Tadashi, even Chimlin, I think your quirk is a great matchup against them! If you can beat Boedhi here; I think you have a great chance of getting to the finals, at least!” Adilah nodded her head vigorously in agreement.

Colbie thought about it. They’re right, it makes sense, she thought. Her hands clenched, nervousness fading away.

This is kinda like my biggest challenge. 

---

Colbie walked up the steps to the arena platform. On each corner, a fire blazed, she supposed to add to the ambiance of “badassery”. The stands were packed on every side, and at the very top she knew that the teachers and pro heroes were watching from their booths. The announcer animated her entrance. 

“Dearest audience members! This is the moment you have all been waiting for. It is time to begin the first round of the UAI sports tournament are you reaaadddyyyyy?”

“On the right side, here comes our first competitor! She's a fearsome fighter, tough as nails, and a thick skin capable of withstanding any blow! Give a warm welcome to Colbie Greeves!”

Colbie took her stand as the crowd cheered. She waved, and saw herself displayed on the teleprompter. They died down, and the announcer continued.

“And on our left side, her competition! He's the nature-loving bulk you can’t help but adore! Standing taller than most pros, and sporting an impressive set of antlers, I give you, the powerful, Boedhi Gupta!”

Boedhi walked onto the platform, calm as could be. He smiled while looking at Colbie, and she almost felt he misunderstood why he was here. 

“Fighters! BEGIN!”

Colbie rushed forward. He's expecting this, she thought. He’ll side step once I'm close, hoping to trip me out of bounds. 

“Oh! And Colbie rushes forward, hoping to take the stag by surprise!”

Boedhi’s face lost its kindness, and he bent his knees in preparation. 

And when he does, I'll instead turn, and strike him with my tail. 

Coblie neared, and Boedhi sidestepped right. Got you! She planted her foot, jumped, and swung her tail in a massive wide arc. 

To her surprise, Boedhi ducked under it, and moved in, striking her unguarded in the face with a fierce straight punch. 

Colbie stumbled backwards, but Boedhi kept it coming. He moved forward, striking blasts on Colbie, who now raised her armored arms in defense. Each strike was precise; and aggressive, she noted. His onslaught stopped, and Colbie glanced through her arms, just in time to see him bow his head. She slammed her tail on the ground, propelling herself sideways, as Boedhi rushed forward with a powerful charge. Having missed, he cantered back around, now having essentially switched places with Colbie from the starting position.

“An incredible performance! Boedhi, turning the tides, responds with a quick and fierce counterattack!”

“Boedhi!” Colbie yelled, confused. “What the fuck?”

“Y’know, I thought it over a lot.” Boedhi said, with a slight pant. “I meditated before this bout, thinking about how I could win. Throwing you out of bounds would be the most natural option for me, since your defensive skills are so high, and I'm faster.” He spread a small smile and pawed a hoof on the ground. “But, you're too smart for that kind of thing. There was no other way; I don't believe in excessive violence, Colbie. Excessive.” He raised his hands, balled into fists.

 “But to win this, to prove to the people of Paragon I can defend them, I'm going to need to take you head on.”

Colbie’s nervousness returned. Wow, he's changed. She thought. He's not looking for the cheapest win; he's looking to beat me in a battle of strength. Boedhi reared his head down, antlers sticking up menacingly. Colbie glanced backwards; she was near the corner now, nowhere to dodge. His charges were fierce, but based on the swiftness of how he ducked, he probably got better at adjusting course. There was no way to avoid this.

I'll have to take it head on. Forget dodging, focus on defense. She spread her feet wide. 

Boedhi charged. She stretched her hands out, and caught his antlers. The force caused her to slide backwards, cracking the ground as she dug her feet in. She couldn’t help but feel like a training tripod, and Boedhi was perfecting his tackle. 

He powered onwards, and Colbie pressed back. She lowered herself, forcing his head down lower too, weakening his advance. They slowed, and stopped, both still pressing at maximum force.

I did it! Colbie thought to herself, but then Boedhi muttered something.

“Super move… Wild force!”

His back swelled, his legs grew longer. The hair on his arms and back tufted out, and he grunted as he pushed onwards. His shirt ripped along the seams as muscle compounded onto itself. Colbie yelped, struggling against the new strength, and slowly he started pushing her out of bounds. She was close now; in seconds, she would be over the line, and she would lose.

No, push back! She lowered herself even more, noting how Boedhi’s face had morphed as well. It was longer, more deer like, and his eyes were shut. He was exerting maximum force with his quirk; the platform under his steady hoofbeats was cracking from the pressure, but he pushed on. 

She tried to think, desperately, when suddenly she heard a crack. It was Boedhi’s antlers; the ones she held in her hands were cracking at the base under the strain. “Boedhi!”, she cried, trying to warn him. 

“PLUS ULTRA!” Boedhi yelled in response, wildy surging forward again. His antlers snapped; they broke off, and Boedhi’s head collided unexpectedly into Colbie’s stomach. 

Colbie grabbed Boedhi’s back with both hands. 

She slammed her tail down, and lifted Boedhi’s momentum upwards. 

Lifting his bulk, and with a shout, she threw the stag over her head. 

*THOOM!*

They both collapsed on the floor, exhausted. 

Colbie opened her eyes. NO! Her hand was over the line!

“And the winner is…” The ref called from the sideline, raising a flag.

Colbie glanced up, and saw Boedhi lying prone, far beyond the line. 

“...Colbie Greeves!” 

The crowds erupted, but Colbie just rushed to her feet and kneeled at Boedhi’s side. “Are you ok??” She asked, not sure what to do.

He coughed, and opened his eyes. “That was smart,” he sighed, glancing up at her. “I almost had you over the line.” 

“Your antlers,, I'm so sorry, ah...”

He sat up, and smirked. “Don't worry; they'll grow back. And they'll grow back stronger.” He winked at her, and tenderly got to his feet.

Boedhi smiled at her, as carefree as could be, tattered remnants of his shirt still hanging off him.

“Congrats!”