My eyes widen slowly. "W-What..?!"
"You heard me! Stop boosting me!" Gentarō yells back at me.
"Are you...pitying me or something..?!" The flames encasing Itsumi's body burst with power.
"Nope, not at all. You see, I haven't exactly been playing fair since this tournament first got started." Gentarō snickers playfully.
"What do you mean by that..?" Itsumi's eyes narrow with suspicion.
"I'm not saying you guys are weak, by any means, but when you're going up against anyone who's being boosted physically by eight times the natural boost of any acolyte, especially one that's been training in martial arts for years... Needless to say, it'd take a pretty highly skilled acolyte to do something like that. Hence why I've won all my battles in this tournament and made those acolytes look like a bunch of fools in mere minutes." Gentarō snickers once more.
"You know...he honestly kind of makes a good point..." I think to myself.
"That's why I'm going to fight you with respect from here on out. It's clear that you yourself have worked pretty hard to get where you are today, and you're giving it your all rather than using cheap tricks or acting like a cocky son of a gun. I want to fight you with my own strength rather than strength used to teach jerkwad acolytes the lesson they deserve." Gentarō looks back at me. "So stop boostin me Genta! I wanna fight here with my own strength!"
"You know you can just...not use your own boosting ability and let me keep boosting you...right..?" I mumble loud enough for him to hear.
"But then I wouldn't look nearly as cool! Come on dude!" He grumbles.
"Alright alright." My hair and eyes return to their natural brown color and I let my arms fall to my sides slowly. Internally, I can't help but feel like me freaking out internally was a big reason why Gentarō pushed for me to stop boosting him.
The thought quickly escapes my mind when I hear Itsumi giggling though. "Hehe... So that's how it is... I suppose you're not wrong... I myself only started training in martial arts after I got to this school. My one year of experience is much less than the many years you've trained. So...I thank you for giving me a chance rather than just pummeling me into the ground." Itsumi smiles softly and my heart instantly flutters. I swear that her eyes are sparkling and some kind of spotlight is making her glow because she looks even more like a goddess than she already is.
"Then, ready to start again?" Gentarō retakes his stance, hair and eyes still glowing white.
"Yes, I am." Itsumi takes the same stance, her body still ablaze. The two stare one another down with serious gazes, and yet, they smile. With a pivot of their feet, they both dash at each other and slam their palms against one another, causing another burst of flames like before. They then begin palming, kicking, and swiping their legs at one another, Itsumi swiftly avoiding being hit with a blast of her flames here and there while Gentarō blocks, parries, and dodges with pure skill alone.
It feels as if hours are passing, yet I can't take my eyes off the two as they continue going back and forth like that. It seems like it'll be a battle of stamina before Itsumi suddenly shoots flames out of her hands and flies back away from Gentarō. "Since you've decided to treat me with respect, I shall return the favor by giving it my all!" The flame lyte lion hops from her shoulder to her hands, lighting ablaze as it lets out an adorable, but fierce roar. The tiny beast jumps out of Itsumi's hands and begins running around the three of us at a rapid pace, creating a hurricane of flames.
"Hot damn! Literally!" Gentarō laughs, trying to shield his eyes from how bright and hot the flames are. Itsumi flies into the air with yet another blast of flames from her feet, but she fires flames out of the palms of her hands as well to make herself fly even faster, reaching the very top of the barrier that surrounds us where the top of the flaming tornado ends.
"Prepare yourself, Gentarō! Here is my ultimate technique!" A much more powerful lion's roar can be heard as the flaming tornado begins swirling around Itsumi and Itsumi alone, its flames becoming even brighter and more brilliant as it combines with the flames encasing her body. I watch in awe, stunned by the sight, as it almost seems like a dress of flames is wrapped around Itsumi, only making her beauty shine that much brighter.
I quickly shake my head and look to Gentarō as she lets out a battle cry and flies down towards him. I watch as the palm Gentarō is holding back slowly becomes a fist, and his nervous smirk turns into an excited grin. Gentarō lets out his own battle cry as he jumps up to meet Itsumi in the middle of the air, throwing a punch for the first time since I've met him and Itsumi throwing a punch of her own. As their fists meet, it causes a shockwave and a burst of heat, both of them trying to push one another back, but against Itsumi's might, Gentarō alone is no match. The flames that are swirling around Itsumi, aka, her lyte, slam right into Gentarō and send him flying into the ground below them, a burst of flames erupting as soon as they meet the floor.
"Gentarō!" I shout as I rush over to see if he's alright, barreling right through the intense heat wave as if it were nonexistent. Itsumi lands gracefully, though does stumble a little bit afterwards, looking on at the damage she caused as well. We both look into the small crater that's formed to see Gentarō and her lyte knocked out inside of it, both of their eyes filled with swirls from how dizzy and exhausted they are.
Despite how rough they look, they seem to be just fine, and I can't help but let out a laugh. I thought that if I saw Gentarō lose, it'd fill me with grief and utter despair, but I'm unbelievably happy right now, not just because we lost to Itsumi, but because Itsumi is wearing a respectful, happy smile on her face. She even bows her head as she speaks her next words. "Thank you for the match. I hope to fight you again someday, perhaps if you decide to come after my title."
She stands up straight and continues to smile, making my heart flutter unbelievably fast, and despite the fact that I haven't taken a single blow or fought at all, that smile is all it takes to knock me out cold. The last thing I hear before knocking out is the announcer stating, "Itsumi Nagako has won! She will be moving onto the finals against Sana Kei!" And the last thing I see is Itsumi worriedly stretching out her arm and rushing over to Gentarō and I.