Shuhei "There will be three matches! 2nd year vs 3rd year! 3rd year vs 4th year! And 4th year vs 2nd year! Each year will decide which class participates and points will be awarded on skills shown, speed of outing and sportsmanship! Alright Iris High, let's get to it!"
He shouts as the classes begin talking amongst themselves. They all quickly decide who is competing.
Shuhei "For our first match, class 2-1 vs 3-2!"
Shiori stands along the back line outlining the court for dodgeball with a look of slight confusion and indifference.
Shiori 'Why are we first up?..'
Chizuru "Come on Shiori, head in the game!"
Hisana "Yeah, we gotta win this!"
They say with determined smiles on their faces.
Haru "Oh man, I love dodgeball!"
Lucy "You can say that again! Time to let off some steam!"
Haru smiles happily as Lucy gets an almost aggressive look on her face. The third year class all look determined and ready to charge as tension rises before the start.
Kitaro "So do we have some sort of strategy?"
Hikigaya "Probably not. Just winging it."
Ryuji nods, agreeing, as Sugawara looks worried. Kitaro sighs and shakes his head gently.
Kitaro "Well this should be interesting."
Shuhei "Classes, are you ready?!"
The students shout as Suiyoubi readies herself to run next to Touma who seems hesitant. On the mark of Shuhei, a referee blows his whistle. Suddenly, most students on both sides rush the center lined with rubber balls. Touma, Shiori, Sugawara and a few others stay behind while everyone else rushes. Unfortunately, not everyone was able to grab a ball. Most of the students who got a ball threw it immediately in an attempt to get some quick knockouts but some grabbed the ball and stepped back using it as a shield to defend against incoming attacks. A couple students are knocked out immediately on both sides leaving it pretty even from the fast start. One third year rushes and throws a fastball at Haru who jumps out of the way screaming.
Haru "Ah! The ball almost hit me, I'm so defenseless!"
He says while flying through the air before his eyes sharpen and a mischievous smile comes across his face.
Haru "Or am I?"
He rolls then swings his arm heavily around releasing a fast ball that curves hitting the boy who threw at him first in the stomach. He exhales sharply, getting the wind knocked out of him as the referee calls him out. Meanwhile, Lucy rushes from the back dodging a couple balls being thrown at her in the process and throws an even faster straight shot hitting one student then bouncing into another before hitting the floor getting them both out. As the referee calls them out, she smirks and high fives Haru.
Shiori "What is with those two?"
Ryuji "They may not try much or even like sports at all but when it comes to dodgeball, they are entirely different beasts."
Shiori looks surprised and impressed at their love for dodgeball. Principal Ai and the other judges watch carefully as the match goes on.
Ashley "Woahho! Did you see that? Those two have some canons on them!"
Shuhei "That Lucy girl definitely has some moves on her. I'm not really a fan of the fakeout Haru did though…"
Ashley "Speak for yourself! A good move is a good move. What do you think Principal Ai?"
They both look at her as she just smiles and writes something down. They realize they too must be keeping score and write down their thoughts as well. Back in the game, a couple more students have been eliminated on the second years side giving the third year an advantage. A couple of third years laugh and high five for a moment.
Boy "This is gonna be easy."
Girl "Those second years don't stand a chance."
They laugh as they look back to see Touma holding a ball and approaching the center, getting ready to throw. They begin to sweat as they see his intimidating stature and look on his face. As he winds his arm back to throw as hard as he can, they scream.
Boy/Girl 'Oh no! That'll kill us!' "Ahhh! We surrender just don't hurt us!"
They rush to the edge of the court to the referee and forfeit. Touma looks confused as another student rushes past him and throws a ball at Lucy, not even noticing Touma next to him. So he just throws the ball gently at the student's arm. The student gets a shocked and disappointed look before accepting defeat. Touma then casually makes his way towards the back again. The two students that left then get shocked expressions, regretfully.
Boy/Girl 'Whaaaat?! That's it!?'
They then plop to the ground as the other students growl in frustration. Lucy then catches a ball getting one of her teammates back in while Hikigaya throws a ball getting another third year out.
Boy "This isn't looking good…"
Tom "Don't worry about it."
Tom Jinto, the third years' lead, steps forward from the group. The class starts cheering as he, still with an unenthusiastic look, faces off against the second years. Suiyoubi smiles as she runs forward along with Kitaro. They both wind their arms back and throw their balls as hard as they can at Tom. As the balls come flying towards him, his look doesn't change. He cocks his head to the side and twists his body to avoid getting hit but more than that, he catches both of the balls in his weird stance. Kitaro and Suiyoubi are shocked but realize that means they're out and walk off the court. Tom stands normally as two more students come back onto the court. The third years begin to smirk and cheer as the second years begin to sweat.
Tom "Don't get me wrong, I think all sports are boring, if I could just go home I would but…"
His eyes sharpen a bit at Shiori. She looks surprised.
Tom "I am the leader of my year this time. I can't let them all down. That would be totally uncool."
Shiori 'Just who is this guy..?'
Tom then winds up his arm and throws the ball extremely fast at Sugawara. Sugawara has a look of shock as the ball flies towards him too fast for him to dodge. Suddenly, a second ball comes flying towards him but this one intercepts Tom's ball. Tom looks a little surprised as his ball is knocked away by Hikigaya from across the court. He stands up from his throwing position and glares at Tom.
Tom "Tch."
He noises irritatedly.
Sugawara "Thanks Hikigaya."
Hikigaya "Don't worry, just focus."
Sugawara nods.
Ryuji "This guy looks like trouble. If he can coordinate his team properly, we may actually lose the first match."
Hikigaya "Don't worry about that. He seems to be on the offense so I suggest focusing on catching the balls rather than trying to hit them."
Ryuji and Shiori nod as Haru and Lucy get riled up.
Lucy "Finally someone worth our time."
Tom doesn't seem interested as he even turns his back to them to walk to the back of the court. Haru and Lucy get offended and wind their arms back to throw.
Haru "You really think you're that much better than us?!"
As they prepare to throw, Tom utters something.
Tom "Strike."
Shiori's eyes widen.
Shiori "Guys, wait!"
Suddenly, four third years on both sides of Tom rush out from behind him and launch their balls at Lucy and Haru before they can even throw. They're caught off guard and struck down in an instant.
Chizuru "Oh no!"
Touma "This isn't good…"
As Lucy and Haru slowly fall to the ground, Tom turns to face them once again.
Tom "I don't need to be better. I just need to know better. My class will do the rest."
The third years and the crowd cheer at the move he just made.
Boy "That's our class lead!"
Girl "I love you Tom! Please go out with me!"
Tom stands behind the rest of the class as they get ready to continue the assault.
Shiori "This is bad, I didn't think this guy would be a threat! We can't afford to lose so early!"
Shiori sweats as the classes continue to fire balls and dodges at each other.
Sky "Don't worry Commander, just leave it to me."
Suddenly, the girl wearing the cape and mask, steps up to Shiori and places her hand on her shoulder. She has a look of confidence as she steps forward holding a ball in the left hand.
Sky "The opponent seems fierce. I was really hoping to save this but it seems I have no choice…"
She holds the ball in front of herself and closes her eyes.
Sky "Surefire Deadshot…"
She opens her eyes as a large burst of energy comes out of her and an incantation appears over the ball.
Sky "... Atlas!"
She cocks her arm back as heavy energy pours out of her as she shouts. Rumbling begins as a target appears over Tom's face. She then begins her throw to release the ball. She throws it and it hits another student in the face with medium force. All of that spectacle only appeared in Sky's mind. Tom looks at his classmates then nods. Three students throw their balls at her, all of them connecting. Sky then flies back slowly and dramatically as if taking a barrage of hits from all sides. She slides next to Shiori and coughs a little.
Sky "I'm... sorry Commander… I gave it my best… I guess I just wasn't strong enough… I mean, who was I to think that me, a single member of this team, could vanquish the evil overlord of the opposition..? I just… wanted to make you proud… To show you that you don't have to be alone… we got your back, Commander…"
Third year "Shut up already."
Suddenly, a third year throws a ball at Sky who is already on the ground. It hits her stomach hard, knocking the wind out of her.
Shiori "Hey!"
The referee blows his whistle sharply.
Referee "Unsportsmanlike conduct! You're out!"
Third year "What do you mean? She was taking too long!"
Referee "That's for me to decide, now get off the court, you're out for the rest of the game. As for your team, that's strike one, another strike and you forfeit all points, got it?"
Tom nods acknowledging the warning.
Shuhei "How disappointing, striking a downed player like that."
Ashley "Definitely. Tom better keep his team in check, otherwise it could be an early victory for the second years."
Shuhei "Exactly, what do you think Principal Ai?"
As they commentate on the match, they look at Principal Ai who doesn't speak a word but instead writes something down. They remember they should be writing down points too and do just that. Shiori gets on her knees next to Sky who is now holding her stomach on her side with cartoonish tears rolling down her face.
Shiori "You okay?"
Sky "Yep… Definitely doesn't hurt at all…"
Shiori helps her up and off the court. As soon as Shiori steps back into position on the court the referee looks at the classes.
Referee "Ready for resume? And go!"
He blows his whistle and the game restarts. Hikigaya stands next to Shiori as they dodge.
Hikigaya "You know her?"
Shiori "Nope but what she said is true. Tom is fierce. We have to be careful and take him out or we'll lose the first match."
Hikigaya "Yeah, that would be a terrible start. Any ideas?"
Shiori "Not one. Was hoping you had some."
Hikigaya "Let's just wing it."
Shiori smiles at him.
Shiori "Sounds good. We'll take him out and win the first match, no matter what!"
She says as they both pick up balls and charge the opposite team.