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Akemi steps forward first, voice carrying like she was born for this.

“WHAT DO WE WANT?”

“BLOOD!” the squad roars.

“WHEN DO WE WANT IT?”

“SECOND HALF!”

The crowd eats it up.

I don’t move.

Akemi shoots me a look that says behave.

I sigh dramatically and step into formation.

We stomp in unison, boots slamming against the stone lip of the field. I let a flicker of sunfyre trail behind my heel, red-gold flame curling like a snake. The crowd gasps appreciatively.

Fine.

If I have to be here, I’m at least going to make it interesting.

Akemi launches into a chant, voice rising and falling like a war drum.

“Green and white, you swing and miss—

Hope you packed your mommy’s kiss!”

The squad echoes her in rhythm.

I step forward on the downbeat and release a controlled blayze—not a “blind the full arena” level that Leaf just pulled off, but just enough to sting. A sharp flash. A warning.

The opposing stands of green and white on the far end of the stands squint reflexively.

Good.

We aren’t supposed to be biased on the Goad Squad, rather encourage outrageous behavior on both sides. Just because I happened to have accidentally flashed the green and white stands a little too harshly isn’t my problem.

We pivot into our signature taunt circle that we’ve been practicing relentlessly for the past month. I lift my chin toward the tunnel Leaf disappeared into moments ago.

“Purple pride?” I call, voice cutting. “More like purple hide!”

The crowd laughs.

Akemi spins into me, hands blazing with delicate sunfyre ribbons that arc overhead like celebratory fireworks.

“You’re supposed to smile,” she mutters through her teeth.

“I am smiling.”

“You look homicidal.”

“Semantics.”

We drop to one knee in unison, fists slamming down. I send a thin ribbon of flame snaking across the sideline in precise looping patterns. Controlled, elegant, but lethal if I wanted it to be.

Exactly how I had imagined myself using this power on the field. As a Solarball player.