Student 32: Sunset Shimmer

by Show Stopper

Arc 4: Chapter 24

“Come on, kid! Is that all you’ve got?! I’ve seen dragon whelps with faster reflexes!”

“Damn it, nee-san! At least give me a chance to- ACH!”

Kotarou dove behind one of the gates, placing his back against it as another series of fireballs exploded around him. Sunset hopped out of the surrounding woods and onto the path and began casually strolling towards him.

“Aw, playing hide and seek?” Sunset taunted, summoning a fireball and tossing it up and down a few times. “And here I thought you were a man. Turns out you’re just a little kid after all.” She paused, her smirk turning into a confused frown as she looked at the fireball in her hand. “...huh. Didn’t know I could do that.” Shrugging, she tossed the ball of fire into the air and struck it with a spinning kick as it descended. The fire exploded against the pillar, demolishing half of it and setting the rest alight. “Come on, what happened to all of that bravado?”

“I DIDN’T KNOW YOU HAD AN ENDLESS SUPPLY OF FIRE!!!” Kotarou shouted back, dashing out from behind the pillar. He reached his hand out towards Sunset, his shadow springing up around him like a curtain. The shadow soon morphed into several dog-like shapes which leapt for Sunset, tongues and tails wagging as they bounded towards her.

“Shadow attacks?” Sunset taunted. “Really?” Just as the first dog pounced upon her, Sunset’s body was engulfed in flames. The shadowy constructs dissipated upon impact, barely giving Kotarou the distraction he needed to start running again. Sunset contemplated his retreating form for a minute before shaking her head and dousing the flames. She turned and began walking in the opposite direction. This whole thing’s a loop, she thought. Even like this, I’ll run into him soon enough. Besides…

Sunset staggered, stumbling into a nearby gate and leaning heavily against it. She began panting for breath, finally giving in to her body’s demands for rest and oxygen. Kid’s a lot more agile than I thought. If it were all speed, I could just teleport to keep up, but he knows how to move. It’s like trying to hit a freaking Wonderbolt! Managing to compose herself, she pushed off of the pillar and started down the path again.

And it’s not just him, Sunset admitted to herself. My magic still isn’t anywhere near what it should be. I’ve still got reserves to spare, but my endurance is fading. I’ve got a few more big spells or maybe ten more minutes of slinging fire before I’m tapped out for a while. If we can’t find a way out of here, I might actually be in trouble. Awakening from her musings, she turned her eyes up the path. “So,” she called out, “any luck on figuring out just how we’re supposed to get out?”

“N-Nichi-chan!” Nodoka jumped and turned around, looking up from her book. “I-I’m afraid not. He wasn’t thinking about it while you were fighting.” She giggled a bit before smiling at Sunset. “He was mostly panicking about having to actually fight you if you landed a hit.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Because of his stupid honor thing?”

“Um, mostly because he doesn’t want to smell like burnt hair for a week.”

Sunset smirked, but it was short-lived. “Unfortunately, he doesn’t need to worry about that. I’m just about tapped out on magic, and he’s too slippery for my meager boxing skills to keep up with. We need to meet up with the others and get out of here. Can you tell where they are?”

Nodoka nodded and looked back down at her book. “Negi Springfield.” She studied the book for a bit, her eyes going wide. “Eh?! It looks like he has some sort of plan to fight Kotarou-kun! He and Asuna-san are stepping out into the open!”

Sunset nodded, starting to run up the path, nodding for Nodoka to join her. “We’d better hurry, then. Hopefully we’ll find them before the brat does. Looks like we’ll need to ask him directly if we want him to think up an escape plan for us.” She turned her head and raised an eyebrow at Nodoka. “Also, ‘kun?’ Really?”

Nodoka blushed as she ran alongside her. “W-well, he is about the same age as Negi-sensei. And he really doesn’t seem like a bad guy.”

Sunset chuckled and shook her head. He beat up the guy you’re crushing on, and you’re still giving him a chance. Nodoka, never change. “Well, ‘not a bad guy’ or not, he is our enemy. I may not be able to face him alone, but between Asuna’s strength, Springfield’s spells, and my combination of both, we should be able to hold him off long enough to escape.”

Nodoka nodded, studying her book some more. “I hope so. Asuna-san is pretty strong, and-” Her eyes went wide. “Oh no! Nichi-chan! He’s already-”

“Up ahead!” Nodoka looked up to see Kotarou leaping from gate to gate over their heads. Several figures radiating light appeared from ahead on the path, flying up to intercept.

“Ha! Is this all you’ve got?!” Kotarou taunted, kicking out at one of the figures and shattering it. He drew several knives from a pocket and flung them out, impaling and destroying three more. The figures fell one by one, barely slowing the boy down.

“Sagita magica, series fulguralis!” Sunset grinned as Negi came into view, several bolts of lightning shooting from his staff and darting towards Kotarou, forcing him to stop and weather the blows.

“Nice one, Springfield!” Sunset shouted, sprinting forward with Nodoka right behind her. “We’ve got an escape strategy in place. Just keep up that barrage!”

Negi nodded, keeping his eyes on Kotarou as he finished his chant. “...in mea manu ens inimicum edat.” He thrust his hand out just as Sunset and Nodoka skidded to a halt behind him. “Fulguratio albicans!”

A powerful bolt of white lightning shot from his hand, striking Kotarou dead on and flinging him from the top of the gate to the ground below, his impact throwing up a small cloud of dust.

“What was that?!” Asuna shouted, staring in awe at where the spell had struck. “That was awesome!”

“Eyes on the target, Asuna,” Sunset cautioned. “This might not be over.”

“Are you kidding?” Chamo shouted, leaping up and down. “That was a classic triple-combination attack from long-range! It’s the fundamental of mage vs fighter combat! No way he withstood that!”

“No! Nichibotsu’s right!” Sunset shot a glance to the side. It took all of her training and willpower not to stare in shock at the tiny, fairy-like Setsuna hovering near Asuna’s shoulder. “Look!”

“That’s not bad, small fry!” Kotarou darted out of the dust, rushing towards them. “If I’d taken the full brunt of that attack, I’d be in trouble. But now…”

Asuna grit her teeth and stepped forward. “Grr. Come on, then! I’ll take you on, fighter to fighter!”

“Don’t get cocky, Asuna,” Sunset cautioned, thrusting a hand forward. “Murus ignis!” A wall of fire burst up between Asuna and Negi, stretching out to block the entire path.

“Oh no! Sensei! Above you!”

But Nodoka’s warning came too late. Kotarou leapt over Asuna and the wall of flames, aiming for the gate overhead. He braced himself on the bottom of the arch and pushed off, shooting down to land at Negi’s feet. His punch struck Negi’s stomach, sending him flying backwards down the path.

“Negi!” Asuna shouted. “Damn it, Nichi-chan! Get rid of this fire!”

Sunset grit her teeth, glaring at Kotarou as he smirked back at her. “...I can’t.”

“What do you mean, you can’t?!” Asuna shouted. “Negi needs our help!”

“Hahaha!” Kotarou laughed as he turned back to Negi. “Never thought you’d actually keep your promise, nee-san. You have my respect. But now, it’s between me and Springfield!” He darted forward, driving a knee into Negi’s gut and sending him flying once again.

“Negi-sensei!”

“Negi! Damn it, Nichibotsu! Do something!”

Sunset grit her teeth, clenching her fists as she glared at the beat-down. “I can’t,” she confessed. “I made a deal with him. If I could hit him before he next hit Springfield, then he’d take me seriously as an opponent and fight me. But if not…” She turned to Nodoka. “Honya! The deal I made keeps me from helping with this fight, but not you!”

Nodoka’s eyes went wide and she nodded, looking down at her book and muttering to herself. Sunset turned back to face the fight, if it could even be called that. Come on, you little brat! You beat down Evangeline. You faced off against that woman the other day. You stood up to me! I refuse to believe that this is all you have to-

“Sim ipse pars per secundum dimidiam Negi Springfield.”

Negi’s arm came up, blocking Kotarou’s attack even as his other arm lashed out. Kotarou was sent flying upwards from the punch across the jaw.

...well. That’s more like it.

Negi wasn’t finished. He darted beneath Kotarou’s falling body, incanting a spell faster than Sunset had ever heard him before. “Unus fulgor concidens noctem, in mea manu ens inimicum edat.” He reached upward, his palm striking Kotarou in the back as he fell.

“Fulguratio albicans!”

White electricity enveloped Kotarou’s body, the crackling joined by his screams and the flash forcing everyone to turn away. The shockwave forced Sunset and Nodoka to their knees, blowing out Sunset’s wall of fire and sending Kotarou flying. He skidded to a stop a few feet away, his body twitching erratically. Negi stood tall and proud, glaring down at him.

“How’s that?” Negi challenged, pointing a finger at his downed opponent. “That’s the power of Western mages!”

Sunset grunted and stood, a half-smile creeping onto her face as Asuna and Chamo started cheering behind her. “That was pretty good, Springfield,” she admitted. “Waiting until he overcommitted to an attack and striking in the half-second his guard was open? And following it up with a powerful spell while he was still reeling from the shock? It won’t work a second time, but that was a good combo.” She walked over and patted him on the head as she stepped past. “Now, go and get bandaged up. I’ll take care of it from here.”

“Eh! ‘Take care of it?!’” Asuna marched forward, grabbing Sunset’s shoulder and spinning her around. “What’s wrong with you?! We beat him! We won! And besides, this isn’t some hundreds of years old evil vampire mage. He’s just a kid! You can’t kill him just because he attacked us!”

“Oh would you grow up?!” Sunset slapped Asuna’s hand away and turned to glare at her. “Do you think this ‘kid’ was going to stop with just ‘winning?’ You can see as well as I can that he was going for the kill! If we let him go, he’s going to come at Springfield again and again until he succeeds! Besides,” she drew out her wand and twirled it between her gauntleted fingers, “I wasn’t going to kill him. There are plenty of sleep and binding spells that’ll keep him docile until we can hand him over to the Kansai Magic Association. I made sure to research them after the last time Springfield decided to let an evil megalomaniac go free.”

“Forget about that!” Chamo shouted, darting over. “This guy isn’t going anywhere for a while. The Kansai Magic Association will be able to pick him up later! For now, we need to figure out how to get out of here!”

“I already have a plan for that,” Sunset confided. “All we have to do is-”

“H-hold it!”

Sunset froze, her eyes going wide. “...no way.” She turned to see Kotarou struggling to his feet, his twitches fading to nothing.

“T-this is the first time a mere human has injured me so seriously,” he admitted, hunched over and trembling. “I take back what I said before, Negi Springfield. But it’s not over yet!”

Kotarou began to change. His hair grew long and white, his arms and legs turning into wolf-like limbs as he tore his ruined shirt off and flung it aside. A tail grew from the base of his spine, and his teeth morphed into a set of canine fangs. He grinned up at Negi, feral and excited. “This is the real thing, Negi!”

He darted forward, giving everyone little time to react. Sunset, Asuna, and Negi leapt back, the latter gritting his teeth as he set himself for round three, pouring more magic into his body. Kotarou’s grin only grew and he darted forward, faster than Negi or Sunset could track. But just as panic began to settle on Negi’s face…

“From your left, Sensei!”

Negi jumped to the right, barely managing to dodge Kotarou’s attack as the ground was pulverized beneath where he’d been standing. Sunset and Negi turned to stare at Nodoka, who held her book open in one hand.

“H-H-Honya-chan?!” Asuna shouted, having just noticed her classmate. “Why are you here?!”

“Backstory later!” Sunset shouted, darting back towards them and out of the combat zone. “Cheating now!”

“To your right, Sensei!”

Negi struck out, hitting Kotarou in the chest right as he prepared to strike. Kotarou leapt away again and again, coming at Negi from every angle imaginable.

“Above you! To the left! A spinning kick from behind on the right!”

Every warning was answered with a block or a counter-strike, Kotarou unable to land even a single blow. He eventually backed off, rubbing at his aching jaw as he glared from Negi to Nodoka.

Unfortunately, Negi was wearing down too. He clutched his arm to his side, breathing heavily and wincing from the strain of the fight.

“We need to get out of here,” Sunset hissed at Nodoka. “As much fun as it is to see this brat get what’s coming to him, Springfield’s running on fumes.”

Nodoka nodded, turning her attention to Kotarou. “E-excuse me, Kotarou-kun! How do we get out of here?”

Kotarou turned to Nodoka, utterly flabbergasted. “Wh-what did you say?! Are you some kind of idiot, onee-chan? There’s no way I’d tell you something like…” His eyes went wide in panic. “Wait!”

“Head east and find the sixth gate from here,” Nodoka told Asuna and Sunset. “It seems all we need to do is destroy the runes hidden on the top, left, and right sides!”

“W-w-w-woah!” Chamo shouted. “That’s amazing!”

“Less gawking, more running!” Sunset shouted. Negi turned and raced past her, taking Nodoka into his arms as he leapt onto his staff and began flying away, Asuna and Sunset hot on their heels.

“W-wait, damn it!” Kotarou shouted. “I’m not letting you-”

“Murus ignis!”

Kotarou shouted in panic and skidded to a stop before the wall of fire. Sunset nodded to herself and turned back forward just as Negi fired three magic arrows at the identified gate. The gate began to shimmer with energy, the space inside filling with light.

“”Kagurazaka-san!” the tiny Setsuna shouted. “Slash open the space where the light is coming from!”

“Leave it to me!” With a mighty swing of Asuna's fan, the barrier was destroyed and Negi zipped through the gate, everyone else following right behind him. “We did it!” Asuna shouted. “We got out!”

“That won’t stop him from coming after us,” Sunset warned, turning back to see a charred and angry Kotarou charging towards them.

“Leave him to me!” Setsuna assured, making a quick series of hand gestures. “I can use the runes he placed to close the barrier again and seal him inside!”

No sooner had she spoken then the space beneath the gate began to distort. Kotarou’s face became one of panic as he dove for the gate, and vanished.

Sunset breathed a sigh of relief and dismissed her artifact. “Good riddance, brat.”

“That should buy us enough time to lose him,” Setsuna claimed, hovering up to Negi. “Let’s find somewhere to rest and recover.”

Sunset nodded and the group began making their way through the woods. “By the way,” Sunset said, “there’s one thing that’s bugging me about all of this.”

“What is that?”

Sunset turned and raised an eyebrow at Setsuna. “Why the heck are you a chibi?”

Comments

[Pinklestia]

That's a very good question indeed.

[Maelaeran]

Oof. If Sunset can't even handle low-tier Kotarou this early on, she's gonna be in real big trouble near the end of the series. Especially Lifemaker.

[Show Stopper]

9772789
Don't worry. In true Negima fashion, I plan for her to experience at least three major power-ups throughout this work.

[JDunk1971]

9772789
I have a feeling that Sunset is going to be another of Evangeline's students. Whether she wants to be or not, Sunset is going to find the power she sought, even if it's not exactly the power she thought she wanted.

[Vutava]

But it’s not over yet”

yet."

“”Kakurazaka-san!”

"Kagurazaka-san!"

[Aemon Targaryen]

9772791
I hope than if she become a alicorn, in her human form, she will be able to create herself wings, but like, naturally, not something of "create magic winds which take conscious efforts and energy and disappear when knock out".