Victory Without Triumph

Kimika moved slowly from one building to another on the factory grounds, carefully inspecting every corner but finding neither signs of traps nor traces of Toga. However, even in such a situation, she did not allow herself to relax for a moment; her vigilance was at its peak. She knew: any mistake, even the smallest one, could be fatal. 

"Where is she..." Kimika whispered as she exited the building she had just inspected. 

Kimika stepped over the threshold of the next building, and her steps on the broken glass and ceiling debris filled the silence of the space, which resembled a vast warehouse.

The powerful walls, covered in peeling old paint, seemed almost impenetrable. The ceiling, high and marked by the passage of time, was damaged, and light poured through numerous holes — the only source of illumination in this place. 

She carefully inspected every corner, every shelf. And even though they were empty, for some reason, her heart began to beat even faster than in the previous buildings. 

"It seems she's not here either..." she whispered quietly, holding back her disappointment. Kimika moved on, deeper into the warehouse, where a few more rooms remained. 

As she continued, inspecting each room one by one, Kimika found nothing and was already starting to head toward the exit, feeling slightly more relaxed.

But at that very moment, she heard a sound — footsteps on the broken glass. At the edge of her vision, a moving shadow appeared. Kimika immediately stopped. Every muscle in her body tensed, and, holding her knife in a combat-ready stance, she was prepared for anything. 

"Toga, I saw you! Come out!" she shouted, her voice sharp and decisive, her body twitching with adrenaline, ready for a fight at any moment. 

The footsteps continued, not stopping even when the shadow vanished from her line of sight. Each subsequent sound grew closer, and her heart began to beat at an even faster pace.

Frantically scanning the room, Kimika noticed the shadow at the opposite end of the space, near the rear exit of the factory. 

And though anxiety was steadily taking hold of her, she had no choice but to move toward the shadow, ready to finally begin the fight, even knowing she might lose. But in that moment, there was only one thing that mattered to her — to finish everything as quickly as possible. 

Each step felt heavy, but she couldn't stop. 

When Kimika reached the door, her hands immediately gripped the handle, but the door turned out to be locked. Cold sweat covered her face, and her heart began to race even faster, every beat echoing her rising sense of dread.

The only place Toga could have gone was the room next to the door. Taking a deep breath and gathering all her determination, Kimika approached the room's door, standing in full combat readiness. With a sharp motion, she burst inside, attempting to block all possible avenues for attack, so that Toga couldn't strike from the sides or above. 

But nothing happened. The room turned out to be completely empty, except for a few barrels standing on the floor, and on the largest one, a cat sat peacefully, calmly licking its fur. It looked at Kimika as if she were interrupting its grooming. Kimika felt the tension in her body gradually dissipate for a moment.

"Is it just you?" Kimika muttered, trying to calm herself. She smiled, though cold sweat still dripped down her forehead. "I guess I'm just losing my mind..." she added, realizing that perhaps it was all just her paranoia, pushed to the limit. It was just a cat, not Toga. 

But suddenly, like a thunderclap, her thoughts were shattered by a sharp human scream from behind her. 

Before she could even turn around, Kimika felt someone leap at her, wrapping their legs around her waist and their arms tightly around her neck in a firm embrace.

"Gotcha!" — a familiar voice rang out, filled with joyful, almost childlike excitement. It was so unexpected that Kimika's heart nearly stopped, and her knife slipped from her hands. 

It was Toga. Her laughter echoed right beside Kimika's ear, the girl having grabbed her with such skill and speed that Kimika had no chance to escape. Luring Kimika into a trap had been an incredibly easy task for Toga, only adding more delight and enthusiasm to her voice. 

Kimika tried to break free, pushing Toga's hands off her neck, but she only tightened her grip, and with each passing second, it became harder to breathe. Sensing her inevitable victory, Toga pressed her even tighter, like a helpless prey that could no longer escape.

"Nothing's going to work, Kimi!" Toga whispered, tightening her grip around Kimika's waist and neck even more. "Now you're mine." 

Feeling the air slowly vanish and her strength fading, Kimika realized there was no time to hesitate. Gathering all the remaining energy she had, she bent her legs sharply, leaning slightly forward, and then, using every ounce of her strength, she jumped backward, directing her body to fall directly onto her back. 

The impact with the ground was hard, and Kimika felt Toga's back slam sharply into the solid floor.

The attacker let out a gasp, her grip loosening. This gave Kimika the chance to inhale and break free from her hold. And even though the fall was painful for her as well, it wasn't as painful as it was for Toga.

Without giving herself or Toga a chance to rest or catch her breath, Kimika grabbed the knife lying nearby and instantly raised it, aiming for Toga's neck to end the game. 

But before she could fully bring the knife down, Toga, breathing heavily, kicked Kimika sharply in the stomach, knocking her back. The knife slipped from Kimika's hands and slid toward Toga, while the pain from the blow forced Kimika to bend over, gasping for air. 

Still lying on her back, Toga smiled with a predatory grin, fully embracing her role. 

"Mmm... the little mouse didn't expect... that the claws of a tiny... kitten... would be so... sharp," Toga said with difficulty, taking heavy breaths between words. Her gaze never left Kimika's eyes, maintaining a playful expression.

"This game is going too far!" Kimika screamed, trying to gather the last of her resolve, even though it seemed pointless. 

"But that only makes it... MORE INTERESTING!" Toga shouted, quickly getting up and lunging at Kimika. 

She began making quick, shallow cuts, even though she had every opportunity to end the game by aiming the knife at one of Kimika's critical points. But Toga wanted to prolong the game, dragging it out as long as possible, savoring every moment. 

Each of Toga's movements was deliberately slow and playful. She reveled in how Kimika struggled to resist but couldn't stop her. Toga wasn't in a rush; her smile grew wider with every cut she left on Kimika's body. She could feel that this game could go on for a long time.

Kimika slowly backed away, feeling her body fill with cuts. Every movement brought pain, but the worst part was that the wall behind her was getting closer and closer. Her heart raced faster, and her breathing became heavy and ragged. 

She was on the verge of tears, both from the pain and from seeing that Toga had no intention of ending the game. It forced Kimika to gather her last remaining strength, trying not to lose control entirely and become completely defenseless. 

Having applied acceleration with her quirk, Kimika made a sharp move forward, knowing that this was her only chance. Toga, completely unprepared for such a turn of events, diverted the knife to the side to avoid seriously injuring her friend, but it was precisely this moment that proved decisive for Kimika.

Taking advantage of the moment, Kimika suddenly crouched and with a sharp movement knocked Toga to the ground. Gathering her last strength, she began delivering relentless strikes, trying to capitalize on the advantage. She alternated between punches, freezing them every other time to prevent Toga from easily throwing her off and building up strength for a decisive blow.

"Echo Strikes? Did you really enjoy the game!" Toga exclaimed, blocking all of Kimika's blows with her hands. Her words were filled with irony, as if everything Kimika was doing was futile, and in the end, she would still lose. But this only fueled Kimika's strength — she was ready to keep going.

Kimika didn't respond and continued her assault, not giving Toga a single moment to rest. She could feel her strength fading, but she couldn't afford to stop. 

Toga, gathering the last of her strength, suddenly pushed Kimika off her, throwing her to the ground, and, lifting the knife, delivered a sharp strike to her right leg. 

Kimika cried out in pain, feeling it spread through her body. Trying to rise, she collapsed again due to the unbearable agony. 

The tide of the battle had completely shifted, and now Toga was in control, having taken the lead from Kimika, who, gasping for air began to crawl, trying to escape from Toga.

Toga slowly approached, giving Kimika the illusion that she might escape, as she enjoyed the scene — like a canvas where she could decide how to paint the next strokes. 

Suddenly, without warning, Toga quickly kicked Kimika in the side, flipping her onto her back. She placed her foot on top of her, pinning her down, and Kimika, writhing in pain, began to unsuccessfully try to push her foot off. 

Toga leaned slightly toward Kimika, watching her struggle. Her eyes softened when she saw her friend suffering from the pain, but Toga knew well that it was necessary.

She had to show Kimika that there was still room for growth, and that such a situation could happen not only to her, but to anyone who wouldn't yield and didn't stop at what they'd already achieved. 

"Sorry for all this," she said, her voice becoming a bit softer, but still carrying a firmness that indicated she wasn't doing this out of cruelty, but out of necessity. 

Kimika, gritting her teeth in pain, looked up at Toga. Her eyes were filled with despair, and tears streamed down her cheeks, but she still whispered through the agony, "Stop... Please..." She was pleading, but Toga simply shook her head slightly, her gaze remaining cold and calm.

"The game will only end when either you or I aim the knife at a critical point, as we agreed," Toga said, her voice growing firmer, taking on a serious tone. 

With these words, Toga pressed Kimika down even harder with her foot, feeling her try to break free. Kimika let out a muffled groan of pain, her breathing growing heavier, and it seemed like each breath drained more of her strength. 

Toga watched as her friend fought for every breath, but she knew where the limit was and didn't worry that she might accidentally crush her.

"Now you understand that there's still room for you to grow," Toga continued, her voice remaining calm and almost gentle, but with a barely noticeable hint of reproach. "All those training sessions... they weren't in vain. You're getting stronger, but you're also becoming bolder and more confident. And yet... you lost, without a chance, Kimika." 

Toga paused, watching her, and then continued: "What's worse is that you knew I was here, but what if some hero decides to hunt you down, and you're not prepared? What then? You need to stay vigilant, even when there's a little kitten in front of you, and you think it's just paranoia..."

She smiled, but the smile was no longer as cheerful as before. There was something more serious, even threatening, in her words. 

Toga had already started thinking about ending this game — well, it was no longer just a game, but a training session. 

Seeing the pitiful outcome, she decided to intensify their preparation, their sparring, and come up with special training to ensure that Kimika would always remain vigilant and ready for any danger.

"You need to understand," Toga said, grabbing Kimika's face and forcing her to look into her eyes despite the pain. "Everything we're doing is preparing for the future. Our goal isn't just to win, but to always be one step ahead. Because right now, we're already in the crosshairs. And it's not a question of how, but when they'll find us. You can't even imagine how close we are to that. Detectives already know almost everything about us: the goal of making money for your father, our appearance, our quirks... and it's a real miracle that we haven't been caught yet, that our identities haven't been figured out." 

Toga slowly began to bring the knife to Kimika's neck, wanting to end their game, but suddenly Kimika roared: "I haven't lost yet!"

She snapped her fingers, and Toga, who had forgotten about her "Echo of Strikes" technique, was instantly thrown back. All the frozen strikes, now thawed, pushed her away, causing her to crash into the wall. 

The knife fell from her hands, and Kimika, ignoring the pain in her right leg and throughout her body, immediately grabbed it, bringing it to Toga's neck and shouting, "I won! I'm not weak!" 

Breathing heavily from the effort, but knowing she had won, Kimika collapsed to the ground, feeling her body relax, and began to breathe heavily, clutching her leg as if trying to numb the pain.

After catching her breath from the unexpected blow, Toga looked at her and, with a smile, said, "You're certainly impressive. But in a real fight, you'd already be dead." 

Her gaze softened, and she walked over to her fallen friend. Tearing a piece of Kimika's shirt, she wrapped it around her bleeding leg and quietly said, "But you're still impressive... for a start."

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