Chapter Text
Ch.1 - 勝美 才能 Origin
The feeling of overwhelming happiness, the feeling of winning. She'd always loved it. To know you're the best out of those you'd thought were better than you, it's amazing. Apparently the world thought so too, as most careers were build around some sort of sport nowadays; though the best careers are those that actually compete in the sport. Seeing the amazing people compete on TV captivated her as she could imagine herself in that position in the future.
The 7 year old loved watching the amazing runners on TV, she'd get butterflies in her stomach from just watching them race. Her dad was a bit salty about this though seeing as he didn't work in that area of sports, though he was happy she was as she was about sports. Her older sister leaned more towards her fathers area of expertise, winter sports. Snow boarding, ice skating, skiing, you name it her dad's done it, Hikari loved that. Though this isn't about Hikari, this is about Katsumi, and how she became one of the best.
Katsumi's mom, Aki, was a coach at a local athletics club and seeing as her first child showed no interest in such, yet her second child did, she took this as her calling to sign her up. When Katsumi first showed up for a club session she was a little nervous, who wouldn't be? Though when she found out no other 7 year old knew anyone else seeing as this was a new programme she couldn't have cared less.
Then came the actual training part, Katsumi remembers being told to run 100 meters, that seemed like a huge distance. When she was running she remembers tying most of the way with a girl who had long blonde hair. Though Katsumi ended up winning, she knew this girl was friend material.
"Hi I'm Katsumi Saino, what's you're name." Katsumi confidently introduced
"H-hi, I'm Choyaku Hana." The girl replied in a quiet voice, she was the quiet type it appeared.
Though Choyaku was the quiet type, Katsumi didn't care, she seemed nice so that's a friend. The next thing Katsumi remembers was seeing a boy who was 10, honestly Katsumi thought it was unfair 7 and 10 year olds had to race against each other but she couldn't do anything about it. This said 10 year old quite frankly looked like tin-tin, the blue eyes and blonde hair said it all.
The two raced and she came 2nd to him, she was upset but also angry at her mom for putting her up against this 10 year old.
"Hey you're really fast!" This 10 year old said looking at her
"Me?" Katsumi questioned, still recovering from her angry state.
"Yeah you! How old are you? I've never seen you here before." the boy continued
"I'm seven." She confidently answered, with her own blue eyes staring back into his soul.
"Woah! That's cool! Hey Tamaki did you see how fast she was!" The boy spazzing to another boy with indigo hair next him.
"Y-yeah, you're r-really cool." If possible, this Tamaki was shyer than Choyaku.
The first ever day of training consisted of more than just making friends but that's all Katsumi remembered and she wouldn't have traded it for the world.
----
Another memory that made Katsumi who she is, is the first ever competition she ever went to. She'd been doing athletics for 3 months now and she'd just turned 8. This time of year wasn't ideal for running due to winter coming in, though she couldn't care. It was October 31st and it was Katsumi's birthday, convenient for her really seeing as the minimum age to compete was 8.
The bus ride to the place seemingly took hours though in reality it was only 30 minutes. Katsumi was among the 5 other 8 year olds on the bus with the rest of the seats filled with 9 and 10 year olds. Thankfully Choyaku was old enough to come and the two were sat next to each other talking about the clothes they were forced to wear.
Normally for practice, up to age 10, the club participants can wear what ever they want, though when you're older than 10 you have to wear the club uniform. Though Katsumi was 8, and this wasn't a practice. She had to wear these spandex type short things which were black, and a tank top which was a light blue with a sports logo on the top left of her chest, and the club logo on the top right of her chest. Katsumi thought it was cool but she would have liked if the top was red, the best colour in her opinion.
The rest of that memory was blurred out until the actual competition began. She was told she had to throw a ball, do the long jump ,run 100 meters, run 400 meters, and finally run 600 meters. When she was also told she has the most events out of everyone at the club she was very happy, though what was failed to be told to her was that she'd be running against 8, 9 and 10 year olds.
Katsumi had thrown the ball quite far in her opinion and apparently had done well, she didn't register whether she'd won or not because numbers were involved. For the long jump she'd come 2nd to a girl with long black hair and deep brown eyes that looked black, Mimi was angry but also happy she wasn't last.
In the first race she remembered seeing a boy who had blond hair and red eyes, lucky him he got to wear red. Though he was 8 too, the two of them tied for first beating the rest by a long shot, they were both seething seeing as neither was confirmed the winner. The next event she had come 3rd, some stupid 10 year olds claimed 1st and 2nd. Though her mom aka the coach still made sure Katsumi knew how well she was doing
"You know Mimi you're doing really well." She said
"Yeah but why do I have to race against the stupid 10 year olds." Katsumi or as her mom called her, Mimi, huffed.
"First off, don't call someone stupid, second off because that's how this works or would you rather not race at all?" Aki questioned her daughter.
As a response Katsumi just huffed as her mom laughed as she knew she was right. Finally the last event that Mimi would have to do, 600 meters. She'd been lining up to race again and there was the same blond boy in red, apparently he saw Katsumi too and they both had one thing in mind.
'I'm going to beat you.'
And with that the race began, the two of them taking the early lead, neither one pulling head of the other. The wind picked up and blew ferociously in their faces as it sent shivers down their spines. Her dark, wavy, brown hair whipping in the wind while being restrained in a pony tail, and his ash blond spiky hair being slightly blown back, both of them harshly breathing as they came ever closer to the finish line. Both of the broke into a sprint as the finish line was at most 50 meters away, only making the ragged breaths from the both of them more evident.
Katsumi could hear Togata, as she learned that's what his name was, cheering her on along with the others from your club. The finish line was close for her, yet closer for him. He was going to win. Katsumi wouldn't settle for that though, and ran faster than she thought she could. They both crossed and both eventually came to a halt, panting. The rest of the runners came flocking through after but Katsumi and the boy in red were dying to know who'd won.
Although there must have been 6 others running, that race only felt like a race for two. They'd both regained their breath and were now waiting on a man to tell them who won. Though her little hear sank when they told her that this Bakugo had won. How did they know anything? He had a smirk on his face as if he'd just won the world where as Katsumi had a sad smile on her face.
By the end of the day, the award ceremony had rolled around and those who'd come 1st, 2nd and 3rd overall would be revealed; as well as the overall winning club. The person in 3rd was Mirio Togata or as you called him in your head, tin-tin.
The suspense killed Katsumi as she wanted to know who'd come second overall, realistically it should've been a 10 year old, yet when her name was called for her to stand up on the stage she was shocked. She did as Togata did but stood on the second place pedestal, and a man came over to her and shook her hand while another person put a silver medal over her head and gave her a silver trophy. Katsumi could help but think,
'Who's won, and why not me?'
Then the big reveal came and the boy in red came first aka Bakugo Katsuki. First off he steals Katsumi's place, colour and half of her name, rude. She saw some parents including her own take photos so Katsumi smiled, truthfully she was happy but everyone wishes to win, and yet only one person can.
Though to highlight the end of the day it turns out her club, Sharks ( 鮫 ), had won with the boy in red's club coming second. Though unbeknownst to either of them, they'd be seeing a lot of each other in the future.
----
One of Katsumi's greatest achievements to date would be when she was 10 years old and was invited to compete in a competition to see who was the best athlete in the prefecture. On that day she was beyond nervous, though thankfully Hana ( Choyaku ) was there to compete with her.
It was the final event, one Katsumi had only recently been introduced to, steeple chase. To simplify it, the whole race was basically an obstacle course. Katsumi had a lead to most other competitors yet a boy in red was slowly gaining on her, how funny that the two paths of these athletes kept intertwining.
By this point they had both run 1,000 meters of the 1,500 and they were both gradually picking up their paces leaving the other competitors in the dust. The stadium was cheering for the two of them as they're both been the front runners of this whole competition, naturally the audience were dying to know who would win. Quite frankly 10 year old Katsumi and 8 year old Katsumi were very different, one much stronger than the other, she wasn't the only one who'd improved. This boy didn't seem to be feeling as sign of fatigue yet and they'd been running, jumping and trying not to slip over for the past 4 minutes; that's not a lot of time but after a whole day of events both wouldn't admit, they were shattered.
Both of their feet hitting the floor with speed leading up to a final obstacle, hurdles. Easy. She'd done this 1000 times before. There were 5 hurdles for both the 10 year olds to jump over.
One jump
Two jumps
Three jumps
Four jumps
The Final jump, she'd done it, she'd made it to the final stretch. Though a yelp of pain from beside her caught her attention, as she was beginning to run off she saw the boy had caught his ankle of the final hurdle and had fallen.
'Ouch.'
Was all she thought as the boy got up and tried to catch back up with Katsumi though she was to far in the lead for him to even catch up with, especially as he now had a limp in his step. She'd won. She'd actually done it. Though she might not have won if he didn't fall, she probable would have lost.
As she passed the finish line with a smile, she saw him, he passed just a second after her, his face contorted into pain.
"Hey are you okay?" Katsumi asked. This was the first time she'd ever talked to him even after 2 years of compete against each other.
"Yes. Go away, damn extra." He mumbled the last part and you could tell he was hurt, mentally and physically. He just lost to the person he'd been beating for the past 2 years, who wouldn't be pissed?
Though lucky for him, Katsumi's total score and his total score were exactly the same, meaning they both won 1st. When they were to receive the medal and trophy, there was one problem. Only one trophy. They had two medals just in case but only one trophy, that wouldn't go down well with either party. So the association hurried and got two made, both engraved with.
Bakugo Katsuki Saino Katsumi
1st place Winners of Shizuoka Prefecture Athletics Competition
Thank god there were to trophies or there may have been a fight. The day ended with both happy, though they would continue to meet in the future, and maybe meet more often in the near future.
That is what has lead to the current time, where both are 15 and faster and stronger than ever. Both also in their final year of junior high, and will most definitely run together once more.