The Battle to Avoid Last Place

Mikoto Misaka's performance instantly fired up Damian's competitive spirit.

"Child's play!" he snorted. Tiny arcs of electricity escaped his mouth and nose, and lightning flared around him.

"Thunder Breathing: Thunderclap and Flash! Ewen, Ellman, keep up!"

Before the words had left his mouth, he became a streak of yellow lightning and shot forward.

His two followers shouted, "Master Damian, wait for us!"

Then they raced after him.

Anya followed the crowd into the mountain forest, but her stamina was so poor that she soon fell behind, panting all alone.

Just as she was about to give up, she spotted Conan resting against a nearby tree.

Conan was fuming. Damn that Mysterious Person! What kind of drug did he make me take? How did my stamina get this bad? I should've brought Professor Agasa's Power-Enhancing Shoes, no matter what.

Then he noticed Anya. The instant their eyes met, it was as if a spark passed between them!

I don't want to be the Dead Last! Anya cried inwardly.

I used to be a Chunin, for crying out loud. If I come last at the Ninja Academy, I'll never live it down! Conan thought at almost the same moment.

The next second, they both broke into a run! Their small figures darted between the trees.

Anya ran on sheer determination not to finish last, while Conan drew on his tracking and countertracking skills to choose the best route.

Sometimes they ran shoulder to shoulder; sometimes one pulled ahead of the other. Though they were trailing the pack, they fought an intensely serious race.

But it could not last. The effort soon drained what little stamina they had left.

In the end, one after the other, they collapsed onto the ground almost at the same time.

"Super... super genius, truce!" Anya called, gasping