Principal Harris was walking on top of a small podium in the school's garden. All the participants were in front of him, a couple of meters below the podium, and waiting for him to start his speech.
"Welcome!" he said cheerfully and loudly enough so that every student could hear it. "This is the first time our school has held such kind of contest. We tried our best to leave a lasting memory of such a day since this will be the first step you all will set into adulthood, where you will be forced to show your capabilities if you want to be successful. Confronting other similarly talented individuals will be very beneficial to you all. It will allow you to understand what you should work on if you want to improve yourselves."
Principal Harris went on with an air of self-importance which made some of those students who had never been at ease around authority figures like the teachers even more nervous than usual.
"The first thing we decided to do was for you to fight all over the school campus; this way, you will have a taste of what you will have to face once in the military. Besides, the selection process will be much smoother, and we will be able to end the tournament a little bit faster. I'm aware this is the last summer you will be free since you will enroll in the military academy this year. For this reason, we tried to keep the competition as slim and fast as possible," the principal said after finishing his introduction.
He looked up from under his bushy eyebrows at the hundreds of young faces staring down at him, their eyes filled with eagerness or fear--or both. The man smiled again.
His teeth were yellowed by tobacco smoke, and something about them reminded one of shark's fangs. This smile seemed not only friendly but also somehow sinister, probably because of the resemblance with the abyss fish. It might have been just because he was old...
Then the principal started speaking once more: "I am sure none of you would ever consider cheating during such an event, but I will warn you, we would notice immediately..."
He paused while an appreciative murmur rose from the audience, then he added, "I want to congratulate each one of you for having given a shot at this tournament. I know that despite the very appealing prize, facing Professor McAllister's students could look like an insurmountable endeavor. Though, by joining the tournament, all of you have already shown what you are made of... This is not only a competition to gain a chance to join the Red Palace; this is a strength demonstration..." The teacher paused to let his words sink in.
There was silence now among the listeners. They knew exactly how important the place they were aiming to go was. All of them wanted desperately to join the nation's elite corps, which would be much easier by joining the Red Palace.
"But now let me tell everyone how this competition will proceed..."
He then explained everything to the students. Besides the rules, Erik noticed that the school asked for many healers' services. This was probably one of the reasons why they decided not to use multiple rings.
They spent all the money on the healers. This looked like a massive waste of money to Erik, but he guessed there was a meaning behind Principal Harris's actions.
pαndα noνɐ1,сoМ The second thing Erik noticed was that this wasn't precisely a martial art competition because every student could use his or her power, albeit they had to control themselves and not kill anyone.
That was also why there were so many healers around the school. Besides that, the tournament would last ten days in which everyone had to fight once a day.
Principal Harris looked at the clock on the wall in front of him: ten minutes had passed since he started his speech, and it was time to start arranging the matches.
Luckily, everything was made easy thanks to technology; the students had to submit their applications through their phones, which they already did, and the computer would pair them with another contestant.
It was at that moment that a notification appeared on Erik's phone. He was still connected to it through the biological supercomputer. Still, he had to see the notification on the phone to not arouse suspicion.
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ERIK ROMANO VS ROCCO JOHNSTON
HEALER: MARCUS DE VRIES
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As Erik observed his screen, he started wondering who the hell Rocco Johnston was, as he had never heard of him.
Though, it wasn't valid for the other boy, he knew exactly who Erik WAS and what his power was capable of.
As Erik's rival observed the notification on the screen, a smirk appeared on his face. It was clear that he didn't have a good opinion of Erik.
Rocco wasn't someone who particularly put a lot of effort into what he did, leading him to be average in every aspect.
However, from a young age, he was subjected to his parents' incessant training, which resulted in him becoming a more or less capable combatant.
He judged Erik to be beneath him not only due to the fact that he was aware that Erik was the school's trash but also because Erik had only recently awakened. Not even a month had passed since the event, and he believed his schoolmate couldn't have acquired enough experience to compete with him.
He considered Erik a madman for having joined this tournament without clearly having the required strength.
Though, Erik felt lucky. He wasn't paired with monsters like Amber, Nathaniel, and Anderson, meaning that he had a shot at this competition.
His first match would probably be against a weak opponent. Erik wasn't being arrogant here, It was natural for him to think so since, during these last days, he sparred with Amber, Gwen, and Floyd, and he was more or less accustomed to their fighting styles.
They were among the top twenty students, and he could hold his own against them, albeit always losing. Though, If he lost this match, he would lose any opportunity to join the Red Palace. He didn't even have to win the tournament to join them. He just needed to reach the 22nd position.
Erik quickly pressed the button that made him accept the match. Now he was waiting for the other guy to press the same button. After a few seconds, he saw the notification appear on his screen.
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"I will rip you to pieces, you stupid mother fucker!" the text said.
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At that moment, Erik decided he would have destroyed Rocco Johnston. Then, a second notification indicating that the young man had accepted the match appeared on his phone. Then they went to their assigned fighting zone. It was a large open area between two buildings, and Rocco's parents and friends were there to cheer him on. At the same time, Erik was completely alone since his friends were also fighting.
The young man already was already celebrating his victory, with his family and friends encouraging him from the side.
"You will need a therapist after I'm done with you!" he said to Erik, leaving him perplexed. What made this idiot think he was going to be messed up?
Erik could only reply to these stupid comments with, "Oh, god... help me..." rolling his eyes back...
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