Rain Lancelot's victory sent a wave of cheers rolling across the stadium.
She stepped off the arena with flushed cheeks, receiving pats on the back and congratulations from students and even a few pro heroes.
"Rain, that was amazing!"
"You've grown so much!"
"Your control was incredible!"
Rain bowed slightly, overwhelmed but glowing with pride.
Raze smiled.
Astra nodded at her approvingly.
Roger yelled something loud and incomprehensible.
Astra smacked him again.
With spirits high, the announcer's voice boomed:
"NEXT MATCH — GRAY HOWITZER versus FELIX CINDER!"
The tone changed instantly.
Excitement turned into tension.
Even Raze leaned forward.
"This… might be the hardest matchup for Gray," he murmured.
Astra agreed.
"Felix can stop Gray from ever getting close. For Gray, distance is a disadvantage."
Luna crossed her arms.
"Still… Gray doesn't lose easily."
◆ ◆ ◆
**The Opposites Enter the Arena**
Gray Howitzer entered first.
Calm.
Sharp-eyed.
Hands in pockets.
Silver hair brushing his shoulders lightly.
When he walked, it felt like gravity itself adjusted to him.
Then Felix stepped onto the opposite side.
Headphones on.
Messy hair.
Expression blank as always.
But the arena trembled just slightly with every step he took.
Two quiet boys.
Two walking storms.
Two completely opposite styles.
The crowd whispered:
"If Gray touches him, it's over."
"But Felix controls all sound. He won't let Gray get near!"
"This fight is pure matchup disadvantage for Gray."
The announcer raised his hand.
"BEGIN!"
◆ ◆ ◆
**A Bad Matchup**
Felix acted immediately.
Before Gray even moved—
"AAAAAHHHH—!!"
A high-volume scream blasted forward, the air *warping* from the intensity.
The arena barrier hummed as it absorbed the shockwave.
Students covered their ears even through the protection.
Roger shouted, "FELIX YOU MONSTER!!"
Astra narrowed her eyes.
"That frequency… it's meant to keep Gray at a distance."
Rain flinched.
"Gray can't get close like this…"
Yet Gray didn't panic.
He exhaled—
And touched his own legs.
Instantly—
He became lighter. Much lighter.
His body weight dropped to near zero.
He moved—
**FWIP—FWIP—FWIP—!!**
Slipping between sonic blasts like drifting leaves.
Felix adjusted, raising a hand—
"T H R U M—!!"
A concentrated high-frequency burst shattered the arena floor, sending tiles flying.
Gray skidded back—
Then smirked.
"You gave me ammo."
Felix's eyes widened.
Gray touched one of the flying tiles mid-air—
**Made it lighter—**
leapt—
grabbed another—
**lightened it—**
spun—
And with a flick—
**ZIIIING—!!**
He threw the tiles at Felix at insane speed increasing their weight at the moment of relese.
Felix responded instantly:
"—HNNNN!!"
A focused pitch blast—
CRACK—!!
The tiles exploded mid-air.
But each blast forced Felix to remain in place.
And while Felix destroyed projectile after projectile…
Gray was getting closer.
Inches closer.
Foot by foot.
◆ ◆ ◆
**Sound Pressure vs Weightshift**
Felix realized it too late.
He inhaled sharply and unleashed a wave of vibrating sound:
"BWUUUUUM—!!"
The entire arena shook violently.
A pressure wave designed not to harm—
but to *push away*.
Gray grounded himself instantly—
touching the floor beneath him—
**increasing his weight for a split second.**
The shockwave washed over him, but he didn't budge.
Felix's eyes widened.
Gray lifted his head slightly.
"Close."
The next instant—
**Gray turned weightless again—
and jumped.**
Felix tried to retreat, blasting the ground to create distance—
Tiles shattered—
Ice-like cracks formed—
Soundwaves tore the floor apart—
But Gray was already airborne, spinning through the debris.
The audience gasped.
"He's too close!"
"Felix can't push him away in time!"
"Gray's going to touch him—!!"
Felix looked up—
And for the first time—
His expression changed.
A flicker of panic.
He used a high-frequency burst aimed directly upward:
**"T H R U M—!!"**
The wave hit Gray's jump path—
But Gray touched a piece of debris mid-air—
*increasing its weight*—
and using it to pivot.
Felix's blast missed.
Gray extended his hand—
And tapped Felix's toe.
Just a tap.
Then he yelled—
"CONTACT!"
Felix froze.
Not mentally.
Physically.
His body slammed into the ground with a heavy *THUD*.
Gray had increased Felix's weight fiftyfold.
Felix couldn't lift a finger.
Not even twitch.
The match was over.
◆ ◆ ◆
The Victory
The referee raised his hand.
"FELIX CINDER IS UNABLE TO CONTINUE—
WINNER: GRAY HOWITZER!"
The stadium erupted.
Thunderous applause.
A standing ovation.
Even the heroes nodded in quiet approval.
Felix lay on the ground, panting from the weight pinning him.
Gray crouched down, touched his shoulder—
and returned him to normal weight.
Felix pushed himself up slowly.
Before he could speak—
Gray offered his hand.
Felix blinked.
"…I lost."
Gray shook his head.
"Your sound control is impressive. You can use it in far more ways than this match showed."
Felix looked away.
"I didn't… think of that."
Gray smiled faintly.
"Then I'll help you."
Felix's eyes widened in surprise.
Then—
"…Thank you."
Gray pulled him to his feet—
And Felix suddenly wrapped him in a stiff, awkward hug.
The stadium erupted again, louder than before.
Rain clapped joyfully.
Astra nodded approvingly.
Roger screamed, "BROMANCE!!"
Astra smacked him a third time.
Raze smiled softly.
"He deserved the win."
Astra murmured,
"And Felix deserved the respect."
◆ ◆ ◆
A Peaceful End
The announcer declared the day's conclusion:
"THE FIRST DAY OF THE SECOND ROUND HAS ENDED.
NO INTERRUPTIONS.
NO INCIDENTS.
NO INTERFERENCE FROM NIGHTVEIL."
For the first time in a long time…
the academy felt calm.
The world felt steady.
The tournament had resumed—
and the future waited for its next battle.
*****************************
The first day of the second round had ended peacefully.
Students walked home laughing, relieved the world hadn't been shaken by another Nightveil incident.
But peace was temporary.
Because the next morning, the academy prepared for a match no one could predict.
◆ ◆ ◆
*Match 3 — Selene Ward vs Roger Castellan*
Security was even tighter than yesterday.
Dozens of hero drones hovered across the stadium airspace.
Barrier engineers doubled the strength of the defensive shields.
Every hero on duty was alert.
Inside the arena, the hologram board lit up:
⚡ SELENE WARD (Nexas: Electric Flux)**
vs**
➤ ROGER CASTELLAN (Nexas: Momemtum Shift)**
Students filled the stands instantly.
"Selene's lightning is unstable but CRAZY strong!"
"Roger talks big but… will he survive getting close?"
"This match is impossible to predict!"
"He's totally gonna get fried."
Backstage, Roger Castellan stretched dramatically.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced to absolutely no one, "today I, Roger Castellan, rise into legend."
Bam groaned.
"He's in delusional protagonist mode again."
Rain giggled.
"He's nervous."
Astra nodded thoughtfully.
"…He is trying to hide it."
Raze just sighed.
"Let's hope he doesn't die."
Then—
"ROGER CASTELLANNNN!"
Roger sprinted into the arena, waving both arms like a celebrity on tour.
He threw finger hearts.
Blew kisses.
Pointed at random people pretending they were fans.
The crowd laughed hysterically.
And then Selene Ward entered.
Calm. Focused. Blue sparks dancing at her fingertips.
She bowed slightly.
"You… strong. Yes? We… do good fight," she said in her broken dialect.
Roger puffed his chest.
"Oh trust me, I'm ALWAYS strong."
Selene blinked slowly.
"…You talk so much."
Roger sputtered.
"Wh—EXCUSE ME!?"
But the referee stepped forward.
"BEGIN!"
◆ ◆ ◆
*Round One — Lightning Unleashed*
Roger exploded forward instantly.
*Velocity Shift — Initial Burst!*
Dust shot into the air.
Selene reacted on instinct—
*CRACK-BOOOOM!!*
A violent arc of lightning burst from her arm, slamming into the ground where Roger had been a split second earlier.
The floor SMOKED.
The crowd gasped.
"Already!?"
"She's firing full-power blasts right away!"
"Roger can't touch her if she keeps that up!"
Selene advanced, electricity building uncontrollably, flickering like unstable fire.
Roger skidded back, shouting:
"HEY, CAN YOU PLEASE NOT USE THE THING THAT CAN KILL ME!?"
Selene blinked.
"…But fight."
"That's not a justification!!"
Another bolt thundered toward him—
Roger shifted velocity sideways, barely avoiding being barbecued.
◆ ◆ ◆
*Round Two — Roger's First Plan*
Roger grinned through the chaos.
"Alright. Plan A."
He revealed the *thick industrial rubber gloves* he'd smuggled in.
"Prepared hero, coming through!"
He charged again.
This time, Selene's lightning crackled violently as she tried to stabilize her aim.
Roger darted left—
shifted right—
vaulted forward—
Selene thrust both palms out—
*BOOOOM!!*
A sphere of wild lightning exploded outward.
Roger flew backward, smoking slightly.
"Ow—OW—hot—OW!"
But he wasn't down.
Bam shouted from the stands:
"ROGER, STOP SHOWING OFF AND ACTUALLY TRY!"
Roger coughed smoke.
"I *am* trying!"
Selene stepped forward slowly, sparks biting at the air.
"You… fast. But… not enough."
She unleashed another blast.
Roger dodged—
Barely—
And felt the heat kiss his cheek.
"Okay… Plan A sucks."
◆ ◆ ◆
*Round Three — Selene Takes Control*
For the first time, Selene began controlling her lightning deliberately.
She lifted her hand—
Electricity spiraled around her arm like a living storm.
Roger's eyes widened.
"Oh COME ON! You couldn't do that yesterday!"
She thrust her hand forward.
*A narrow, precise bolt—*
Roger jumped—
It grazed his leg.
"OW—OW—MY LEG IS ON FIRE—wait, no it's fine—OKAY STILL HURTS!"
Selene followed with two mid-range bursts, her control tightening.
Her improvement was terrifying.
Astra whispered from the stands:
"She's getting better… fast."
Rain nodded.
"She trained all night after the announcement…"
Roger ducked behind a broken floor tile, panting hard.
"Okay… new plan. Plan B."
He eyed the battlefield.
Cracks.
Debris.
Loose tiles.
Perfect.
◆ ◆ ◆
*Round Four — Roger's Counterattack*
Roger grabbed a large chunk of flooring—
*Velocity Shift: Burst Throw!*
He hurled it like a cannon shot. (He gave it the velocity to maintain it's speed just as it is released from his hand)
(Most people didn't know Roger can give Velocity to objects too, but his friends alreaady knew, so they weren't shocked)
Selene reacted instantly—
*BOOOOM!*
Her lightning shattered it.
But Roger was already moving.
He burst from the dust cloud, using broken debris to bounce and redirect his velocity like stepping stones.
Left—
Right—
Over—
Behind—
Selene spun—
Electricity flaring—
Too slow—
Roger's gloved hand reached for her arm—
*CRAAAAASH!!*
A massive unwanted surge of electricity exploded from her, blasting them BOTH away.
The crowd gasped.
Dust swallowed the field.
◆ ◆ ◆
*Round Five — The Final Gamble*
Through the smoke, both fighters struggled to rise.
Roger's gloves were half melted.
Selene's lightning sputtered violently.
He staggered forward.
"You… good," Selene whispered.
"Very… good."
"And you're terrifying," Roger replied, wobbling.
"So let's end this before we both die."
He dashed—
Selene lifted her palm—
One last uncontrolled burst fired—
Roger leaped aiming for a finishing punch—
Their attacks collided—
*BOOOOOOOOOOM!!*
A blinding flash swallowed the arena.
When the smoke finally cleared…
Both lay flat on the ground.
Silent. Unmoving.
Then—
Roger's fingers twitched.
He pushed himself up—
Stood—
Wobbled—
And raised a shaky fist.
The referee shot his hand upward.
"ROGER CASTELLAN… WINS BY LAST MAN STANDING!"
The arena ERUPTED.
"NO WAY—HE BEAT AN ELECTRIC USER!?"
"He actually DID it!?"
"That was insane!"
"I thought he was dead three times!"
Roger grinned weakly—
Then collapsed face-first onto the floor again.
◆ ◆ ◆
*Aftermath — A Visit to the Infirmary*
Both combatants were rushed to the infirmary.
Roger was unconscious, snoring loudly.
Selene slept peacefully, lightning finally quiet.
The entire Hero Class gathered around their beds.
Rain smiled.
"He did it… somehow."
Bam laughed.
"That idiot really fought past his limits."
Astra nodded.
"He strategized well. Selene too."
Raze stood quietly, arms crossed.
He wasn't smiling—
but pride shone in his eyes.
Because this match proved something important:
The tournament wasn't just about power.
It was about growth.
Will.
Heart.
And everyone was evolving.
The calm days were fading.
The real storm of the Dawnforge Tournament was only beginning.