Project 7 the First: The Hero's Great Come Back

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

"Welcome, students!" said the principal joyfully. "Welcome to Manteio Academy's battle stadium!"
The students were gathered in a stadium that was located behind the the academy. It was a round stadium with no roof like a colosseum. It was as big as a soccer field except that it did not have grass. Everybody were seated with their teammates. Some were excited while some felt nervous.
"Today is the beginning of the final exams. I hope that your team trained real hard for this. I'm really excited to watch everybody put all their hard work to show," said the prinicipal. "I will be a spectator for this event. I hope that your team captains have explained the system. There's just one more thing that they did not mention."
The entire stadium became dead silent. Everybody was waiting for the principal to utter her words.
"The first two rounds will be an elimination. The team that will lose will return to the mortal world after the the exams end, and they will return to their duties there. The remaining shall stay here and continue their responsibilities here. So, I wish you all the best," the principal explained. Then, she descended in to the ground.
Another person came out of the ground. He had long black hair tied into a ponytail. He also wore a pair of glasses. He had a black vest on and a plain white shirt beneath. He wore a pair of cargo pants and sandals.
"I am Nolan Parker, the proctor for the exams. I will be very strict with the rules," he said. "Don't worry, there are a few of them. First of all, the battle will only end when the entire three members of a team are unable to battle. Second, no one is allowed to kill an opponent. Third, flying is not allowed. Lastly, summoning of beasts is limited to three per team. There will be two teams per block who will proceed to the semi-finals which will be held in the grand stadium located in the middle of the town. Everybody in town will be there to watch, so do your best."
Everybody cheered with excitement. They were all pumped up.
"Okay, There will be two blocks that will have their matches today. Each block has four matches, so it will be a total of eight," said Nolan. "Let's see the pairs, shall we?"
A huge screen magically appeared in the middle of the stadium. It showed a large tree diagram.
"Hey, look," said Shannelle. "It looks like we're in block B."
"And we're up against Team Everest," said Bryan. "What kind of name is that?"
"It doesn't matter," said Gavin. "As long as we fight hard, we can win this thing."
"May I ask the first pairs of block A to assemble in the waiting room?" said Nolan.
Everybody was excited for the first match. They were all rumbling and betting who would win.
"The first match is Team Diamon versus Team Rose," said Roderick. "I wonder whose team is that."
"May I have everybody's attention," Nolan announced. Then, the stadium became silent. "Okay, I guess both teams are ready."
Three holograms each appeared on opposite sides of the stadium. It showed the faces of the representatives of both teams.
"For Team Diamond, the representatives are Paolo Fortes, Alejna Cowell, and Patricia Morciel," Nolan announced. "For Team Rose, we have Andrea Garnett, Laureen Steinfield, and Tonia Devins."
The six names that were called walked out of the waiting rooms to the field. They were all filled with confidence as they walked closer to each other. Then the two teams stopped at a certain distance.
"Paolo's team is up first, huh?" said Marjorie. She was calm outside, but she felt a little shaky. "Too bad for him."
"Don't underestimate him," Albert said as he fended him. "I know him better than anyone does. He's strong. Just you watch."
The referree stood in the middle of the arena checking on both sides. They all seemed to be prepared, so the referree raised his arms slowly.
"Let the battles begin!" Nolan announced as he dropped his arms and walked back.
The two teams stared at each other. They waited for someone to make a move.
"Hey, Paolo, I guess you're the only guy in the field," Patricia teased.
"Shut up," Paolo murmured as he stared at the other team. "It's no big deal."
"Whatever," said Patricia, rolling her eyes.
The other team could not wait anymore, so they quickly dispersed and chased their opponent. Andrea, which was on the left, did some hand strokes. Then, she did a hand gesture; and a wall of vines and thorns grew beside Paolo's team. Then, Laureen, which was on the right, did some hand signs; and another wall of vines and thorns grew on the other side of their team.
"Death trap wall!" Said the two in unison. Then, the walls started to collide.
Suddenly, Alejna stood in the middle of them and stretched her arms to each side. Then, she said with might, "Climbing Lava!"
Lava started to spill out of her palms. Then, they flowed to the walls and climbed to the top. The walls started melting, and Andrea and Laureen began to cower.
"Better watch your guard," said Alejna. "I might as well beat you guys."
"Over my dead body," said Paolo as he began to grin.
Tonia called out to Andrea and Laureen and said, "Girls, formation one!"
They formed a triagle surrounding their opponent. Then, they slammed the ground with their hands and said, "Bed of roses!"
Then, roses began to appear below them like they were standing on a field with roses. Afterward, vines started to wrap around their feet and restraining them.
"Pat," called Paolo. "Do your thing."
"I thought you'd never ask," said Patricia with a grin. She weaved some hand signs. Then, floating fire balls appeared behind her. It danced around her. Patricia conducted them. Then, the fireballs danced around the field of roses; and the field burned into ashes.
"Get ready, guys. Trinity Formation!" They all faced their enemies with their backs facing each other. Then, they dashed to their own enemy.
Paolo charged at Tonia; but she immediately got her weapon, which was a rod with a rose head, and blocked Paolo.
"Your team is no match against ours," said Paolo, trying to push her.
"Don't push your luck," said Tonia as she flipped back. Then, she waved her rod, and roses appeared in midair. The petals scattered and charged at Paolo, but he blocked them with his arms. He suddenly felt scratches on him. The petals were thin and sharp as they cut a deep wound on Paolo's arms.
Paolo tried to move away, but the petals were in his way. Suddenly, lava melted the petals; and he was able to move freely. He pointed his gun at Tonia and shot some bullets, but she dodged them by flipping like an acrobat.
When, she stopped, Tonia called to her teammates and said, "Second Formation!"
Then, the three girls ran around a circular pattern around Paolo's team. Suddenly, they ran faster. Paolo did not know what was going on. He leaped to the middle to assemble with his team.
"Thanks back there, Alejna," said Paolo.
"Hey, teammates watch for each other's backs," said Alejna. "Now, let's take care of this once and for all."
Then, a storm of petals surrounded them. They were inside a tornando of petals.
Paolo thought of an idea that would finish the match quickly. He discussed it with his other teammates, and they understood it. He concentrated on his energy. Then, after gathering enough energy he shot a beam of light into the sky and said, "Shower Beams."
Alejna just went with the flow and said, "Raining Meteorites!"
Lastly, Patricia joined the party and did some hand signs. She raised her hands and said, "Fire dance: Supreme Raining Fire Lotus!"
Then, it was raining meteorites, lasers and fire balls from the sky. It burned the entire field including the petal tornado.
Team Rose had a hard time dodging all the attacks. They even got burned in their arms and legs. When the fire went out, Paolo quickly charged at Tonia and shot a bullet at her heel to prevent her from moving too much.
Tonia began wobbling and limping, but she did not give up. She still tried to stand properly. Paolo shot some bullets, but Tonia deflected it with her rod. She spun it around her body to block her weak points. Paolo ran around her and shot randomly, but it was no use. Then, Tonia hopped toward him. She summoned her petals like a blade and controlled them to attack Paolo, but Paolo dodged it and shot her.
Tonia blocked it with her petals.
"It's useless. You can't beat me with your guns," said Tonia. "It's game over for you."
"Oh, really?" said Paolo as he kept his guns. "I thought it's game over for you."
Then, Paolo snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the deflected bullets rose from the ground and surrounded Tonia. She was frozen in fear. She did not know what to do.
"H-how?..."
"I don't use regular guns. What makes you think I enrolled in a magic academy? Now, it's game over for you," said Paolo. "Wild Circus."
The bullets multiplied, and they attacked Tonia in different angles. Afterward, Tonia fell on the ground not being able to move.
Paolo walked away with no regrets. He felt like he was the star of the show.
"Hey, are you both done?" Paolo asked.
"Don't get cocky," said Patricia, feeling irritated. "I finished mine in a snap. Too easy!"
"Look who's talking," said Alejna. "Let's go back already. This was just a piece of cake."
Nolan was in awe. He stared at the three.
"All members of Team Rose are unable to battle. Team Diamond will be moving to the next round," Nolan announced.
Marjorie was amazed with quick fight. Suddenly, she felt fired up.
"I can't wait until our turn!" said Marjorie with excitement. "Paolo's strong after all."
"Of course he is," said Albert. "I told you not to underestimate him."
"Whatever," said Marjorie.
"What if we ended up fighting them?" Roderick wondered. We might end up like that team."
"Don't worry, Roderick," said Gavin. "You're our ultimate defense!"
"Hey! Don't just depend on me. I just block attacks," said Roderick.
"Let's just hope that we win," Shannelle said positively. "We trained hard enough to get this far. We can't just put that all to waste."
"Shannelle's right," Bryan agreed. "Let's give it our all!"
The matches kept going continuously. Every battle was unique. There were some unique abilities. There were also some common abilities, but they were all used in different ways. Each match kept become more intense as it moved to the next round. The next thing they knew, it was already time for the second block to start.
"We will now move on to the next block," said Nolan. The screen reappeared behind him with the second block zoomed in. The first match was Team Sonata versus Team Skyscraper.
The representatives of both teams came out. When Lance looked closer, he familiarized some. One of them was Johann. Suddenly his good mood began to fade quickly.
"Hey, Lance! It's your best friend!" said Bryan in glee.
"Shut up, Bryan, or I'll throw you in there," Lance said grumpily.
"For Team Sonata, we have Johann Liao, Jonathan Gibson, and Anne Sparks," Nolan announced. "For Team Skyscraper, we have Vincent Gervin, Hans Squire, Mike Hampshire."
The six representatives came out of the waiting room looking at each other. They observed each other the moment they walked out.
"Both teams ready?" Nolan glanced at both sides. Then, as he dropped his hands, he said, "Let the match begin!"
Johann sat down with his weapon placed on his lap. His weapon was a black Chinese fiddle. He began playing a note. As he continued, his enemies began to look at him awkwardly.
"Hey," said Mike. "This isn't a recital."
Johann did not respond. He just kept playing his instrument. His teammates just stood by his side not doing anything.
"This will be easy," said Hans. He summoned glowing red rings and threw it at Johann, but it did not land a hit. It just passed through him like he was a hologram.
Hans was starting to feel that something was not right. He continued to throw rings at them, but they just passed through them. Then, as he threw his last ring, their opponents faded and disappeared.
Then, they noticed that Johann's song still continued to play.
"You are all under my control now," said Johann's voice that came from nowhere.
"Where are you? Come out and face us!" Mike said. Then, he noticed that Vincent was not with them. "Where did Vincent go?"