Plume's scream reverberated throughout the entire coliseum. However, that didn't stop Marie and Lydia from charging like predators at each other's throats. Due to their depleted energy and adrenaline coursing through their veins, they acted based purely on instincts alone, and everyone could see it.
Before both of their attacks connected, however, the two of them fell flat on their faces. They've completely depleted their energy. Plume didn't even have to stop their attacks since the two of them fainted at the same time.
It was a draw.
There was a slight pause among the audience before they started cheering their lungs out. Even Satoshi and his peers started screaming as they cheered for the participants. It's not that they were glad that the two of them fell into unconsciousness, but it was because they poured everything they had into that fight. It was pretty obvious that the two of them had passed. There was no way they won't pass after that intense exhibition match.
"Wha, that was pretty good. It would've been perfect if we had popcorn." Midori commented, leaning forward to get a good view of Satoshi since he was talking to him.
"Did someone say popcorn?" Hiroshi called out, appearing with a bag of popcorn tucked in his arm.
"Sweet!" Midori exclaimed, reaching out his hand.
In response, Hiroshi pulled out the bag of popcorn and slyly smiled at Midori. "Get your own bag. I paid for mine right outside the coliseum."
...
Two hours later.
There were only a couple of notable matches during the entire exhibition match/entrance test. Nevertheless, that didn't stop the audience from enjoying the match. Aside from Emma and Lydia's match, there were a couple of superheroes who stood up above the rest. One of them is a boy named Allen Barry, and he calls himself unbeatable in terms of his speed. There were also others who had pretty unique superpowers, but they weren't a cut above the rest. That's why the audience was skeptical about whether they'd pass or not. Then again, it's not like everyone who applied would be accepted to the school. It was already widely known to the world that the acceptance rate of the United Superheroes Academy is pretty low.
"Thank you so much for attending this entrance test for our dear transferees. The results will be out in a couple of minutes. For now, please enjoy the rest of your lunch break with an exhibition match from our number one first-year student." Knighthawk announced as a commentator. He briefly glanced at Satoshi, but he didn't seem to notice it since he was busy talking with his peers.
Apparently, he was a bit invested in the conversation he was having with Hiroshi and Midori, who kept on asking him questions about his tamed beasts. They were interested in becoming beast tamers themselves, and Satoshi was all for it. Besides, Satoshi didn't view himself as the number one first-year student. That's why the announcement flew over his head. It was in one ear and out the other.
As for his peers, they also didn't perceive Satoshi as the number one first-year. Well, to be fair, they weren't really listening to the announcement, so they also missed it. The only one who didn't miss the announcement was Emma, but he didn't dare bring it up since no one seemed to talk about it.
"Who's going to fight with the top first-year student, you ask? Well, it's none other than our principal himself!" Knighthawk started clapping his hand, leading the crowd and prompting them to follow him. It didn't take long before the crowd erupted into cheers.
Seeing Sai Tama fight is always a feast for the eyes. That's why everyone was keen on seeing it despite the fact that it was just an exhibition match. The crowd started yelling and clapping, attracting the attention of Satoshi and his peers who weren't listening. They looked around, thinking that they had missed something. And at this point, Emma couldn't tell them anything since it was already too late.
While the crowd started wilding with their cheers, a figure appeared from the top of the box where the commentator and Sai Tama were. The figure then jumped as if it was doing a freefall dive to a pool a couple of stories down. On his descent, he somersaulted thrice before landing a perfect, textbook superhero landing. The impact was just right as well, providing a decent amount of dust in the air.
The figure belonged to Sai Tama. As he got up, he flicked his hand, and the dust scattered over the entire stadium. He dusted himself off and pointed at Satoshi, who was still talking to Midori and the others.
Sai Tama's imposing presence was enough to silence the audience. His index finger pointed to a person, and so the spectators followed where he was pointing, and they saw a young kid who was still in his teens. They recognized the teenager, of course. After all, he had accomplished a number of feats in just a few months.
"Oi, Satoshi," Hiroshi called out, pointing his lips towards the arena in the middle of the coliseum. "I think the principal's calling for you."
"What? Why?" He asked. Plainly, he wasn't listening when they announced that he'd be doing an exhibition match.
"I don't know, man. Honestly, I wasn't listening while they were talking." Hiroshi shrugged, looking at the others who also had no idea what was happening.
"..."
"..."
"Um... I think you're going to have an exhibition match with the head director." After a pause, Emma finally found the courage to speak. Her voice trailed off.
"What? Me?! Why?" Satoshi's eyes almost popped out as he pointed at himself.
"Come down here. Don't worry, I'll hold myself back just like last time." Sai Tama pointed out, waving at Satoshi who had no choice but to go through with the exhibition match.
It was the finale of the entrance tests, after all, and ultimately, it was a match solely for the audience's enjoyment. In hindsight, the moment the exhibition match was announced, it left him no choice but to fight.
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