Act 10: Disqualified?!
One minute before Yuichi could reach the finish line, he collapsed out of fatigue and was immediately brought to the hospital.
He awoke three hours later and found a concerned Tatsuya by his side. He immediately called up the doctor to check up on him.
" How is he now, doctor?"
Yuichi watches silently as Tatsuya inquired about his health with the doctor.
" There's nothing to worry about. He was simply dehydrated. He'll be okay if he has some rest."
" Thank you, doctor!"
The doctor silently walked out of the room. Tatsuya sat up by Yuichi's side and inquired how he was feeling.
" How do you feel now, Yuichi? Do you feel some kind of discomfort?"
…
" You heard the doctor, didn't you? There's nothing to worry about."
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" I was so worried when you collapsed and wouldn't awaken. What happened back there?"
…
Yuichi told Tatsuya of his lack of athletic abilities and also how he never liked gymnastics since he was young. At the end of the conversation, Yuichi was wondering about something."
" How did it end?"
?
" The preliminary round I mean. With me collapsing out of the blue like that, I might have been disqualified, right?"
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" I was so close, but my body had to give up on me at the very last minute. I'm so frustrated at myself for not trying hard enough."
…
Yuichi's expression was nonexistent, but all his feelings could be spotted out of the box.
" Don't mind me and tell me the truth! How many of you are moving to the next round?"
…
" Sixty of us will be advancing to the next phase."
" I see!"
Yuichi was out of it as he knew he wasn't part of the sixty qualified participants.
" Congratulations on making it to the next round!"
" Well, congratulations to you too, my friend!"
?
Yuichi was confused when he was congratulated by Tatsuya. He didn't understand why he suddenly congratulated him out of the blue.
" I can see the confusion in your eyes quite well. You must have been wondering how you might have made it to the next round, didn't you?"
…
" Yeah, that's right! I collapsed before making it to the finish line, didn't I?"
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" Yes, you did!"
" If that's the case, then how in the world did I pass the preliminary round and made it all the way to the next round. I don't understand."
…
Yuichi required an explanation, and Tatsuya was going to give him one.
" To better understand what happened, we'll have to go back in time, a minute before, to be more precise."
…
A minute before, Yuichi collapsed and was brought to the hospital--------
" You can do it! Just one more step. Don't give up now!"
" Stop encouraging him like that! Can't you see that he's out of it?"
" He can barely walk anymore. He won't make it!"
" Shut your traps! None of you know him as I do. He won't go down that easily.
When he made it to the finish line, he collapsed before reaching the line that would qualify him, or so they thought.
" See! I knew he wouldn't make it."
" He did his best, but it wasn't enough."
" Yuichi, wake up!"
Mr. Sugawara as well as all the other participants gathered around him. Mr. Sugawara later said while looking at his watch," The preliminary round is now officially over."
When everyone was babbling about how Yuichi had collapsed before making it to the finish line, Tatsuya noticed something that made all the difference.
Mr. Sugawara then concluded as he said:" The number of qualifying participants is-----"
" Wait, Sugawara-San! Don't give your verdict just yet!"
Mr. Sugawara was confused as to why Tatsuya had stopped him. The participants were as well.
" Look at this, Sugawara-San!"
Some participants moved back and Mr. Sugawara saw something he didn't pay attention to.
Although collapsed and immobile, Yuichi had made it to the finish line, but how?
" He collapsed before his feet could reach the finish line, but his hand did."
…
" All of you can undoubtedly see that his right hand is on the line, and that makes all the difference."
The participants who were badmouthing Yuichi were outraged. They didn't want to believe that Tatsuya's assumption was right.
" How is that possible?"
" You might have put his hand there while no one was looking to make him win, didn't you?"
…
Tatsuya kept silent and all took it as the unyielding truth. Another participant reacted, however.
" He didn't play dirty. I saw it too."
…
The participant was one of the Disqualified ones who didn't make it to the next round.
" When he fell unconscious, his body was the only thing that fell together with him. His left hand was at the same wavelength as the rest of his body, but his right hand was missing."
…
" With the few seconds he had remaining, he didn't give up until the very end. His determination and faith his friend had in him were what helped him pull it off."
…
" I never saw such unyielding determination before. Even though his body gave in, he didn't, while all of us gave up on the spot, not being able to keep going."
" We should all take an example from him. I won't give up next time."
With so much testimony, the bad-mouthed shut their mouths in shame. Mr. Sugawara then picked up where he left off.
" The number of qualifying participants is sixty."
…
" Congratulations to all of you for making it to the next round, and for those of you who didn't, try again next year."
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" A notice will be sent to all of you in the coming days with more info on the second round. Good luck to you all!"
…
After that, Yuichi was brought to the hospital to be treated.
To the present day
" You made it to the next round, just like all of us. Congratulations, Yuichi!"
" Thanks, Tatsuya! I can't believe I made it to the next round."
Yuichi was happy, as he'd get to bring good news back home to his family.
" Thanks for believing in me when I had already given up on myself!"
" You're wrong! I didn't give up on you, and neither did you. You passed the preliminary round on your own. You wouldn't have made it to the next round had you given up."
" You're right!"
Tatsuya and Yuichi joked around some more before he had to leave. They knew this wouldn't be the last time they were to meet, as the next round would reunite them again.
In Yoshu City, Yuichi's family was worried sick as they had no news of Yuichi.
" Why isn't he back yet?"
…
" He's here!"
They turned around to Grandpa Alex's words and there he was. Yuichi had made it back to his family.
" I'm back!"
Yuichi waved at them joyfully. He had bruises on his forehead and arms, which were bandaged by the doctor.
" Let me guess! You made it to the next round, didn't you?"
" Yes, I did, but how did you know?"
" It was obvious by your grinning and joyful expression. It said it all."
…
…
" Congratulations, Son!"
" Congratulations, Yu!"
" Thanks, dad! Thanks, Sis!"
…
…
" It might not have been easy looking at how bruised you are."
Yuichi told his family how he wouldn't have made it to the next round if one person, in particular, hadn't believed in him until the end, which gave him the strength to pull through the fatigue and lack of stamina.
The family celebrated Yuichi's qualification over a feisty dinner. Yuichi thought that the next round would be even more arduous than the previous one.
The next day, remembering how he barely made it to the next round, he decided to train even harder to be ready physically and emotionally.
As the best workout exercise, he picked track and field. He started by running. After working out for two hours, he went home.
" Yu, are you okay?"
Yuichi was exhausted beyond words, and he could barely stand. His elder sister caught him on time as he was about to reach the ground.
" You were running, weren't you?"
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" Why did you do it when you can't stand it?"
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" Because I want to succeed."
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" I wouldn't have made it past the preliminary round hadn't it been for Tatsuya's belief in me. My qualification was out of mere luck."
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" If I didn't touch the line at the very last minute before losing consciousness, I would have been disqualified."
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Ayame brought Yuichi to his room and laid him on the bed. She told him:" Don't be so hard on yourself! You would have made it even without his support."
" No, I wouldn't."
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" He believed in you because he saw your fighting spirit. All he did was ignite that fire spirit in you."
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" You're amazing, Yu, and one day, you'll come to realize it yourself."
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" Now, have some rest!"
…
As Ayame walked away, the grimoire in Yuichi's bag emitted a slight light, as well as the ring he was wearing. Yuichi didn't notice a thing as he was already deeply asleep.
The following morning, news of the upcoming round arrived. Grandpa Alex was the one who brought the theme in a sealed envelope he was carrying.
" Does the envelope contain info regarding the second round?"
" That's right? Do you want to open it and see what it carries?"
…
Yuichi was a bit intimidated and asked his grandfather to open it instead.
" The upcoming round will be held at 'Kaitou Academy' and the theme will be stealing."
" Stealing?"
" To know what it means precisely, you'll have to wait until the day of the round itself."
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" When will it be?"
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" In three days. 'Kaitou Academy' is quite far away from here, so be there on time, you'll have to hit the road tomorrow."
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" As you already know, you'll be leaving in the dorms, so you might as well pack your bags and bid your goodbyes now."
The moment was finally there, the moment when Yuichi would have to leave his family and fight for the greater good. He couldn't help but feel nostalgic about it.
" Don't make that face! It's not like we'll never see each other again."
" We'll write to you every day to let you know how we're all doing."
Yuichi embraced his dad and elder sister emotionally. That night was as long as it was the last one they were spending together.