"…"
The bunch was speechless at Eli's answer. Her words could only mean either of the two things.
First is that she planned for this to happen regardless of Desmond's results today or that she is confident that Desmond will have a spot for the finals.
Regardless of the reason, the students admired Eli's actions. It reflected how highly she viewed her role in Desmond's growth and that she also had her mind for them.
Not that they wanted to disregard their respective mentors, they were the perfect fit for them. But Eli was the one who convinced them to enter this tournament and so everything that Eli did for them had such a great impact.
"What are you waiting for? Eat up, tomorrow is another hard fight for all of you." Eli knew what was on their minds however, she really did not want them to vilify her. All she did was treat them with a nice meal, like how a manager would treat her subordinates.