Fifty-five

Today is the day. The tournament starts. I'm ready as usual. I wake up, take my shower, eat, put on my uniform and then I go to the school. I see that the building has changed. It's twice as big and everywhere you look there are posters and banners. The gym has been enlarged and decorated. It looks like a huge arena. I feel excited and nervous at the same time.

Naoka is waiting for me before I enter. We had train a lot during a month we were more than ready.

"So, are you ready?" Naoka asks me, smiling.

"Yes, nothing can stop us from winning," I say, giving her a high five.

We go inside and join the assembly. The headmaster is on the stage, holding a microphone. He looks proud and serious.

"It's an honor for me to be here, as every year the tournament is held here. So I welcome you all, even those from other schools, and I'll announce the rules now. The tournament will last six days. For the first four days, it will be team games and we will eliminate all those who lose. For the last two days, it will be one-on-one combat. Your opponent will not necessarily be someone from another high school. It could be someone from the same high school. On those, I wish you a good tournament and to start it off, we are going to have a speech from one of our new recruits. She has just been promoted tenth of the council. Come here, Eloise," the headmaster says, calling me.

Naoka gives me a thumbs up and says, "Good luck with your speech."

"Yes, thank you," I say, walking towards the headmaster.

He hands me the microphone and steps aside. I look at the crowd and feel a wave of panic. There are hundreds of people staring at me. Some are cheering, some are booing, some are indifferent. I don't know what to say. I'm not good at public speaking. I'm so stressed. I don't know what to do. I'm sure I'll mess up.

" Eloise, do you want a hand?" I hear a voice in my head.

"Yes, thank you. That would be nice," I think, feeling desperate.

My eyes turn purple and I feel a surge of power. Yumi takes over my body and speaks through me.

"First of all, I would like to wish you all the best of luck and especially that the best of us wins. Even if we are already the ones who are going to win. You can all go home, because we are the ones who are going to win. After all, we are the ones who have the best elements. And moreover, I am here and I intend to destroy you all if you try to win," Yumi says, sounding arrogant and confident.

She throws the microphone on the floor and then leaves the stage. The students from the other schools boo and jeer at me. The students from my school are shocked and confused. I take back control of Yumi and feel ashamed and angry.

"Yumi, the goal was not to make everyone hate me," I think, scolding her.

"I did it the way I felt and I thought it was great. Goodbye and good luck with the rest," Yumi thinks, laughing.

The headmaster clears his throat and tries to resume the order.

"Welcome, now that the speech is done, it's time to present the teams that will participate. First of all, we have the three teams for our school," he says, pointing at us.

All the members of the council stand up and clap. Alice and Amber stand up too. 

"Then, we have the Fugito High School," the headmaster says, pointing at the other side.

In this high school, there are only two teams of four, made up of only boys. They are the 

"Then, we have the Haruto High School," the headmaster says, pointing at the other side.

In this high school, there are three teams of four, with two girls and two boys in each team. 

"Now that the introductions are done, it's time to proceed to the first round," the headmaster says, announcing.

I listen to the headmaster and his assistant explain the rules of the first event. It's a treasure hunt, but not a simple one. We have to find six stones of different colors and values, and compete with seven other teams. The last two teams will have to sacrifice one of their members in a duel, and the loser will be eliminated. We have only three hours, and we can steal the stones from other teams.

"Ma'am, we have to find six stones, but what color are they and which ones are worth the most points?" Maria asks the assistant.

"The stones are of different colors, there is a blue one which is worth five points, then there is a brown stone worth ten points, then a pink stone worth fifteen points, then an orange one worth twenty points, then a green one worth twenty-five points and finally a red stone worth thirty points," the assistant answers.

"Well, it's time to start this first event," the headmaster announces.

We take our places on the line, and I look around the field. It's huge, and it has six different zones, each with a different climate. There is a freezing zone, a forest zone, a volcano zone, a burning zone, a desert zone, and a water zone. I wonder where the stones are hidden.

"Where are we going?" I ask my teammates.

"I suggest we go to the volcano zone, I'm sure that's where the orange stone is, so let's go there now," Naoka says.

"Great idea," Yugo agrees.

"Yes, it must be there," Naoto nods.

We run towards the volcano zone, and I feel the temperature rising. It's extremely hot, and I see lava and smoke everywhere. We start looking for the stone, and after a while, Yugo spots it.

"There it is, on the top of the volcano!" he shouts.

We head towards it, but we are not the only ones. Another team is also aiming for the same stone.

"We were here first, so this stone is ours," Hiro, the leader of the other team, says.

"You can always dream, but it will be first come first served," I reply.

We all start to run towards the stone, and a magical fight breaks out. We use our spells and abilities to attack and defend, without any mercy. Naoka is the first to defeat her opponent, and she reaches the stone. She grabs it, but she is attacked by someone from behind. She drops the stone into the volcano, and then she falls down the slope. She is paralyzed, and she can't move.

"What's happening to me? I can't move anymore," she cries out.