Sixty-two

We were in the minefield, ready to start the second round of the test. It was a dangerous and chaotic environment, where we had to avoid the bombs and fight the other teams. I was tired and bored. I just wanted to go back to my bed.

"Well, I guess we should find out where the bombs are first," I said, lazily.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Naoka said, confidently.

She pushed me and I was surrounded by bombs that exploded at once. I felt a blast of pain and heat, and then I was thrown 20 meters high. I flew in the air and then came down and landed on the ground. There was smoke coming out of my body. I was not badly hurt.

"Go on without me. I don't think I'll be able to go on," I said, weakly. I added in my mind, at least now I'll be able to sleep. I closed my eyes and fell asleep on the floor.

"No, Eloise, don't leave me with that crazy girl, please," Naoto said, pleadingly.

"Who's the crazy one?" Naoka said, mockingly. She grabbed Naoto by the shirt and dragged him away. S

Ella saw me lying on the floor. She wanted to come to me, but she was stopped by a group of the same school as her. They were her seniors and they wanted to challenge her.

"Where are you going like this?" Kaito asked, rudely.

"It's none of your business. And please, don't block the road," Ella said, politely.

"What do you care if we don't let you through? And we're your elders, so you'd better do what we say," Ken said, bossily.

"Just because you are strong doesn't mean we won't eliminate you," Julie said, spitefully.

"This tournament is really about proving to people our worth, so if we beat you, we will be very well known," Ema said, eagerly.

"All four of you want to fight me? I don't mind. Come closer, I'm waiting for you," Ella said, bravely.

All four of them attacked Ella first, but their moves were way too slow. Ella was faster and stronger than them. She dodged their attacks and countered them with her own. They couldn't touch her.

They realized they were no match for her, so they changed their strategy.

"Let's go to plan B," Ema said, nervously.

They all pulled out a magic artifact and their strength tripled. They activated their artifacts and their wind magic became more powerful. They created a storm of wind blades and hurled them at Ella.

"Tell me now, what are you going to do? We're going to fight you now and no one can stop us," Julie said, smugly.

They thought they had the upper hand, but they were wrong. Someone came at the same time and knocked down all the opponents with his katana. It was Naoka. She had finished her fight and came to help Ella.

The commentators announced the result.

"That's 40 points for Naoka's team," they said, loudly.

"Thanks for your help," Ella said, gratefully.

"Don't worry, I just wanted to give you back the favor. Last time, you helped us, so now we're even," Naoka said, casually.

She put her katana back in its sheath and walked away. 

In my mind, I was still asleep. But I wasn't alone. 

"How much longer are you going to sleep?" she asked, impatiently.

"As long as it takes. I'm too exhausted to go on and I couldn't even sleep properly," Yumi said, tiredly.

"I thought you were tougher than this," Eloise said, mockingly.

"I am, but leave me alone. I'm fine on the floor and we're getting points even without me," Yumi said, defiantly.

I feel a sharp pain in my chest as I lie on the ground, unable to move. I see Jade walking towards me with a smirk on her face. She thinks she can finish me off and get points for herself. I try to muster some strength, but it's useless.

"What are you doing, Jade?" I ask weakly.

"Sorry, Eloise, but you're the weakest target at the moment," she says, raising her hand to deliver the final blow. But before she can do that, a blast of wind hits her and makes her back off. I look up and see Ella standing in front of me, protecting me.

"Not so fast, Jade. If you want to fight her, you'll have to go through me first," Ella says, glaring at Jade.

"Why not? Sounds interesting," Jade says, shrugging. "Prepare to lose, Ella."

"You can always dream," Jade says, launching a wave of water at Ella. But Ella is too fast for her. She dodges all her attacks with ease and then counterattacks with a punch that sends Jade flying back several steps.

Jade doesn't give up. She takes out her sword and I see a blue aura surrounding her. Eiji must have increased her strength, speed, and defense. She looks more powerful than ever.

"Your power seems to have increased. I hope you're not doing all this for nothing," Ella says, readying herself.

Jade charges at Ella with her sword, but this time she's much faster. Ella has trouble avoiding her slashes and stabs. Jade manages to land a hit on Ella's shoulder, making her bleed.

"It looks like the tide has turned. You're not that strong after all," Jade says, smirking.

"You better not underestimate me. Since the beginning of this fight, I haven't even used my magic. So now I'll show it to you," Ella says, throwing a purple ball of energy at Jade.

"From now on, you're going to be paralyzed," Ella says, hoping to immobilize Jade. But Jade somehow dodges the ball and hits Ella in the stomach, making her gasp.

"How come you can still move? It's impossible. No one is supposed to resist my magic," Ella says, shocked.

"Well, I guess I'm unique because your magic doesn't work on me. So now it's time for you to lose," Jade says, continuing her assault. Ella is at a disadvantage, but she still manages to evade some of Jade's blows. She even lands a kick on Jade's face, making her stumble back a few meters.

Jade mutters something under her breath. I can't hear what she says, but I can tell she's getting impatient. She wants to end this quickly.

"Well, it's time for me to change my strategy. Even if my magic doesn't work on you, it's not a big deal. I'm not really used to using this aspect of my magic, but you're forcing me to do it," Ella says, changing her tone.

"I can't wait to see what happens then," Jade says, sarcastically.

Ella approaches me and kneels down next to me. She looks into my eyes and smiles softly. She leans in and kisses me gently on the lips. I feel a surge of warmth and electricity in my body. A magic circle appears above our heads, glowing brightly.

"You're lucky, Jade. Because this is the first time I'm going to use this technique," Ella says, breaking the kiss. She looks at Jade with a confident smile. "This is my true power."