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<02/12/1972 – 06:45 | Eldora City, Junon Region, Sprawn Valley>
"Are you done in there?" Danny followed his question with a very wide yawn of his jaw. Jane and Taylor have been in the bathroom together for some time now. Danny took a quick guess that they were helping each other apply makeup; redesigning their faces to look good for the tournament.
With the door slamming open, Taylor zipped through the archway standing tall and proud. "I'm done!" Letting out the energy in her voice, Taylor stepped from the doorway to allow Jane plenty of room to walk out. "I present to thee - the ultimate dress sphere!"
Does it have to be so dramatic? Jane puffed nervously, and walked out of the bathroom wearing one of the same battle suits she had on earlier since acquiring one from the training school in Lennith City, but the dress had been totally modified from its original form. The pitch-black color pallets were all removed, and replaced by some type of paint or dye turned into pitch-white instead. The hem of the suit was redesigned with interesting stripes of vibrant green colors, giving the dress sphere a very interesting appeal. Many green colored shapes and designs populated the material all over, included with letters and words in various places. The material retained most of the same texture, other than having an overskirt attached where there was none previously. On the left armlet, green ink printed the name of Danny. On the right armlet, Taylor's name was printed on there as well using the same font and bold letters. And on the back of the dress sphere just below Jane's shoulder lines, her first name was printed too, identifying herself should nobody get confused by the other names. On the front where the material met the top of her breast line, the large bolded acronym clearly outlined the motive of the decorations. JDT, as it outlined the chosen acronym, standing for Jane, Danny, and Taylor. It signified all three of them as a team, which was something Jane was proud to wear, but the suit itself was so different now, that it was kind of embarrassing just to show it off at random without having the chance to get used to the material.
Unable to change his gaze, Danny saw a big difference in the dress sphere used before, initially believing the outfit to be entirely new instead of modified. Designed with the modifications, it almost resembled something one might actually wear in a formal setting to some level. At the least, Jane didn't stand out much in such a crowd anymore compared to the last battle suit she was using. At the same time, the bold white and green that happened to match the same colors as Taylor's previous dress sphere gave an unusual outlining shine to Jane's entire figure. The green-lit material had some kind of shine to it, almost as if it sparkled with the reflection of nearby light, while the color alone perfectly matched the same color as Jane's eyes, amplifying their intensity together, which wasn't some magic trick. Even Jane's face now has a soft glow to it. Just by the colors and design alone, it was already a major improvement from the previous black and blue she had on it before. Jane wasn't saying much though, and it immediately made Danny nervous after realizing that they were expecting a verbal response from him. It was another shock in itself to see that Jane and Taylor had momentarily switched places figuratively. Normally, it would have been more like Jane to design and present herself or another by slamming through the door, while Taylor was often the shy one in comparison, but not this time. "You look amazing!"
Jane wondered just now if Danny was overselling it. What did Taylor expect him to say without accidentally making her jealous? But if he really did think it looked that good, maybe it is worth using in the tournament after all. Jane perked herself up slightly, making herself stand taller and stiffer. "So it's not too bad?"
"Oooooh! I knew it would look good on you!" Taylor pranced. Her excitement filled her body language and her voice. Having worked on this all night and morning, she had to at least be proud of her own work. "You should always wear it for good luck."
"I will." Jane went back to the mirror to examine herself. Her hair was done perfectly, tied up in the back without too many curls to ruin the style, and the big letters of JDT on the front were really inspiring to see. Danny and Taylor really care about her this much, which is more than she would have ever realized before last night. Jane was also intrigued by how much color went to her eyes with the reflection of the stripes and designs of green lines and shapes postulating the dress sphere. As far as looks were concerned, Jane was absolutely ready to take on anything.
Using the clock set up in the hotel room, Taylor kept track of the time and made sure they would not be late. "It's six forty-five everyone! We should get going soon, or we'll be late."
"I'm ready," Jane announced. After a quick glance at Taylor, Jane noticed she wasn't wearing the same outfit as yesterday either, the one that really stood out and screamed with a high credit value of class and style. Taylor's current wardrobe wasn't unusual either. The Laundromat wasn't located in the same building, and Taylor felt ill about leaving some of her clothes there in the hands of others to wash and dry them. So instead, Taylor picked out a flamboyant floral maroon colored dress with ultra-dark denim shorts. The gear was obviously not that of an official dress sphere, but Taylor would not be battling today, and neither would Danny.
"Let's get going then." Danny struggled to stand upright, still drained from the long sleep. He followed closely behind Taylor and Jane, hoping she would know where exactly to go from here.
At 06:58 hours, Jane and the team made it to the outer entrance of Eldora Tower. The tall structure stood at an incredible height. 1,050 stories high in the sky, with the top almost to the clouds. The sky was clear today, so the visibility was absolutely perfect to see the summit from here. With each floor of the building being about eight meters tall vertically, that made the building about 2,400 meters high in total, and the building is also cylindrically shaped. Some of the floors still have a boxed shape within the structure regardless, but Jane struggled to remember the rest about the structure in the moment.
There were at least three large entry doors all automated and installed with a virtual security system, and people were pouring in by the masses. Not everybody here was a Leray wielder, but their families and friends all came to the same building to watch. Jane wasn't entirely certain about how the populous is supposed to watch the battles when only wielders are allowed past the first floor.
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Chapter Theme Shift: Theme of the Academy ~ FFXIII-2 OST
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Speaking of which, the bottom floor of Eldora Tower turned out to be the busiest and largest part of the building. The space was massive, defiantly designed bigger than one of the storage floors by far. By width, the reception area, food court, and recreational location was all sectioned here. The building made up for its incredibly tall size by radius and volume as well. Taylor thought for a moment that she was inside of the section of the mall just by the special area given to her at first glance.
The sound of people chatting roared everywhere in all directions. Jane took it all in, walking more slowly and nervously to figure out what exactly to do. She was supposed to register at the reception center, but there were other spots everywhere. The food court has its own dedicated kitchen set up in the form of fast food, selling it to the nearby people since so many arrive. The recreational center was filled with hundreds of chairs, couches, and other formal furniture, all facing the 500 inch wide flat screen mounted high on the wall. The technology level here was already highly impressive.
That's right! Jane just remembered; the way in which the crowd of fans watching the battles is through a live feed on television. They have their own dedicated network and station to broadcast it across the entire nation. Everything the champion and challenger does is recorded directly. The people here must come to watch on the gigantic flat panel. There was another long line leading all the way to the reception counter. Surprisingly, there was only one single reception area allowing people through, which naturally seemed to make things slower. Then again, based on the security parameters of the place, it seemed to be intentional. A large metal detector was literally the only possible way to get by both counters. The one on the left was there for security monitoring and direct searches. The one on the right was the one taking the line of people, evaluating their licenses and other situations.
Jane knew so little about the place for wanting to take on the champion. Though since she was fighting them for a different reason, it seemed acceptable for now. It wasn't exactly clear how this works either. Mr. Bennete specifically explained how simple it was to register and where to go, but so much still felt unknown to her. The first time being inside of Eldora Tower, it's totally breathtaking! Jane nearly jumped at the sense of someone else's hand on her left shoulder.
"Don't be too nervous," Taylor advised. Jane certainly seemed like she was already on edge. The excitement and stress had to be building up inside of her. A lot of pressure would be added with the entire world watching her every move.
"I'll be fine." Jane sounded reassuring and calm, quickly coaxing herself to take things easy for now. "You two should find a good seat over there before someone else does."
"You know we'll be cheering you on," Danny replied.
Taylor nodded happily with a response. "We'll be cheering as loud as we can."
Blushing at the thought, Jane replied, "Great." Danny and Taylor do seem like the type today to make themselves more noticeable. They might be jumping around in front of people just as she makes her appearance on screen, annoying everyone else trying to watch and act normal. It's so embarrassing! They better behave themselves!
As soon as Jane found the line, she stood behind everyone alone. The line wasn't too long, but the process took a long time per person, so the scale wasn't exactly eye level. At least fifteen more people were ahead of her. Jane simply stood still, waiting the minutes by. At eight A.M., the screening is over.
The way this it works is that people who are examined are looked at by probable skill level, credits, and training. The people with the most training are actually put in the back of the que, because the process supposedly saves the best performances for last. The fights themselves can also last all night though. Jane never really thought about how long she might be here until now. Then again, with only advanced level three training on herself, she may be pushed up to the front to battle first. It would be doubtful if anyone actually came in here with basic training. Actually, Ryan said before that basic level training wasn't even adequate enough to be accepted, so she really would be up first or second, if that is how things work here. At the same time though, Jane knew if she applied for the highest training level there is, she could legally get that license upgrade and rank. Of course, that takes years even with the experience in hand. So people may not really bother with that.
Then, there were those who were rejected. Jane learned this in the immediate moment right now, as a pretty blond woman was rushing towards the exit from the front of the line, her face in her hands hiding the tears with her muffled voice. Jane didn't actually know the reason for her getting rejected like that. Criminal record? Inexperience? What exactly renders one's right to fight in this thing void? As the person before her left in tears, the line moved up slightly. Jane glanced behind her to notice two more people in line behind her.
Though she was nowhere near the evaluation point yet, Jane noticed a poster on one of the walls. It was hard to read from this distance, but it states some of the minimum requirements to make one eligible to battle here.
Requirement one: participant must be of a legal age of thirteen years old or higher to compete. However, only participants of age fifteen or higher may be eligible to win the title of championship status. Requirement two: Participant must have a registered and valid Leray wielder's license of any rank above level two basic. It basically means that graduating above level two elevated training is a requirement. It was a surprising thought. How many people get accepted and only have level two? Do they humiliate themselves on live television? How many people go home every week in tears because they lost to the first elite warrior?
Requirement number three: All participants must either be a resident of Eldora City, or have obtained a valid Eldora pass card. Jane's pass card, the one she obtained by defeating the gradyent known as Rontellov was given to her last night. That battle was something else...
Okay, so even with level three training, only people who enter the tournament unprepared can enter if they live in Eldora City. You can't become a resident simply by moving there before getting basic, right?
Requirement number 4: All participants must wear appropriate dress spheres approved at desk. Normal clothes not allowed! Well that makes sense. Why would one go into a battle shown to the entire world wearing clothing that can easily be destroyed with a single Leray attack? People who don't know that rule shouldn't even be allowed to call themselves a wielder.
Requirement number five: All items and supply spheres are withheld at the front counter, as take-in items are forbidden. Jane already gave her supply sphere to Taylor for safekeeping. She didn't want to trust the receptionist with her things, not with what she plans to do today.
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Chapter Theme Shift: Gracemeria Patrol ~ Ace Combat 6 OST
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As Jane managed to move up three more spaces, she saw that the rule board had nothing else on it. The "no symbols allowed" thing must be an understood rule. It's illegal to be marked in the first place. People who come in with symbols are thrown into prison, not just turned back from the front counter. Jane strayed from her thoughts for a moment, taking looks at the people in front of her. A few actually looked like tough customers. Several men and women wanted nothing more than to compete, and for now, nobody was being rejected. There was a separate waiting line in the room far west of the counter, though it was a walk to get there. The championship may have five elites, but each participant can only battle one person at a time. So that means there is a limit to how many people can apply for one day. Very rarely can exceptions be made to allow some battles to continue the next day after, but they won't extend past that. Nobody can make reservations in advance by calling in the phone, so it really is a first come first serve thing. Jane arrived before seven, and it still seemed like her hopes were going down in flames by the long wait time. Supposedly, she can register before the main event every Saturday, but somehow, the list wasn't yet full for today. If it were, Jane would be forced to turn around and come up with a new plan.
Finally, just as Jane made it up to the counter with only one more person in front of her, she got to see how the entire thing operates. The mid-aged lady at the counter has a sit down with the next person in line, performing a physical evaluation first. The complexities of this run much deeper than Jane originally thought. After acceptance, you are given a three-digit number to remember, and then that plus your name is placed on a waiting board to determine who goes next. As more entries are accepted, the order of which you are on the screen is subject to change until people stop coming in to register. That means until no more people are being taken, nobody knows who will go first or last. Jane saw the digital white board behind her. It was a separate much smaller screen to the right of the larger one, the flat panel laid with digital names, ranks, and assigned numbers all in a single roster. The names at the very top of the list go first.
Just behind the large detector-shaped doorframe, the automatic slider doors to the elevator were tucked to the wall, left shut for now. Jane tried to pay some attention to what was being said to judge how this might go down.
"Right then, you're all set. Please step into our scanner for symbol screening please."
All of Jane's nerves jumped up, making her whole body tense and tingly. The scanner can detect symbols?! Ryan didn't say anything about an actual scanner! Jane held her hands to her face, more nervous than ever before. How is she supposed to get past that thing? This is all some sort of trap!
As the older woman stepped into the scanner, the light on top pinged with a green color, and she was instructed to step back again. "You're clean. Please wait in the room just down the west hall."
Huh? Jane watched as she left to go to the waiting room. Apparently, they scan people before even getting them near the elevator doors. The section further past the counter is where participants go through to battle the elites. How frustrating! How is she supposed to make it past security now?
"Next please."
Jane's head turned fast to the lady calling her. Jane lost her place momentarily tracking the last woman that just left here. Jane stepped forward and sat in the comfortable chair in front of her. She didn't want to look at the line behind her. As Jane sat down, she had already prepared her Leray license and Eldora pass card in her hands, assuming those two things would be needed first.
"Welcome to the Eldora championship tournament," she started. "My name is Julia. Please give me your license and pass card please?"
Jane handed over her cards without saying a word, too freaked out to speak a single letter. She could feel herself trembling slightly, but she hid it from others around her.
"Jane Venn. Born on March fifteen, age sixteen..." The lady was rambling quietly while entering the information into the personal computer, and it did not take long at all. "I see here that you have level three training... And yet you have a pass card."
"Th— that's okay right?"
"Of course," Julia replied. "We get people like that all the time, information not as updated. Level three isn't normally enough to overcome a gradyent, so you must have trained very hard since then on your own."
"That's right." Jane forgot that Julia would have no way of learning about the time gap in between when she graduated with level three and such training. The day one graduates from a facility is never displayed on Leray licenses directly. For all they know, Jane could have been training for years before coming here.
Still, just because those dates aren't visually apparent on license cards doesn't mean that the digital chips don’t track such data in the first place. The card reader was pulling up everything for Julia to see on the monitor. "But I also see here that you've not been a wielder for that long. You graduated from Dakota's facility on January the fourteenth this year. It hasn't even been a full month yet."
So it isn't hidden! But that doesn't matter. Jane still had plenty of Leray training in herself to take on the toughest challenges. "But I'm highly experienced," Jane argued. "I've faced a lot of challenges and have trained really hard. I'm ready to defeat the champion. I'm not like the other people here—"
Julia put a hand in front of Jane to stop her from continuing, as she was making a fool of herself in front of the other wielders waiting in line behind her. "I didn't say you were ineligible. I'm just concerned that a couple of weeks' time is not enough for you. But if you do want to try... Where did you get level three?"
Jane sensed Julia was confused by the problem. So she can see the other time gap too! This is bad! People don't normally graduate within a few days from any facility even with exceptions. Jane had to make something up on the spot for Claudia's sake. "I graduated from Lennith when I got there. I convinced them that I already had the skills and knowledge for the final test, and wanted to upgrade my card. An exception was made to physically evaluate my readiness, and I passed."
"I see now. I thought that glitch looked funny, but it's normal for expedited tests to determine acceleration too." Julia saw Jane take a deep breath of relief, but didn't ponder it far. "Hm, so tell me a bit about yourself Jane. What town are you from?"
"Fa-Fronas?"
"Please relax," she instructed. "There is no need to be nervous." The poor young girl must have never done this before, but the reason for her distress could have most likely been the thought of performing live for the entire nation. "I need some of this information in the event we use it for the final battle. People who make it to the top are more properly introduced with that information, so I promise that I'm putting it to good use."
Jane was making a fool of herself in front of security and reception, and she steadied her breathing and calmed her mind to try and stay safer. "I came from Fronas, which is in the Gulop region."
"I see from your card, you've battled a total of sixteen times. While I will say that isn't much, twelve of those sixteen battles ended in your own victory. A three to one ratio isn't bad for a beginning wielder."
The card tracks wins and losses for all battles? "Um, I'm good enough to challenge Danton himself and win. So if you're going to keep doubting me, I—"
Julia stopped Jane a second time with her hand signal, soon to be frustrated that she was getting impatient and smart. "Based on factual experience, I have all the reason in the world to doubt you, but I only do so because of how many people just like you think they are ready, and lose the battle before even getting one single spell cast in. The elites basically warm up with target practice in the beginning of the day, but I'm not going to stop you from your right to be in the tournament. So far you've complied with the technical requirements needed to get in, and I am a bit moved by your spirit to win Jane."
"Then let me go first. I'll prove how wrong you are about me."
"I still have two more questions for you." When Jane was finally waiting patiently, Julia gave her the next question. "You said you are from the Gulop region, and yet you've made it all the way here in such little time. May I ask what your goal is for the future you've chosen?"
Jane knew this one was easy, the same dream always on her heart. "I aim to become a Leray master." Too bad it will never come true, less Danny be serious earlier about figuring out a way of removing the mark.
"Really? Leray master is the best rank there is, and they don't just hand that out with graduations. I think it's a wonderful dream!"
Then why does it sound like you're lying through your teeth? Jane shook off any distraction in her mind to keep going. "Defeating Danton still won't just make me one. Training is eternal even after becoming the strongest."
"And you said you wanted to go first?" Heavens forbid this child from winning, less she suddenly be in charge of the General Army to mess everything up, at least until the next strong mage steps up to take her place. "Normally, I can't pick and choose the order of such things, the system automatically determines that from the data... But based on what I have here, you're actually up second based on the predicted system rules. Our first to battle is already on his way up here."
"Is it that time already?" Jane questioned.
"No silly," Julia nodded. "The battles aren't supposed to air until eight A.M. But we normally start those ten to fifteen minutes early behind the scenes. Are you aware of how the rules and camera crew works?"
"Uh, camera crew?"
Julia didn't mind explaining that part. It was obviously this poor girl's first time in Eldora Tower. "All battles are video recorded by a live feed using special high quality cameras immune to all magical attacks. The cameras themselves contain special filters that render the captured sight of the Siriean dome invisible, but we have our own editing crew constantly on the scene for a reason. All video feeds are held back by ten minutes, so nothing is actually live in real time."
"That seems disenchanting," Jane joked.
"In case something happens on the field itself that is not allowed to be aired or inappropriate to air, we can immediately allow the crew to adjust the video feed and cut out any portion that may have been messed up. We normally cut out any moment in which the referee calls a time out in the middle of a battle before they prepare to resume the fight. If an accident occurs or illegal magic is used, the viewers do not get to see any of it. That is our policy, and is the reason our first contestant will begin battling at seven fifty instead of eight."
"I get it now." It gave her some peace of mind, knowing that any potential slip up that would actually stop a battle is not filmed live at all. If anything bad happens, if her symbol starts showing, the entire world won't have to know. Then again, that scenario would still lead to mission failure.
"And you are aware of the rules?" Julia continued explaining them before Jane could give an honest answer. "Similar rules to Leray battles do apply. Items are obviously not allowed by either contestant except for their one and only main choice of registered weapons, and the winner of the match is not decided by the automated digital space of the Leray veil, rather the referee himself. Spoils and rewards are fixed and non-negotiable. Timeouts to battles may occur at any time for any reason. Should either contestant enter critical condition and have their health fall below the threshold of ten percent in the same instance, the referee will automatically be inclined to declare that victim's defeat. The elites will begin the battle with 110% health reports on their energy scopes, in order to allow them to withdraw from battle consciously with ten percent or less health remaining. You do not have to knock the elite unconscious to win, as all are trained to give up below ten percent health."
Jane handed her daggers on the counter realizing something crucial. "My Rigel Ruins are my main weapon."
Julia entered that small detail into the system under the editing option for the profile of Jane Venn. "Very well, these are now registered."
Jane took back her daggers, realizing that Julia didn't need to hold them, check them, or scan them for anything weird. "Is that all?" Jane knew she sounded rude in her question, but she did know most of this stuff already from Ryan. Though the 110% thing was new; it would be an interesting concept to see unfold.
"All four elites under the champion have taken interests in specializing their styles and tactics. So each one has different strategies that are not revealed to any of our viewers, only to the contestant should they win the first battle. That being said, your first fight will be an opponent whom you naturally have no prepared advantage or knowledge against. But should you win, that elite shall give you some hint about how to battle the next one after themself. That is all."
"Okay." Jane waited awkwardly until she was accepted in.
"Alright, since only one person is in front of you, we will ask that you stand behind the counter to the left side for the remainder of your wait, and do step into the symbol scanner for us before you do. We need to check and see if your dress sphere is adequate enough to use."
Jane didn't understand why the scanner had multiple intentions and functions, but it was called something it wasn't mainly intended for. She knew her dress sphere was fine; that wasn't the problem she was worried about. Apparently, that scanner can detect symbols and invalid dress spheres. Jane stood up with a hesitant gulp. If she steps in here and the scanner is advanced enough to see an invisible marking on her hand, she is done for!
"Look!" Taylor pointed towards the name screen. "Jane made it up there, and she's going to be the second contestant!" Taylor and Danny stood by each other, but they were in the recreational center surrounded by hundreds more people other than themselves. Taylor was loud enough to get Danny's attention to the screen and check on the details.
"Looks like I worried about the wait time for nothing."
Jane stepped into the scanner, the rumbling machine formed as a loud metal doorway. The machine was defiantly more advanced than a metal detector, it has all kinds of moving parts inside of it, possibly equipped with magnetic sensors too. While being scanned, Jane heard Julia call something out, but she could barely focus on anything except for her own fear. Jane's heart was pounding in her chest, her arms and legs shivering at how close this might be!
"We are only accepting three more participants. Anyone behind the third person from next needs to step out of line and try again next week!"
Jane clenched her teeth and shut her eyes. She felt so tense, the scanner violating her entire body and skin structure just to search for something that she knew was defiantly there. She expected now to open her eyes with guns in her face. They'll probably arrest her on the spot and drag her out of the building by force in front of everyone. Jane will never get the chance to talk to Danton about the situation north of Lennith City, and then the light of day will forever disappear.
The ping sound in Jane's ears ended the scanning cycle, and though Jane seemed a little fazed about something, Julia noticed no problems whatsoever. "Okay Jane, step behind the counter please and wait your turn."
"Huh?" Jane glanced above her, the green light up top signaling that she had no symbols. How is that possible?! The scanner designed to sniff out symbols failed to detect her own! Jane knew it was there, and she stepped behind to counter inconspicuously to ponder the thought further.
There were several reasons this could be happening. Was her symbol really even a mark? It could resemble one and be something totally different. After all, it comes from a spell bomb prototype by some unknown corrupt company used to fund illegal research into such devices. Nothing online could be found regarding the shape or its effects. Does that mean the scanner only detects known marks? Or was the reason something else? Is it because Jane's own mark does more than just fade invisible? Does it become completely inactive while it doesn't show up? That can't be, since there are passive effects during that time too... Why did the scanner fail? Jane proceeded towards the waiting spot standing in deep thought, her nerves all shot from that horrifying moment.
Seventeen minutes passed when the final declaration of the first participant was declared on the large flat screen. Jane could see the screen from even this angle, though the focus was way off at the same time. Still, it became obvious very fast. In just short of two abilities, the first contestant was flattened and destroyed, his HP running all the way down to zero. Luckily there are crews that literally escort their bodies out of the area and into a small off-site medical bay, but the battle began and ended so quickly. Jane caught a short glimpse of the woman, the first elite warrior. Nobody told her any of their identities yet, which must be something one has to look for in order to know. The woman appeared to be in her early thirties, very attractive too. She had short cut hair dyed to a dark naval blue, which stood out more than her interesting dark colored battle suit. The woman seemed confident and experienced, perhaps even a little bored of her victory.
Jane inhaled a deep breath and coaxed herself. They all will be tough, but none of them are impossible to beat. Jane knew she had all of her fighting experiences on her. She knew exactly how high her own potentials went. She checked her hair and dress to make sure everything was perfect for this. Jane was only on a network show once, and it wasn't as exciting or exposing as this is, the match that was recorded in Gross City. This will be nothing like that at all. Jane could still feel herself shaking nervously, even though she knew she was going to win if she could just focus.
"That was fast," Julia announced. Having no more people to register, she had the ability to stay relaxed at the moment; the busy part of her job was done and over with. "Well Jane, looks like you're up next. Go ahead and enter the primary lift now, that door behind you. It will elevate you to the 100th floor of Eldora Tower, where your first challenge awaits."
Jane could feel the beating pulse of her blood everywhere. She hadn't had enough time to mentally prepare herself. This is all happening now! Focus! Focus! Focus! Jane exhaled a calm breath, clearly showing to Julia that she had never been in a live audience before. Jane didn't want to say anything, in fear she could mess up even a simple greeting. She turned around and entered the elevator behind her, the doors automatically opening and shutting her inside. The system was completely automated. The user isn't allowed to use the physical buttons to override the navigation without a physical key, so the system decided to take her up from here to the 100th floor of the tower. Jane knew it was time for her first elite battle, but she couldn't stop feeling so tense. Any moment now, everything will change.