In the center of the gymnasium, around thirty students stood in three rows of ten, their postures rigid and disciplined, resembling soldiers at attention. Standing before them, as if she were their commanding officer, stood a tall woman with long black hair, clad in a combat uniform. Her face bore a serious expression, and a sheathed longsword hung at her left side.
"As you all know, the Rising Espers Tournament is only two weeks away. Therefore, from today until the tournament, our focus will be on strengthening your existing skills and addressing any weaknesses. You are students of the esteemed Hyperion Academy, and I expect nothing less than exceptional performances from each and every one of you during the tournament," she declared with a stern tone, her gaze meeting the determined looks of her students. "You have five minutes to change into your combat uniforms and return here."
"Yes, ma'am!" the students replied in unison. They promptly exited the gymnasium, making their way to the changing rooms.
"Seth," the woman called out, approaching Seth before he could leave the gymnasium.
"Ma'am," Seth stopped and stood at attention once more.
"At ease, Seth," she said, making Seth's posture and expression to relax.
"What is it, Mrs. Cunningham?" he asked.
"Seth, even though you are one of our top students, I would advise against participating in the tournament. The Rising Espers Tournament is already dangerous enough with an ability. The fact that you still haven’t awaken yours would not only make it even more dangerous but also less rewarding since the best you could hope for is a position within the HSA's non-esper police force. Even if you intend to awaken your ability under the stress of the tournament, you would still be at the first step of the manifestation stage, the gap between you and the other participants would be impossible to bridge with just your combat skills," Mrs. Cunningham told him with a concerned and sorrowful expression. "There is no shame in this, Seth. With your combat skills, you would have been one of the strongest espers at Hyperion Academy if you had awakened your ability at the same time as your classmates. But ability awakening is a matter of chance, and many espers never experience it. I have heard from your other teachers that you are the most intelligent student in your grade. Perhaps you should consider pursuing an academic career."
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"Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Cunningham, but if I were to give up on my dream without even trying, I would regret it for the rest of my life. The mere possibility of awakening my ability is reason enough for me to participate in the tournament," Seth said with a determined look.
"Very well, just think about it carefully. Now go and change into your combat uniform; class is about to begin," Mrs. Cunningham instructed. With that, Seth headed off to the changing rooms. Mrs. Cunningham watched him run, thinking to herself, ‘Poor kid. Even though the tournament pushes everyone to their limits, the percentage of espers awakening their ability once the normal time period has passed is less than 1%. It's almost a miracle to be a late-awakening esper.’
As the five minutes passed, the students returned to the gymnasium, now dressed in their combat uniforms, forming three rows once again and standing at attention.
"To enhance your combat abilities for the tournament, you will engage in sparring exercises with your classmates from today until the tournament begins. The conditions of each sparring session will vary in every class. Today, for instance, you will spar without weapons, without the use of your abilities, and without using energy. To ensure this, a restriction seal has been activated within the gymnasium. Even if you desire to activate your ability, or use energy to enhance your body, you will be unable to do so," Mrs. Cunningham explained, gesturing toward a complex pattern shimmering on one of the gymnasium walls. "I will assign the pairs for sparring. Each pair will enter a designated ring, and upon my signal, the match will commence. A match can be won by forcing your opponent to surrender, by forcing them out of the ring, or by knocking them out. After each spar ends, everyone will face a different opponent, with the objective being to defeat as many opponents as possible," she told the class, pointing towards the seventeen circles scattered across the gymnasium floor. Each circle had a diameter of approximately fifteen meters. "Now, I will announce the pairings: Vance and Kynon, Rion and Zarah, Isis and Regine, Jake and Owen, Seth and Ethan..."
One by one, the pairs entered their respective rings until all seventeen were occupied. Mrs. Cunningham took charge of assigning the pairs herself, considering the varying levels of skill among the students. With so little time before the tournament, to ensure improvement, each student needed to spar against someone at their own level. If they faced a superior opponent, it would result in a one-sided beating, while facing a weaker opponent would offer no significant learning experience. Each combat had to provide a challenge for every student. However, not every student could have an opponent precisely matched to their skill level, and thus, the pairs would change after each spar. This applied even to the three strongest students in terms of combat skills: Jake, Seth, and Ethan. Among them, Seth was the one who possessed the best combat technique, followed by Ethan and then Jake. However, when abilities came into play, Seth couldn't compete with Ethan and Jake, since he didn’t have an ability. In that case, the most powerful esper in the class was Ethan, followed by Jake. Both were step 4 integration-stage espers. Yet, Ethan's superior control over his ability, combined with his superior combat technique, made him the strongest one.
As Seth entered the ring, he faced a boy with short black hair and deep emerald eyes. The boy looked at Seth with an air of arrogance as he stood on the opposite side.
"Well, well, look who it is, the defective," Ethan sneered.