Chapter 45 Orb Oboros

[Running simulations...]

[Simulating possible outcomes... ]

[Simulating lowered and increased chances...]

[Finding objects or animals...]

[Found likely specimens... ]

The screen on Dex's monitor seemed to buffer and load a couple more times before it finally stopped and acted like its usual self again. It was clear that it had been running a lot of simulations in its system just so it could guide Satoshi in his next endeavor. He only had thirty minutes to prepare and he knew it'd be much worth it if he were to construct a winning plan for the upcoming trial.

Without further ado, Dex then lifted one of its mechanical arms and rigidly pointed at Satoshi's bag. This bag is an important relic for him since he had it ever since he was in elementary and he never thought of replacing it. It may have been discolored now but it still had the original aesthetic feel to it as a leather briefcase.

And when Dex pointed towards its general direction, Satoshi had to blink twice, open his mouth, and ask the word 'what' a few times before realizing what Dex truly meant. There were no more words to be said, just the understanding that whatever Satoshi will choose in the upcoming thirty minutes would either make or break him. It was such a valuable thing to him— that bag— but what's even more valuable than that is sullying the Midoriyama name. Whatever the outcome of the fight would be, he knew that he had to put up a fight no matter what.

Breaking that thought in mind, he closed his eyes and summoned the blue flames on his hands. Once the blue flames touch his briefcase, it would be gone for good, replace with even better storage that would presumably enable Satoshi to store his familiars in one place without ever worrying about them being too conspicuous wherever he goes. He gulped as sweat dripped between his brows. Time was running out and it's not like he's got any choice regarding the situation.

"Can't do it... no, besides, it's not like this briefcase would be gone for good. He'd still remain but he'd have a different form and shape. It'd still be the same precious briefcase I had since I was a kid." Satoshi said to himself, finally touching the briefcase with his blue flames and watching it in half horror and anticipation as it molded itself to a different figure altogether.

Despite his urges to change his decision, he decided to go through with it with mixed emotions. He remembered the time when his dad first gave him the leather briefcase, telling him to take good care of it since that was one of his responsibilities as an elementary student. Back then he regarded that leather briefcase highly since it was probably one of the most expensive bags he'd ever seen and until now, it's still a cherished object. Closing his eyes, he underwent the process and he didn't open his eyes until the process was done.

Even when he opened his eyes, he still couldn't get over the fact that the leather briefcase had already changed shape. It became an orb, which is as small as one of them jawbreaker candies. The only difference it had from jawbreakers was that it was pure white with a thin pink line around it which met on the middle of the orb where a button was. If someone were to ask how it looked like, it had a great resemblance to the premiere ball— one of the many types of balls that could catch a monster in a certain popular game.

"Oh, so now I'm carrying a Pokeball now. This has gotten weirder than expected." Satoshi scratched his head.

[Satoshi, I've sensed that you've had a great attachment to that leather briefcase. A simple command would revert anything to its former state but it won't undo all the functions that you've added to a certain object or beast.]

[In that sense, you can still use the leather briefcase by reverting it to its previous form, and at the same time, you can use it as storage for your familiars. As for me, you don't have to go through all the trouble of storing me since I can camouflage and fly practically anywhere.]

After saying that, Dex then reverted the leather briefcase back to its former form and shifted it back to its orb form. Because of its abilities and its functionality, Satoshi had decided to call his new familiar with the name of 'Orb Oboros'. Even Dex was weirded out by how Satoshi decided to name his new familiar but he wasn't complaining. It was a catchy name and it sets it apart from the other familiars. Besides, being called Orb Oboros is much better than being called Windfan. Long story short, Satoshi's naming sense had improved by a minuscule amount.

Finally, Satoshi instructed Dex to carry Orb Oboros with him and go outside so he could smuggle the other familiars in. And five minutes later, Dex returned with the whole squad in his pocket. So far, everything's going as planned and Satoshi felt a bit relaxed even though his opponent was undefeated. She did get one draw but technically, that isn't a loss so she's still undefeated.

...

"Great! Satoshi is getting the spotlight again." Hiroshi said to himself, shrugging his shoulders while feeling a bit resentful towards his rival. If there was someone in their batch who's more than deserving to fight the one and only Plume, he knew that it would be him. And yet, for some odd reason, Plume didn't even think twice about pointing towards Satoshi. It's as if everything was planned right from the start, which made Hiroshi wonder if Plume was bribed by Satoshi's parents so he could get more exposure as a hero.

"Hah~ it's not like he's going to win anyway. I mean, that's Plume we're talking about here. As much as I wanted Satoshi to win and give our class more recognition, I know for a fact that he doesn't stand a chance against such a powerhouse. She's literally undefeated and mind you, she's fought her fair share of professional and licensed superheroes so she's the real deal. Satoshi would just lose face if he were to go through this fight and lose. But then again, I'm kind of curious how he'd be able to fight someone with a skill level more than three times his own." Midori started his chatter once again and there were no signs of him stopping.

In an instant, the entire crowd of spectators grew silent as Plume entered the stage with an intense aura about her. She had been looking forward to her punching bag for the past thirty minutes that it made her more excited for the upcoming match. A brief smile plastered on her pristine white face as rage burned within her core. At that very moment, she didn't resemble an angel at all.

"Just a minu— " Somebody's voice interrupted the silence that matched the atmosphere around Plume. And then, Satoshi entered the stage with the two guards with him. He was trying to convince them of something but it was painfully obvious that he wasn't getting through to them. Instead of listening to him, they just continued dragging him towards the arena as if that's his one and only fate. Satoshi didn't fight back though, he just let them drag him to the arena since he didn't want unnecessary trouble right before his fight. It would just waste his precious energy after all.

Kneeling on the ground, the two guards just had to lift Satoshi just so they'd be able to put him on top of the arena. "I told you, I haven't finished my sandwich! I still had five minutes, didn't I? I thought you said I have thirty minutes to prepare?!" Satoshi complained.

"Let's just... sigh~ you can finish it later. Right now, people are betting on you and they're looking for a good fight. Of course, the undefeated Plume would win no matter what. Hang in there, buddy." One of the guards said in a friendly manner, which made Satoshi's nerves calm down for a bit.

Multiple times, the guard had to do the same thing to other Choose Your Legends candidates since they didn't want to fight in the first place. However, one of the most important rules in the Concrete Arena is that anyone who is chosen in that event would have to participate in order for them to get a percentage of the betting pool. If that candidate chooses to give up before the fight even started, then they won't get a single cent from the betting pool. What a missed opportunity. And that's why the guards swore to themselves that they would help every candidate not to make any mistakes. Furthermore, it's obvious that it's Satoshi's first time fighting in the Concrete Arena.

"No way, is he really going to fight her?" Shiroi asked herself but while she did so, Kuroe was already waving her arms and screaming, prodding Satoshi to show them a good fight.

"BEGIN!" The automated voice announced once again.