Chapter 124 Second Round— Inter-High V

"Well, looks like everyone's getting fired up without me." Someone spoke from behind Primal's group. "But just like what I said, I got all these under control. You don't have to do anything."

It was Satoshi!

"B-but how?! Impossible!" Viper stammered. Unless Satoshi has a way of reverting his stone state, he wouldn't have been able to talk. Panicked, Viper whirled his head only to see that Midori was still in the group. Based on their research and the information provided regarding every USA candidate, Midori is the only one who has healing abilities and it wasn't even that reliable yet since it's just his secondary superpower. There was no way Midori managed to heal Satoshi from that distance.

"That was a nice speech, Sassu. But let's leave that moral for the third round." Satoshi said, walking towards Primal's group as if nothing happened. They were speechless, to say the least.

"I see, you're still full of surprises even after all that." Primal shrugged. "I guess this calls for a second round. I'll oblige on your offer this time."

"Nah, you were this close. I had to use my trump card early on." Satoshi said, pointing up. Above the battlefield was Sera, clasping her hands as if she was praying. She just reverted Satoshi's stone state and yet she still had the energy to buff every familiar in the arena.

"What was that?" Midori asked even though he knew that Satoshi will explain it later. Right now a fight is still ongoing.

"I see," Primal repeated. This time, he wasn't taking any chances. With a nod, he gave everyone the approval to attack Satoshi without reprieve. "Just like we practiced." He continued.

.....

Meanwhile,

The smell of coffee wafted around the house as Ayumu prepared for breakfast. A moment ago, she felt her husband's kiss on her forehead as he whispered that he will do his usual training. She wondered why her husband doesn't get tired at all. Even after everything that transpired yesterday, he still had the energy to do his usual routine. Of course, as for her, she decided to rest in a little bit more since she knew that her husband won't finish his workout after two to three hours.

Whirrrrrr~~~

The hidden door that led to the lair smoothly slid open and Tatsuki walked out, all fresh and rejuvenated after taking a post-workout hot bath. As soon as he walked into the living room, the strong smell of brewed coffee entered his nose and it caused his stomach to grumble. He hasn't eaten anything since yesterday, no wonder he's hungry.

"That smells nice, what are you preparing?" Tatsuki called out, giving his wife a back hug while kissing her on the cheek. "Bleh~ your hair smells like frying oil."

"Of course," Ayumu giggled after feeling her husband's stubble on her cheek. "I'm preparing a heavy meal for brunch so just wait. We haven't eaten anything since yesterday after all."

"Sweet~!" Tatsuki said before jumping on the sofa and reading the newspaper like the usual dad. At the same time, he turned on the television which is connected to the internet. The first video that popped up was the live stream of the Inter-High Tournament and he immediately clicked on it. 'How could I forget! I wonder how my son's doing.' He asked himself. The incident yesterday almost cost them their lives and right now, he felt blessed that he was still alive to see another day— alive to witness his son grow into a respectable superhero in the near future.

The moment he started watching the broadcast, Satoshi was already about to be attacked by Cyborg and Viper. Then the inevitable happened and he lost the exchange, ultimately turning into a stone. "Wha— " Tatsuki's jaws dropped as he foresaw the future. He already projected himself consoling his son after they lost the Inter-High Tournament. He already saw himself eating a bowl of ramen with his son in a nearby stall while he give him words of encouragement and while tears and snot continued to stream down his son's face.

[AND IT LOOKS LIKE GREAT WHITE SHARK ACADEMY WILL WIN! WHAT A DANGEROUS EXCHANGE!] The commentator exclaimed.

"No! Come on, son! What are you doing?!" Tatsuki couldn't help but cheer in front of the television screen, attracting his wife's attention.

"Why, what happened?" Ayumu asked, a bit concerned since her husband doesn't usually show that much fervor when it comes to watching tv shows. That's when she noticed that Satoshi was immobile in the background. "Oh— "

"They're strong, all right. I've looked up those kids' superpowers and they could easily be top rankers someday. Especially that... you know that student who calls himself Primal? He's plenty strong. When it comes to physical attacks no one can top him in the tournament. That's probably how they bested our son."

"But... are they going to... oh no..." Ayumu covered her mouth with her hands. Watching the live stream was a bit painful for her since she didn't want her son to fail in front of so many people. After all, there were more than a billion people watching the live stream at that very moment.

"No, they still have a chance. Right now, the first thing that they need to keep in mind was that they shouldn't lose their will to fight. One of them... it will only take one of them to snap into reality and spur everyone to continue fighting." Tatsuki continued, biting his lips. Even though he was confident that one of them would certainly make that happen, that doubt in his mind started eating away at him. Of course, there's an off-chance that they will just surrender and let the Great White Shark Academy advance to the finals.

'No, they're not that weak. I'm confident that they wouldn't even consider forfeiting the match in the first place.' Tatsuki said to himself.

Just like every viewer at home and in the Inter-High Stadium, they became too invested in Satoshi's match that they didn't even glance at the other matches. At that instant, everyone was looking at the Third Stage— the arena where USA and the Great White Shark Academy are fighting.

Suddenly, a yellow glow emerged from Satoshi's head and it started going upwards. Everyone held their breath since they didn't know what was happening. Was it the works of one of the Great White Shark Academy Candidates? Well, they could only wonder. Right now, the bizarre occurrence was the focus of the audience... and yet, for some odd reason, no one noticed it at all. Apparently, both groups were too focused on themselves that they weren't even looking at Satoshi.

That yellow glow then transformed into one of the cutest familiars anyone had seen, a teru teru bozu-like plush that had three halos on her head. She let out an enthusiastic 'womp' before she clasped her hands in a prayer-like fashion. In an instant, Satoshi was enveloped in the same yellow glow and then he could move again as if nothing happened.

"Dear, did you see that?" Ayumu asked. "Have you ever seen that Familiar before?"

"No, it's probably a new familiar. It looks powerful though... and it's cute to boot." Tatsuki said, rubbing his chin. He wondered if his son would let him pet his familiar.

,m "That kid, making us worry for nothing." Tatsuki forced a laugh as his stomach growled. A moment ago, he was prepared to give his son a consoling speech but now, celebration has replaced that thought. With Satoshi returning to the stage once again, there's no way they could lose now.

"Go get 'em!" Tatsuki cheered this time, grabbing the newspaper he dropped on the floor a few seconds ago.

.....

Satoshi stepped sideways and then pulled something from the Orb Oboros. Fortunately, he managed to sense the invisible huge hammer coming down at him and he barely dodged it. That's why he pulled the Cloak of Invisibility and rode on his Nailgun. The White Lion started roaring, causing lightning to form right on top of the third stage. The reason why Satoshi commanded the White Lion to do that was to keep Contrail busy. Out of everyone who has a wide area of effect on the other team, Contrail was the most dangerous of all since she can control clouds and cause pretty much every weather pattern.

While Contrail was busy, Satoshi rushed at Primal and gave him a punch. Of course, he summoned Ghast at the exact same time and made his punch go through a portal. It then reappeared right behind Primal and hit him squarely on the nape. Another portal appeared on Satoshi's feet and he disappeared before Primal could claw him. The next portal appeared right in front of Cyborg and Satoshi landed on top of him with Lighter floating beside him. After frying both of Cyborg's arms and legs with Lighter's unquenchable flame, he fired a couple of nails toward Killjoy's eyes, blinding him. With that, he won't be able to see anyone's movements and he wouldn't be able to strategize anymore.

"He wasn't kidding," Fuuka muttered, covering her mouth at the one-sided fight.