Chapter 142 Third Round— Three-Way Fight III

Grior and Oculus both had determined looks on their faces, which prompted Satoshi to give them a chance to attack him first before he defeats them. The two of them were from different schools so Satoshi was just as curious if they'll be able to work together. In order to do that, not only do they have to reveal most of their superpower move sets, but they also have to synchronize their attacks so they won't interrupt one another. With all these things coming into play, Satoshi couldn't help but feel curious as to what their opening attack would be.

He was surprised when Grior suddenly unleashed a powerful tornado that broke through the protective thin layer of a dome that surrounded the arena. If it were any other superhero, they would've suffered a few bruises or cuts just from that attack alone. It was obvious that Grior is the number one wind user in their school based on his impeccable control over his superpower. His power output is not a joke either. It could very well be compared to other superheroes who have the same superpower— a formidable wind user through and through.

While admiring the thick and huge column of air that surrounded him, Satoshi was almost blown out of the way. In an instant, he summoned Sain, his Chainsaw Familiar, and used the multiple saws to root himself on the ground. That way, he won't be blown away and get sent to the audience. That would certainly cause him to splatter, which wouldn't be a great sight in the Inter-High Tournament.

"Here we go," Oculus said, extending his hands over to the tornado that Grior made. In an instant, the tornado went up in flames. This attack surprised Satoshi more so than Grior's tornado.

"Wait, he has a fire superpower?" Satoshi asked himself as beads of sweat trickled from his forehead. He wasn't sweating because he was nervous, but because the surroundings were getting uncomfortably hot.

"With this, Satoshi would burn and admit defeat... if by any chance he wasn't affected by this, then he'll just run out of oxygen and asphyxiate." Grior told Oculus.

? "Be prepared. As soon as we defeat Satoshi, we'll be fighting against each other." Oculus smirked.

What they didn't know though was that their entire conversation was heard by Satoshi. As soon as the FIRE TORNADO became scorching hot, Satoshi summoned both Sera and Ghast, one to heal his burns and the other to get him out of the fire. It didn't even take a split second for Satoshi to get out of there.

Grior and Oculus both smirked at each other as if they were fully prepared to fight each other as soon as the flaming tornado dissipates. They didn't even notice Satoshi standing right behind them.

"You know..."

"... You really shouldn't count your chickens before they're hatched." A voice came from behind them.

Upon saying that, Satoshi immediately ducked as Oculus sent a flaming orb towards his head. A wind blade almost cut his legs as well, fortunately, he managed to jump just in time.

"How did he— " Grior was about to ask how Satoshi got out of the vortex of flames when he received a punch right by his solar plexus, causing him to wheeze as the air escaped his lungs. He hardened the air in the atmosphere to shield himself from Satoshi's next punch and then used the winds in his favor so he could fly out of the way.

As for Oculus, he managed to duck Satoshi's roundhouse kick as he used an explosion to slingshot himself out of the way. After that, he used his hand as leverage to turn around and plant an explosion on Satoshi's face.

Just like Satoshi, Oculus is quite confident in his physical prowess as well, that's why he didn't back down when Satoshi started using physical attacks instead of using his superpower. 'If you want to fight like this, then I'm not going to hold back.' Oculus thought to himself as a smile formed on his face. The fight was just getting started.

"Grior, don't just run around like that and help me out here," Oculus complained as Satoshi leaned backward and unleashed a flurry of kicks at him. In response, Oculus sidestepped and did a sweeping motion with his hand, aiming right at Satoshi's throat. If he were to dodge, then his attack would land squarely on his jaws, which is exactly what Oculus wanted to play out.

However, Satoshi saw through his attacks and instead of dodging, he blocked it with his left hand. When the attack connected, Satoshi quickly changed his parry into a tight grip, grabbing Oculus's right hand and turning around. He planned to throw him on the ground— a famous finishing move in judo and other similar martial arts.

That's when Grior stepped in. He knew that once Satoshi defeated Oculus, it was only a matter of time before he loses as well. In a desperate attempt to save Oculus from being thrown down, he sent a gust of wind at Satoshi's leg and sent another gust right where Oculus would be landing. According to his estimate, Satoshi would lose his balance and Oculus would land on the gust of wind as if he was thrown onto a soft bed.

That's exactly how it played out. Satoshi didn't expect Grior to take that chance as an opportunity. He could tell that his two opponents shouldn't be underestimated. Just like him, they've been to countless physical fights and they know their way in combat.

Even though the fight was mostly physical in form, Tuxedo and the rest of the audience were rendered speechless as they watched the teenagers' mastery over their bodies. In a civilization where superpowers are greatly regarded, it's easy, or rather, it's the norm for someone to overlook their physical capabilities since one could always compensate for their physical abilities with their superpower.

That's why it's quite a rare sight to behold a physical fight. And the exchange of blows they witnessed right now isn't just your typical street fight, but every move was carefully calculated and executed with minute precision. It was indeed a feast for the eyes of everyone watching.

And just like the audience watching the fight live, everyone at the leisure of their homes was rendered speechless as well. This was truly the third round of the Inter-High Tournament.

"On your left!" Grior called out. Oculus then dodged and sent another explosion right at Satoshi's hips.

BOOM!

This time, the attack connected and Satoshi was knocked leftwards, sending him rolling a couple of meters before he punched the ground, causing him to decelerate with a slide. Half of his shirt was burned but there were no signs of charred skin underneath. This made Oculus and Grior take a step back. If he isn't using any of his familiars, then how did he recover in an instant? After all, even the hand Satoshi used to punch the ground wasn't even bruised.

Of course, why did they assume that Satoshi isn't using his familiars when they were using their superpowers in a hand-to-hand fight? That's simply a subjective way of thinking. They just assumed that Satoshi would hold back just because this turned into an exchange of fists.

That would just be disadvantageous for him.

Heaving a sigh, Oculus raised his hand as if to address everyone, including the audience. This made Satoshi pause. He didn't want to attack someone who put their guard down on purpose. In a tournament, that would just be playing dirty.

Seeing the signal, Tuxedo nodded to the side of the audience towards one of the cameramen, gesturing that he focused on Oculus. The camera then zoomed in until Oculus was the only one on it.

"I have a proposition to make," Oculus voiced out after clearing his throat. "Since everyone wants a physical brawl, then I would like this round to be a pure physical fight. Of course, this is just my proposition. It's up to Satoshi and Grior if they will agree with me."

"In this match, no one is allowed to use any superpower. All of us will just be fighting using our physical abilities."If one were to use their superpower, then they are immediately disqualified from the match."

"Ooh, this is getting interesting." Tuxedo said, smiling. In himself, he wanted to watch a full-on, three-way physical brawl and he could tell by the sparkles in the eyes of the audience that they wanted to witness something like that as well. Of course, he had no leeway to refuse such a request.

"If the two candidates agree with you, Oculus, then I will allow that rule on this round. However, this rule will only be for this round, let me make that clear."

Satoshi and Grior both had no idea what spurred the idea in Oculus's head but one thing's for sure, the two of them were also having fun exchanging fists with each other. Of course, they'd agree.

"Sounds interesting, count me in." Satoshi nodded, agreeing to the proposition.

"I'm on board as well," Grior agreed, shaking Oculus's hand in the process.