The arena is a massive indoor structure, designed purely for superpowered combat training and competitions. The floor is made of thick, polished metal panels, reinforced to withstand blasts, fire, and any kind of elemental or physical impacts from the fighters. Surrounding the battleground are high, bulletproof glass walls and steel reinforcements that ensure no power escapes the arena, keeping everyone outside safe. Above the floor, tiered stadium seating stretches all around, packed with seats for hundreds of students and spectators to watch the fierce battles below. Bright but neutral lighting ensures clear visibility without distractions. The space feels industrial-functional, solid, and built for performance rather than spectacle, making it the perfect place for young heroes to hone their powers and test the limits of their powers.
Michael and Nick found a seat. By now, all the students had arrived inside the arena, and it goes without saying that Michael was really nervous today, but he didn’t let it show. Soon the whole arena was filled, and then an instructor walked in.
"Greetings, students, welcome to the Ranking Competition Tournament! You can challenge anyone you want to a fight, and if you win, you take their position in the rankings. But remember—each person can only face up to 5 challenges total. Once someone has been challenged 5 times, no more fights can be made against them. This means every challenge is precious, so think carefully before picking your opponent. Rise through the ranks by winning your fights and snagging the spots above you. Stay sharp, fight smart, and claim your place at the top. And remember, you are not allowed to use any form of external powers in this competition. Good luck to you all."
Michael really had to give the academy a round of applause for opening up the tournament with such a great speech, but he was glad that he could only be challenged 5 times; he didn’t want to fight everyone that was below him in rank in a single day, but this rule fixed that up for him.
"Hey Nick, if I were to challenge you, what are you going to do?" Michael asked. Nick turned and then smiled. "I would let you win, of course," he said, like it was the common answer to give. Michael was shocked by his answer; was this guy serious? He knew that Nick was the carefree kind of guy. Even though Michael would have loved to jump the rank, he decided to drop the idea; he wanted to climb the ranks with his own strength and not rely on friends for it.
"Let the tournament begin," the instructor shouted, immediately leaving the stage. Immediately, one of the students walked into the arena; his ranking was shown on the board.
"Andrew Davey – 2309"
"I challenge Michael Arden, ranked 93," he called out. Michael wasn’t really shocked about it; he knew that a lot of people thought he didn’t deserve his ranking, so of course, they would challenge him for it, but he never guessed he would be the first to be challenged in the ranking.
"Hey, I was thinking I would get to see a couple of fights before I had to fight," Michael said with a sigh and walked towards the fighting arena.
"Good luck, roomie, you’ve got this," Nick cheered on. Soon Michael was standing in front of Andrew.
"You should just quit right now," Andrew said. "I’m not going to hold back; just know that," Michael said without even caring for the whole speech Andrew was about to give. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel_fіre.net
Fight. Immediately the fight began; Michael didn’t move a muscle; he waited for his opponent to make the first move. Others might think this is stupid of him, but it really isn’t; yes, Michael wanted to climb the ranking, but he is also here to learn and copy his opponent.
Immediately Andrew launched his first attack, throwing a punch towards Michael’s face. Michael easily dodged the punch, but Andrew didn’t stop there; he kept on trying to punch Michael, but Michael was able to dodge all the punches and moved in such a way that it almost seemed like he was dancing.
Back in the stadium, Leia was looking at Michael with keen interest. "Why does his footwork seem so familiar to me?" she thought.
"Ahh," Andrew shouted; he was starting to get angry as Michael was able to dodge all his attacks. "Hey, try to dodge this then," he said.
"School of Andrew: Earth Rumble," he called out his skill, throwing a punch to Michael. Immediately Michael felt the earth rumble beneath his feet like an earthquake, which made it harder to dodge the incoming attack; his only option right now was to take the attack head-on, so Michael threw one of his own punches as well, and when both fists connected, Michael’s hand hurt him a lot.
Michael wasn’t that skilled in terms of strength.
...so it made sense that he would lose out to Andrew, whose class focused on strength. "Okay, my turn. I’m ending this now," Michael said firmly, knowing he had to finish the fight quickly. The longer he wasted energy here, the less strength he’d have left for the tougher battles waiting for him in the upper ranks. Every move had to count from this point on; he needed to conserve his power and focus on the challenges ahead. The fight wasn’t just about winning this round; it was about saving enough energy to climb higher and claim the position he truly wanted.
"House of Arden: Hope Breaker," Michael called out, and immediately there was a rumble from the sky as lightning filled the sky.
This was one of the skills Michael had developed; it involved calling down lightning. The first time he tried this, he almost died, as lightning was unpredictable and wild; even now, he couldn’t control the lightning, and he wasn’t planning to. His main goal was to call down the lightning and watch it run wild on Andrew.
Immediately, the first lightning bolt struck Andrew, giving him a shock and injuring him; he coughed out a mouthful of blood. Everyone in the stadium shivered when they saw that attack; even Ethan was shocked. "When did he get this strong?"
Just then, the second lightning bolt was about to strike, and Andrew fainted.
Winner: Michael Arden.
Even though the fight was short, many people could feel their skin prickle from that last attack, and it had to be said that it broke their resolve.