Bonus chapter
Behind the three principals, the assembled Ashenvale representatives exchanged uncertain glances. They'd never seen their principals interact like this before. The pettiness was almost comforting in its humanity.
Luke, Marcus, and Hailey stood near the front of the group, the gap between them and the other representatives a silent acknowledgment of the hierarchy. The rest of the students had watched Luke's exam performance on livestream, but most of them were seeing him in person for the first time. Their eyes kept drifting his way.
For Marcus and Hailey, Luke's arrival on the scene had overshadowed everything they'd accomplished in the exam. They'd both earned Fae Spirit Hollow access. They were still among Ashenvale's best. But "best" had been redefined overnight, and the new standard was standing three feet to their left.
Four-Star cards and Six-Star cards were both Intermediate tier. But one was entry-level and the other was the ceiling. Pretending the gap didn't exist would've been delusional.
"Luke." Marcus's hand clenched at his side. His voice was tight with the kind of intensity that ran deeper than rivalry. "By the time the college entrance exam comes around, I'll have closed the gap."
He couldn't match Luke now. He knew that. But the future was unwritten, and Marcus Ward was not the type to accept permanent second place.
"Don't forget about me." Hailey stepped forward, her expression carved from quiet determination. She wasn't the flashiest personality, but the steel in her eyes made words unnecessary.
Luke acknowledged both with a nod. Nothing dismissive, but nothing especially concerned either.
In the back of his mind, Red-Eyes Black Star Dragon's simulation was past fifty percent. If the exchange match had been delayed by just one more day, he could've had the card finished and ready to unveil against Moonvale's delegation.
That would've been something.
"Shame about the timing," he murmured to himself.
Across the plaza, Helena Frost was speaking with Victor Ashford. Behind her, Moonvale's student delegation took in their surroundings with the casual appraisal of people who'd expected better and found exactly what they'd expected.
"Whoa." An Ironvale student nudged the person beside him. "That girl is stunning."
Several heads turned at once.
She stood near the center of the Moonvale group, and it was immediately obvious why she drew the eye. A fitted yellow dress that traced an almost unreasonably perfect figure. Features that sat in the narrow band between youthful and mature, ethereal and grounded. Bright, intelligent eyes that seemed to carry their own light source.
Hailey was considered a beauty by Ashenvale standards. Next to this girl, the comparison wasn't flattering.
Even Luke looked twice. The girl's appearance was in the same tier as Mana's. That alone said everything.
"The facilities here are... not great." One of the Moonvale students was doing a poor job of hiding his disdain as he surveyed Westbridge's campus. "Even compared to the school we just visited in Sunridge, this is a step down."
"It is what it is." Another Moonvale student shrugged. "We're a top-three city. Ashenvale's a mid-tier. The difference was always going to show."
"Honestly? I doubt Lily even needs to fight today. The rest of us can probably handle whatever they throw at us."
The girl in the yellow dress, Lily, heard her name and responded with a small, unbothered smile. She didn't confirm or deny the assessment.
The Ashenvale students heard all of it.
"Are you kidding me right now?" The Westbridge contingent was the first to bristle. This was their campus. Their home ground. Being trash-talked to their faces by visiting students was a level of disrespect that overrode any rational assessment of the power gap.
"What, because your buildings are nicer, you think you're better?"
"Put us on a level playing field and see what happens."
"And don't forget, we've got Luke. You have no idea what's coming."
"Luke?" Lily's eyes flickered with the faintest spark of interest. The Ashenvale students were throwing that name around with a lot of confidence. Whoever this Luke was, they clearly considered him their ace.
She scanned the opposing lineup. She didn't know which one he was. It didn't matter. She was confident she wouldn't lose to anyone here.
If he was worth the hype, they'd meet on the field.
At the far end of the plaza, Helena Frost and Victor Ashford had finished their exchange.
"Ashford. It's been a while." Helena's voice carried a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. Everything about her, her posture, her gaze, her energy, projected the kind of cold intensity that made people instinctively create distance.
Been a while? I wish it had been longer. Victor kept the thought behind a diplomatic smile. "It has indeed. Would your group like to rest before we begin?"
"Unnecessary." Helena waved the offer away without a second's consideration. "The Frost Sparrow handled the travel. Everyone's well-rested."
A beat.
"If there are no objections, I'd prefer to start immediately."
A combat fanatic to her core. No small talk, no pleasantries, no wasted seconds. Victor had warned the principals about this. Helena Frost didn't do buildup. She did battle.
"Then let's begin." Victor exchanged a look with Harlow and the other two principals. A shared nod.
What was coming was coming. Better to face it head-on than drag out the anxiety.
The principals had heard the Moonvale students' comments. Their composure was deeper than the students', tempered by decades of experience. But the disrespect still stung. Harlow especially. This was his school they were insulting. Years of blood and sweat poured into building Westbridge up from the weakest academy in the city.
Townsend and Brandt felt it too. The three schools were rivals, always had been. But against an outside threat, old grudges evaporated. Right now, they were all Ashenvale.
"Moonvale City! Declan Ross!" A student from Moonvale's delegation leaped into the arena before anyone on the Ashenvale side had fully processed that the match had begun. He flung a card into the air, and a beast materialized beside him. Reptilian, low-slung, armored with thick scales. It looked like an alligator that had been designed by someone who thought regular alligators weren't intimidating enough.
"Three-Star Rare: Land Croc!" The Ashenvale students recognized the card instantly, and the gravity of the situation sank in. Moonvale's opener, the throwaway first match, was a Three-Star Rare. That was already a step above what most of Ashenvale's non-elite students could field.
"Well?" Declan Ross spread his arms, grinning with the kind of confidence that bordered on contempt. "Who's first? Or was all that trash talk just for show?"
Talk was easy. Everyone could be a champion behind a keyboard. But the arena was different. This was where the real gap between two cities would be measured in wins, losses, and humiliation.
PLz Throw Powerstones.