Renji and Gudo stand to face each other.
"On my count. Three... two... one!"
The fight begins.
Gudo chants an incantation, launching a lightning bolt towards Renji.
Renji takes the hit head-on and collapses to the ground.
The teacher steps forward and looks him over. He lies motionless, showing no sign of getting up.
"The winner has been decided!"
Shock ripples through the crowd. Shock turns to pity. Pity twists into disgust.
"What's he even doing here? There's no way he got here through merit."
"One hit and he's down? How weak is he?"
Laughter breaks out, cruel and mocking.
"Enough!" the teacher snaps. "We have many fights to get through. Two and ten, your turn!"
Renji slowly rises. Gudo steps off the field, clearly upset despite winning. He leaves without looking back. Renji watches him go but doesn't follow. Instead, he stays to watch the other fights, gauging everyone's strength.
Fights go on until eight people are left standing. Just in time for the next segment, Gudo comes back to participate. He wins his fight with ease and advances to the last four. This time, he goes up to Renji.
"I know what you did."
Renji scoffs.
"Did what?"
"You let me win."
"Did I?"
"Cut the act. Why did you do that? Do you consider me that weak?"
Renji doesn't answer.
"Have it your way. I'm sure we'll fight again in this tournament. Next time you won't be able to just hand me a win if you care about your future in the slightest. And you should care."
Gudo turns around and leaves. He said what he had to say. Renji sits around a little longer, until he finally decides to go home.
As he walks back home, he notices people glancing at him. It feels like they're gossiping to his face, and they might as well be. It seems like word got around about his embarassing loss. Still, he doesn't let it get to him. As he makes it home, he jumps straight into bed and takes a nap. He sleeps for twelve hours straight.
He slept so much that he decides to go watch the fights on the next day. He would've skipped them otherwise.
Today, Gudo doesn't come to pick him up. He's understandably not over yesterday. Still, Renji gets ready and heads to school.
As he goes through the gates, he trips and falls. It wasn't an accident. Somebody tripped him. It was Takumi Arakawa. People gather around. Takumi looks at him and laughs.
"Why did you bother coming again? There's no place for you here. You embarassed our group."
Renji doesn't falter. He slowly gets up and looks Takumi in the eyes.
"I'll give you one pass. Say you're sorry."
Renji inches closer. Takumi laughs again.
"You got a lot of balls for a loser. Look, everyone! It seems like he wants to be humiliated again."
Takumi starts chanting a spell, but before he can finish, Renji grabs his neck and lifts him up in the air. He squeezes hard.
"I told you to say sorry."
Before things escalate even further, B1's teacher shouts from a distance.
"Break it off, now! Let him go!"
Renji sighs then complies. He coldly throws Takumi onto the ground. She goes up to Renji.
"You, come with me."
Takumi looks up angrily. "He's in big trouble. Big, big trouble."
As the teacher drags Renji along, he stops and retaliates.
"What are you doing? Do you think I grabbed him for no reason?"
"Shush. You're not in trouble. I know what happened."
"Then where are you taking me?"
"Away from him. Things got messy enough already."
"He had it coming. That and more. You shouldn't have stopped me. People like him need to be taught a lesson."
"You'll have your chance in the tournament. This is not the time and place."
"Well, he started it."
"I know. If he does it again, I won't intervene, but I think he won't."
"Yeah, you're probably right. He's all bark no bite."
"Alright, stay away from people like that. I'll see you at the arena."
The next round begins.
The top eight are called to the field, one pair at a time. Some fights are close. Others end in seconds. Talents clash and spells fly, but Renji barely reacts. He watches with blank eyes, taking mental notes.
When Gudo's turn comes, the crowd perks up. His opponent is Reina Itsuki, considered the third strongest in B1.
Unlike last time, Gudo doesn't start with a chant. He waits. Reina circles him, pressure in every step.
The moment Reina casts her first spell, Gudo moves. A wall of fire surges toward him, but he dives through it, taking minor burns to close the gap. He slams a spell into Reina's gut, point-blank lightning, and follows it with a burst of wind that sends her skidding.
She snarls and counters. Ice forms at her feet, spikes launching upward to impale. Gudo shields, but the attack breaks through. Blood splashes onto the arena floor.
Gudo grits his teeth, refusing to back down. He chants mid-stagger, throwing all his force into a final surge. A thunderclap rings out, and when the light clears, Reina is on her knees.
The teacher raises a hand.
"Victory goes to Gudo Asakura!"
Gasps ripple through the arena. Even Renji sits up straighter.
Gudo walks off the field, limping. No celebration. Just quiet pride.
Renji watches him go.
"Still standing," he mutters.
Renji walks up to his teacher.
"Looks like your precious assessments weren't as accurate as you thought. One of your top four just got schooled."
She sighs.
"I never said they were perfect. I said they were fair. Just because some people, like you, sandbag their performance doesn't mean the rankings are flawed."
"You think I'm holding back?"
"Come on. One spell takes you out, and five minutes later you're choking people out without blinking? Do I look stupid?"
"That was adrenaline. Totally different thing."
"Uh-huh. Tell that to someone more gullible. I've seen the way you two are. I can guess what happened. I'm waiting on your next match, you know?"
"I embarassed myself in my first fight and that gained me a new fan? Didn't expect that one."
The teacher bops his head.
"Tomorrow, you're with the other losers. Don't skip it."
"Wouldn't dream of it."