Voltiana

Chapter Sixteen: The Semifinals

As Atomu got up from the rubble, the last match of the second round was complete. Akari walked over and gave him a overly strong hug. "Well, nice job! I almost got a little bit nervous there!"

"Hmph."

He felt as if she was bluffing. He walked back to his seat as Akari did the same. The other girls (save for Nishi and Tsugumi) crowded her in a bear hug. "Wow, you did it!"

"That seemed so intense!"

"Ow, okay. My ribs."

Tetsuya, meanwhile, gave Atomu a high five. "Well, you gave it your all! I'm impressed!" Arata almost choked on his popcorn. "A pity victory! Ha! Where's my money."

The crowd gave more gossip on the fight.

"The prince has something awfully wrong with him...is he okay?"

"I don't know, but that was one good fight. Akari is on another level!"

"Yeah, hats of to both, but it's clear who's the alpha here."

Jukai walked to the center again. "Now with the second round complete, we begin the SEMIFINALS! Take a look at the last two matches, viewers and spectators, because it's gonna be GOOD!"

The holographic bracket appeared once more, this time with the matches being:

- Tsugumi vs. Arata

- Hikari vs. Akari

Arata stood up and chomped on more popcorn. "Oh, she's EASY work." He threw it to the ground and laughed.

Tsugumi just growled. Jukai put the mic to his lips. "After a short break, we're bringing you the FIRST semi-final match: TSUGUMI vs. ARATA!"

The crowd cheered. "TWO heavy hitters going at it! Yes!"

Meanwhile, the judges were taking notes. Nakada walked over to Fujii, making her voice lower than a whisper. "Those two siblings are powerful, but Atomu definitely seems to have some unnatural qualities to his magic."

She pointed at his face, which still had traces of glass running down it. Fujii analyzed him for a bit. "Well, it's a mystery for another day. He's pretty strong, so is his sister. Maybe this year, will be the year..."

Himeka interrupted. "Wait, is General Morino still not back? He's missing all the action!"

Nakada nodded. "Yeah, shouldn't someone go get him...? He left a while ago..."

Fujii grabbed his chin. "Soon. I'm sure someway, somehow, he's watching."

As Fujii looked between the next two slated to fight, he smiled and stated: "But get ready for this NEXT match, it'll be one hell of a BATTLE!"

After the break, Jukai went back center stage. "Now then, let's kick off our SEMIFINALS! We've got TSUGUMI vs. ARATA!"

Loud cheers erupted once more. Hikari gave Tsugumi a gentle shake. "Go girl! Go get em'!" She didn't respond, she just groaned and got up. Akari tapped Hikari.

"Soooo, seems you're my next opponent?"

"Oh? Uh, yeah, seems that way."

"Hope you're ready!"

Hikari fiddled with her hair with a slightly nervous smile, but she gave a thumbs up. Tsugumi took her side on the arena, and Arata, who was walking with a swag of overconfidence, took his. Jukai prepared to say the words.

"Ready? FIGHT!"

Nether used any weapons. Arata simply flexed his muscles. "Go on then, birdie! Chirp!"