"I was originally considered a replacement, even for the Backup Team," the youth said, his voice deep and raspy.
He didn't look arrogant like Bernard or Alfred; he looked like someone who knew his place in the world and wanted to change it for the better.
"But the student who was supposed to fight you saw what happened to the others and formally forfeited his position in the Backup Team entirely. So, I volunteered to step in and fight you."
John looked at his opponent, without knowing what to make of what he said. In truth, John hadn't even bothered to activate his Frame Recognition when he first boarded the stage.
After the displays from Luke, Elena, and Cissel, he already knew there was an insurmountable gap between his team and the rest of the students competing in this competition. He had planned to end this in a single, clean attack to spare the senior any unnecessary pain.
And yet, what Ben said next changed everything for John.
