"I can tell, to some degree, that part of what you told me earlier was indeed true!"
After sending Ricky onto the stage, the general expectation among the audience was that the opposing team would surrender.
They had witnessed four consecutive, brutal defeats, and the psychological weight of those losses was visible on the faces of the backup team, leading to one forfeit.
It was clear now who was going to secure the Backup Team spot. And yet, out of everyone's expectations, the five students appeared on the stage together for the team match.
Three of them were in a sorrowful state, wrapped in bandages or limping, having been hastily treated by the academy's medical equipment and drugs.
The fifth student, who had withdrawn earlier to allow Ben to compete in his place, had returned as well. He claimed loudly that he hadn't forfeited his spot but had merely gone to check on his wounded teammates in the infirmary.
