Chapter 127 Second Round— Inter-High Conclusion
"That's normal," The Nurse said, writing something on a paper. "I mean, that bodily reaction is normal when you awakened a new superpower— that, or you used an aspect of your superpower that you haven't used it."
"The latter's probably the case," Satoshi commented.
"I see... so it's more like a branch of your superpower? And it's your first time using it? Fascinating." The Nurse said. "Well, let's talk about that later. For now, I just want to apologize for the late response of the medical team and the management. This was the first time someone attempted to kill someone in a tournament... or rather, it's been so long since someone last did that that we weren't quite used to it. Fortunately, your mom and dad rushed from your house to here and grabbed me. When we got there it was already too late though, you were already healed."
Satoshi shuddered at the thought that he was that close to dying. He didn't want to go through the same experience again, never again.
"You can move along now. Honestly, I'm impressed. With your injuries, you should've been here for a few more days but to think that you can just walk out as if nothing happened? The next generation of superheroes are going to be a pain in the rear end, that I can tell." The Nurse chuckled.
As soon as he got out, one of the guards saluted at him. "Please follow me," He said,
Satoshi nodded.
.....
Tatsuki and Ayumu paced back and forth the common area as Hiroshi and the others watched them. This was one of those rare moments when they could see the Midoriyama Duo in their natural habitat so they decided to burn the memory in their minds. All of them were great fans of the Midoriyama Duo, after all. If you were a kid and you're not a fan of the Midoriyama Duo after everything they've done, then something's wrong with you.
"Is he all right?" Tatsuki muttered, rubbing his chin in absolute worry. Not once did it occur in his mind that the house was an absolute mess right now. Because of panic, they did flip the table and smashed it onto the wall.
"He'd better be, the Nurse is taking care of him after all." Ayumu continued.
Just watching them made the other candidates feel as if something was choking them up. They didn't expect the Midoriyama Duo to be worrywarts. They even started wondering how Satoshi became so independent even after having such overprotective parents. But then again, Satoshi almost died back then, any parent would be worried if they were to witness such a horrifying sight. If it were any other parent, they would've sued the management right then and there.
Creak!
"Um," Satoshi muttered as he went into the waiting room. He didn't bother using Ghast so he could teleport inside the Waiting Room at once. After all, that would just surprise his teammates all the more.
"SATOSHI!" The first one to scream was Tatsuki as he unconsciously activated his superspeed and grabbed Satoshi in a tight embrace. Satoshi felt his back arching in an uncomfortable manner but he didn't ask his dad to let go. Instead, he just let him be since he was quite worried. Ayumu also rushed towards him after screaming just like his dad and together, the whole family displayed their bond in front of the other USA candidates.
"What happened back there?" Tatsuki asked, touching Satoshi all over his chest and arms to see if there were any scars or if there were any serious injuries left behind due to the clash. To his relief, there weren't any. It's as if nothing happened, even.
"I should be asking that, dad, mom. Those orcs shouldn't have been a problem to you." Satoshi muttered.
"Wait— don't tell me... " Ayumu muttered. Because her motherly instincts were strong, she could tell that Satoshi was somehow involved with something dangerous. She gasped as she realized that the unknown entity that helped them a few hours ago was none other than their son. "You were the one who— "
"Why did you come there? That was dangerous!" Ayumu lightly reprimanded her son.
"What do you mean, dear?" Tatsuki asked, confused.
"It was him! Your son was the one who helped us clear the Gate!" Ayumu voiced out.
"Wait, did you really— " Tatsuki was shocked beyond belief.
"N-no! I... I was forced to do it." Satoshi said, immediately recalling a certain someone.
Emma!
"Um, this is a bit off-topic but were all the Gates cleared already?" Satoshi asked out of the blue.
"I don't think so. I've been watching the news ever since we finished the second round. Only the Gates that spawned in America and Japan were cleared. And of course, they were the ones who received your help, right?" Shidou asked.
"You know what, I won't even be surprised anymore if Satoshi does something crazy again." Midori continued. "I mean, I thought I was the only one in the team who's got superior healing ability, even the Nurse complimented me about it. Then there's you who easily reattached all your limbs. How on earth?!"
"Ahhehehe~" Satoshi scratched his head. "I'll be heading to the bathroom first." Satoshi continued.
As soon as he stood up and left to ease himself in the bathroom, everyone started talking about Satoshi's weird performance as well as him overextending during the second round. He didn't have to take on everyone but he did so anyway.
Meanwhile, Satoshi was worried about why no other Gates was cleared yet. He figured that Emma was having a difficult time clearing the other Gates without his help. She did help him rescue his parents. Had she not been there, Satoshi knew all too well that his parents and everyone in the group would've died already. That's why he saw it fit to return the favor by lending her his aid.
Besides, he still hasn't thanked her for providing him with such a powerful familiar— Ghast.
"Let's go." Satoshi closed his eyes while simultaneously summoning Ghast, pulling him out from Orb Oboros. After having a clear image of Emma in his mind, Satoshi activated a portal and walked right through.
.....
Meanwhile,
With blood dripping from her head, Emma dazedly dodged the attack coming at her. This time, all-rounder golems and powerful mages were the enemies in the gate that spawned in Africa. And compared to the American Exploration Team or the Japanese Team led by the Midoriyama Duo, the superheroes in Africa couldn't do a thing when it came to the threat. Even when Emma stepped in, the tides of the battle never tipped in their favor.
Of course, Emma could only do so much with her portals and even then, she almost ran out of energy after fighting for almost an hour now. That's why she started limiting her portals and decided to dodge a few attacks herself. Nevertheless, she couldn't dodge everything and a few attacks got through, causing her to bleed on the forehead.
She had already lost a lot of blood but she kept on standing. Everyone in the African Exploration Team was already unconscious, and some of them might even be dead. But right now, Emma's thoughts right now were stopping the monsters from getting out of the Gate. 'Over my dead body' She said to the golems as she continued her fluid movements to dodge the Golems' attacks while redirecting their attacks so they could hit each other.
"I won't... I won't let it happen again, you damned monsters." Emma gritted her teeth.
"Whoa, relax! You'll kill yourself at this rate." Satoshi called out to her from behind.
"I'm so out of it that I'm already imagining Satoshi's voice. Sigh~ I guess this is it for me, huh. I probably wished that he'll fight by my side one more time..." Emma smiled as her energy finally run out. As much as she tried to tell her legs to move, they just won't listen. It's as if they willed to plant themselves on the ground.
"Sera," Satoshi called, telling her to heal Emma just enough so she'd be able to move. While doing so, he used Ghast to redirect the punch that the Golem directed at Emma.
In an instant, Emma recovered her energy as if she just woke up from a goodnight's rest. Her blurried vision cleared, and the hallucination she once saw became reality. For a few seconds, she stared at Satoshi with eyes as wide as an owl, looking at him up and down to see if she were dreaming. However, the all-too smiling Satoshi patted him on the shoulder.
"You all right?" He asked. A few moments ago, he overheard her speaking to herself and he wondered if there was a reason behind her great resentment towards the Gates and its monsters. "I thought you were dead." Satoshi continued.
"How did you get here?!" She exclaimed.