Chapter 148 Inter-High Tournament Arc Epilogue
For the next few days, news about the United Superheroes Academy winning another year in the Inter-High Tournament was a hot topic all over the globe. Needless to say, it was an achievement that even the other schools didn't expect. One could literally write a novel on how the story unfolded!
When Sai Tama first announced that he'd be choosing first-years as candidates for the upcoming Inter-High Tournament, skeptics thought that he was cracking a joke. Everybody knows that experience beats skill no matter how powerful it is and that's the reason why most candidates for the Inter-High Tournament were third years, fourth years even if they still are interested. But most of the time, the fourth-years don't really participate since they're already of age to join an agency. A majority of fourth years would much rather join an agency than waste their time in a tournament.
Not many noticed it but Sai Tama was the first one who did. He didn't simply blindly announce that he'd be choosing first-years just because he wanted to. It was because he was sure that they have a higher chance of winning.
Throughout the years, the Inter-High Tournament's candidates had been fluctuating. But in the last decade, more and more first-years were included as candidates for other schools. This was because of the transition. More and more talented superheroes have been appearing as of late, and that's why most first-years can now go head to head with their seniors. Sai Tama didn't see his decision as a challenge but as an opportunity to prove his theory.
When the Inter-High finally began, everyone was surprised that the United Superheroes Academy really did choose from among the first years! Sai Tama wasn't kidding at all!
Then, the management decided to play a prank on the USA Candidates by not giving them a proper briefing about the first round. And yet, they managed to pull through every single time. From the capture-the-badge event in the first round, to the inter-high event in the second round, then to the three-way fight in the third round. Then the win. There was simply no stopping the United Superheroes Academy and their winning streak.
Subsequent to the tournament, Sai Tama comfortably sat in his office at school. He was already informed that his school's candidates managed to get first place for this year as well and he was quite satisfied. Actually, he only assumed that Satoshi and the others would be able to get to the top four spots, at least. But when he heard that they were already in the finals as part of the top three, he was elated. There was no doubt in his mind that they'd be able to pull off a win. Just when Sai Tama was preparing to let go of the school's winning streak, he was given another chance.
"To think that they'd make it that far. I really made the right choice." He said to himself. "It's not that the third years of my school are inferior to the first years, it's just that if they fought against each other, it would probably be an even match."
Sai Tama's relaxing day was gone in an instant though as he was bombarded with calls from news stations and the like. He became even more famous, and many stations wanted to feature him, hoping that his schedule was still not as hectic. Sadly, he had to decline a few interviews since he was getting tired of it.
The days flew by in a flash, and Sai Tama became even busier because of all the publicity the school has gotten. News stations started appearing in front of the school entrance, hoping that they could cover the school for a limited time. Many first-years were interviewed as well, even those who weren't candidates for the Inter-High Tournament. As for the candidates, well, they received as much publicity as the principal. Most people recognize them whenever they go out. One time Satoshi wanted to buy ice cream at the convenience store and that convenience store was suddenly filled with people, reporters, and interviewers, who were trying to cover him. It was such a pain in the rear side but Satoshi enjoyed every bit of it. He knew that as a future superhero, he should get used to such scenarios since they would happen more often once he's formally registered.
Midori also managed to get a breather in his arduous life because of his popularity. Since he needed to work a couple of part-time jobs to support his family, he had to apply a couple of times in a few places. To his surprise, however, all of the work he applied for immediately accepted him even without the interview. And that's not all, even hospitals from all over Japan started recruiting him as well! That's when he remembered what the Nurse told him and he decided to work as her assistant. Not only did he land a decent full-time job, it also pays well, much to his relief.
Then there's Emma, who didn't really have any relatives on Earth since she came from a very distant planet. It was quite a surprise for the Midoriyama Duo when Satoshi suddenly showed up in front of the house with an unfamiliar girl. After a few talks, the pile of misunderstandings was cleared up and fortunately, Satoshi wouldn't be married off to her. Ayumu and Tatsuki also realized that Emma partly helped with the subjugation of the Gates and they thanked her.
And since there are a lot of complications with Emma's identity, the Midoriyama Duo decided to help her with her paperwork. From birth certificates, citizen registration, ID,s and the like. She also didn't have prior education due to some unforeseen reasons in her world (she hasn't told Satoshi yet the full story on how she came upon earth) so the Midoriyama Duo covered for that as well, applying her to the United Superheroes Academy and forcing Satoshi to teach her a few things so she could catch up with school. She'd be attending school as soon as summer break ended and then she just had to participate in a few tests along with other students who wanted to enroll in the United Superheros Academy as well.
Because of the Inter-High Tournament, a lot of students decided that they should switch schools and instead study there to learn from the best. A lot of exchange students were sent to the school as well, giving Sai Tama a few headaches. In the end, he decided to host a mini-entrance exam for those who were willing to apply. With this, he'd be able to filter the hundreds of students who were trying to enter school. Schools in Japan can't really reject students unless they have a bad record, and so Sai Tama resorted to such tactics so he could at least reject a few of them.
And back to Emma, yes, she started staying at the Midoriyam household in the meantime. Of course, no one knew about it since there will be a war if one were to know. Satoshi already learned about it the hard way when Shiroi and the others saw Emma giving him a bite of karaage by the clinic. And no, it wasn't Shiroi or Kuroe who made the first move. For some reason, it was Cherry who was most adamant out of everyone. Satoshi was later told that Cherry actually introduced herself to his parents as a potential girlfriend.
For the next few days, everyone's school days returned back to normal and Satoshi was no exception. He still did his routine of practicing with his dad in the mornings before going to school, and sometimes, Emma would join them.
Although Satoshi received a lot of buffs and a few more skills in his arsenal, he still couldn't defeat his dad who always had a trick up his sleeves. Not only was he powerless every time they had a regular physical spar, but he also couldn't defeat his dad even when he uses his integration skill. Well, there were a few times when he was so close to beating him but Tatsuki would just overpower him with another trick, or simply show him his skills. Satoshi had a long way to go before he could surpass the number one SAO superhero.
There were also times when Satoshi would train with his mom and it was even worse than his dad. He simply couldn't land a hit on her no matter what he does. After all, her superpower is called counterattack. As long as the attack could be expected, she could always counter it. No matter how fast or how strong Satoshi's attacks were, they were simply negated by her mom. Somehow, she can tell where he'd appear and counter him at the last second. As expected of the number two superhero.
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And then, the season of youth was almost over. It was only a matter of time before the much-awaited summer break arrives. And for a bunch of first-years, the summer break is something that they all look forward to.
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