What A Dream Wants

Today was the day...

He woke up.

. . .

"Alright class, settle down." Ms. Happi clasped her hands together, waiting for the class to quiet down.

"Guess what day it is?" She asked with vigor.

A few hands raised in the air.

"Yes. Uh... Curry?" Ms. Happi pointed at him. "Your name's Curry, right? I love curry! Curry is just so spicy and delicious! I like potatoes, chicken, and carrots in my curry! When these three ingredients are used, they combine perfectly, creating a savory, mouthwatering dish!"

Steven agreed. A few students nodded.

Curry stared at the teacher for a moment, before replying, "The start of the freshmen duel."

"Ding Ding Ding! That's correct!" Ms. Happi squealed, barely able to contain her joy. "Alright, as your wonderful homeroom teacher, I will explain what the Freshmen Duel is! It is a tradition as old as the academy itself. Originally, it was founded to display the strength, resilience, and courage of our academy's newcomers. Now, we host in a simulation so no one gets hurt and everyone gets a trophy!"

She gazed at the students with passionate fervor.

"The tournament spans over a period of 7 days. First, you'll be pitted against members of the other classes!" Ms. Happi exclaimed happily. "There are two simulation arenas. It's completely random which arena you're put in. Each day in the tournament represents a different league. Day 1 and 2 represent the bronze league. You have to win one match out of these two days in order to move on. Day 3 and 4 represent the Silver League. You have to win one of the matches to move on. Day 5, 6, and 7, respectively, represent the Gold, Diamond, and Platinum leagues. Fun school fact, they used to give each participant a trophy made out of the materials representing their league. The platinum trophy was a life-size sculpture of the participant who won it! Isn't that cool? Wonder why they stopped giving those trophies out..."

The schedules are based on your previous result. For example, if you win a match on the first day, you don't have to fight again for the second day. You can go check the results at [InsertSchoolName].org/freshmen-duel/2018/schedule. You can also use the website to watch the matches live, or just join in the simulation. Every student gets a seat! If you haven't made an account yet, just sign up right now using your school ID, and barcode."

She patiently waited for everyone to sign in.

"Let me think... What was I talking about? Oh right! The VR system scans you, and your abilities, and logs you into your account automatically. The private VR system is usually discontinued from the global network, but today, there will be people joining us from all around the world. Contribution points can also be used online, for convenience, and some studies will even mandate students to attend class in a simulated environment."

"Anyways, that's basically it. Good luck!" She punched her hands in the air. "I'll be rooting for you guys as a homeroom teacher~"

. . .

They were ushered into the simulation lab. All they had to do was put on a tiny headpiece, that directly connected to their brain (even if they didn't have one). Each of them was ushered to a separate compartment.

Steven laid down and put it on.

Immediately, he felt a cool sensation overcoming all of his sensations.

He opened his eyes, the direct glare of the sun and the cool Autumn breeze hitting his face.

Looking up from the ground, spectators could see the blue wavy banners that billowed down from the rim of the arena. Ivy crept on the white marble, adding the touch of nature and time on a majestic landmark.

A blimp flew over the arena. From an eagle-eyed view, it could see the splendor of the arena more clearly. There were large displays set up. The battleground, with more and more people pouring in, only became louder and louder.

Steven didn't know why people needed to travel by blimps in a virtual world, but whatever floats their blimp.

He sat down at the area designated for the students. It was isolated from the rest of the arena. There was a portal linked to the arena stage.

After a while, everyone settled in.

"Attention please!"

The shout came from a booth near the upper side of the arena.

"Welcome to our annual 'Freshmen Duel'! I'm your host, Mr. Bruyant!" The man boomed into the microphone. From the distance, it seemed like

The crowd cheered loudly. The arena was pretty decently sized, filled to the brim. Freshmen sat at the front.

"The other arena's host is Mr. Agacant," As if afraid someone would hear, he looked around, and then said, "He's a rude one, I can tell you that."

The arena laughed with good cheer.

. . .

Meanwhile at the other arena…

"Welcome to our annual 'Freshmen Duel'!" A man blasted into a microphone. "I'm your host, Mr. Agacant! The better host."

He winked.

The crowd cheered loudly in the stands. The grand second arena was identical to the first, except for the fiery red banners which decorated its side.

"The other arena's host is Mr. Bruyant, but he's really loud." He softly whispered. As if pretending not to throw shade, he quietly sipped his tea.

. . .

"This year, we accepted 212 students, and out of those students, 168 students signed up for this duel." Mr. Bruyant continued.

"We will have 42 matches in this arena, and 42 matches in the other arena."

. . .

"This also means 44 students didn't sign up for the duel. What a shame." Mr. Agacant, in the other arena, wiped his eyes with a sad expression in his eyes.

"Perhaps, they just aren't ready for this school." He continued.

. . .

"Today, we have multiple special guests! In this arena, we have the vice president of the Nota Corp, the co-founder of the global entertainment company: Nottau Studio! Please welcome Mr. Yin." Mr. Bruyant announced, quite loudly.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A masked man stood up in the VIP box, which was right next to the announcer.

A warm wave of applause sounded throughout the arena.

Steven had no idea who they were.

. . .

"We have the two *cooler* representatives from Auraemechas, an engineering company. Please welcome Mr. Deitraum and Mr. Nachtmerje, the two co-founders of Auraemechas." Mr. Agacant announced.

This was quite rude to the representatives in the other arena.

Oh well, the arena clapped anyways.

A crimson-haired man and a blonde-haired man stood up in the VIP box. They appeared to be quite young, but it was hard to tell from the distance. They bowed and sat down.

. . .

"The first day of our tournament represents the start of a glorious event! Every racer has to start somewhere. To pass this hurdle means the start of greater things! First off, we'll start by listing off the rules..."

. . .

"Of course, let's not forget about the history of these duels. They started because..."

. . .

"Let's have a moment of silence for all the troubles and worries our school had to face in the long years that have passed since the school's founding..."

Steven quietly yawned.

. . .

"One interesting tidbit, our school founder, the progenitor, decided..."

. . .

"Let's introduce our wonderful teachers here at this school who make learning possible..."

. . .

"But let's not forget our students who strive to learn! Here are the success stories of those who have graduated from our school! Let's welcome some alumni..."

. . .

"Our hopes for our future acc.u.mulate in this school! Our past may be our mistakes, but our future brings us hope! This is why we host these tournaments! To show our pride to an ever uncertain future! Now, without further ado, let's start!"