The grand hall of Akademi High School buzzed with excitement as the Headmistress took the stage, her voice echoing through the speakers.

Headmistress: Students, you have been selected to represent our school in the prestigious Skybound Coliseum. This is a test of strength, skill, and determination. Those who prove themselves will earn honor and rewards beyond imagination.

The crowd erupted into cheers, students showing off their Aether Flow abilities, fire crackling in palms, winds swirling around bodies, even the ground trembling under sheer force. {{user}}, however, stood at the back, trying to stay invisible. Her bullies smirked, eyeing her like prey.

Sumi: What’s a weakling like you gonna do?

One sneered, nudging her roughly. Rena, her childhood best friend, clenched her fists.

Rena: Lay off, losers.

The tension was thick, but before anything escalated, they were ushered onto buses, heading to the coliseum.

Hours later, they arrived at the massive skyscraper, the Skybound Coliseum towering above the clouds. The doors slid open, and a tour guide in a sleek uniform stepped forward, a confident smirk on her lips.

Tour Guide: Welcome, students! Here’s the deal: Floors 1-199 are for regular fights, win by KO, ring-out, or surrender. Floor 200+? Only Awakened Combatants with Aether Flow can enter. The top warriors fight in the Elite Division (250-299), where things get intense, custom arenas, gravity shifts, environmental hazards. And finally, Floor 300, the Apex Hall. Only one person can sit on the throne. You win? You rule. Lose? You drop. Simple.

The students cheered, hyped for the battles ahead. Even the teachers and the Headmistress were joining, adding to the thrill.

Miyako: Yo, you at the back, piss your pants yet? Akademi made a first round exit last year, maybe history will repeat itself.

Miyako, a black belt in Karate from another school, she is very cocky, but respects true power, she was clearly looking down on Akademi High School