Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 102: The Tournament

On Wednesday morning, Yuka stood in the gathering line, looking around but didn’t see Toru among the logistics specialization students.

He was still in a sealed experiment; he hadn’t replied to any of her messages.

Donny had returned, but she seemed more composed than before, just nodding faintly when she saw them.

Today marked the start of the Tournament.

Although the specifications of the competition was unknown, the first two rounds were usually virtual map contests, with only the third round taking place in a real combat map.

So, they were all heading to Central Square by car. Yuka, as usual, sat between Ayoi and Alex, opening her opticomputer to play games and pass the time.

Just as she launched a match-3 game, the butler, dressed in overalls, walked out from the edge of the screen, dragging a video interface.

Yuka poked the butler and asked in her mind, "What’s this?"

"It’s a montage of your underground arena battles!" exclaimed the butler, hands cupping its face. "It was released last night, and I’ve been watching it on loop all night! Though the content isn’t ladylike, lots of people love you so much. The comments are all calling you ’Lady’, which makes me super happy."

Yuka, slightly taken aback, closed the game and opened the video clip dragged over by the butler.

The uploader’s username was Pinky’s Top Fan. Hesitating for a few seconds, Yuka pressed play. The video started with her pink mecha tumbling down a snowy mountain, dragged by an opponent. The focus on her mechanical hand reaching out for something but failing, set to melancholic music, surprisingly evoked a sense of tragic despair.

"Interesting," Yuka muttered, glancing at the barrage of comments getting plastered over the screen.

Then she decided to turn off the comments, and continued watching.

In the video, only a tip of her pink mechanical hand remained. Suddenly, the scene shifted to a green forest, where her pink fingertip caught the tip of a returning boomerang, transitioning smoothly.

The pink mecha then threw the boomerang.

Following the boomerang, the music intensified. With each rhythmic change, the boomerang transformed into a longsword, a hammer, and other weapons.

Each transition saw a mecha falling around Pinky. Cleverly, each of her punches or kicks matched the musical beats, with smooth switches between fight scenes.

The subtitles also cleverly displayed the nicknames and rankings of her opponents, who grew stronger, while her pink mecha’s rank continually rose. The subtitles heralded ’victory’ accompanied by the cheers of the audience, making the scene exhilarating.

The video wasn’t edited in chronological order. The team battles were shown before the solo matches.

Yuka watched herself draw her sword in sync with the music, raising an eyebrow in amusement. At the moment her pink mecha slashed downwards, the music abruptly stopped, causing her heart to skip a beat.

Her sword plunged into the snow, and a smooth transition took the scene back to the snowy mountain from the beginning, continuing from where she had fallen.

The pink mecha struggled to stand, heavily damaged, on the brink of collapse with every step. Yet, she rose and charged at her opponent.

The opponent mercilessly attacked her, and the music shifted to a sad, slow melody.

The pink mecha was beaten down, defenseless, a stark contrast to her previous vigor, making the viewers’ hearts clench.

As if hearing the audience’s cries beyond the screen, the pink mecha stood up again, fleeing desperately through the snow to the sound of tragic music, dodging the opponent’s attacks.

The video was sped up, showing the pink mecha’s movements becoming smoother, and the mecha less damaged, gradually starting to fight back.

In the end, the pink mecha pierced the opponent’s cockpit with a sword.

The grand, tragic music shifted back to a mournful tone. The pink mecha slowly bent over, kneeling in the snow. Her mecha parts began to fall off slowly. Her head hung low, yet she resembled a general who had won countless battles, expending her last bit of life, quietly vanishing into the snow.

It wasn’t until the screen turned black that Yuka realized the video had ended.

’Kind of intense,’ she thought. She replayed the video, noticing it had already reached over a hundred million views. This time, she turned on the comments. The top comment was from Roukujou, "Hope to see ’Lady’ again next year. I’d gladly be her exclusive commentator for life."

The second top comment read, "Is this the genius who won both the solo and team competitions in just three months? Is she even human?"

Many speculated about her identity. Some guessed she was a student at UUA, but more believed she was an alien, using the competition to test interstellar beings, soon to bring her people from her mother planet to conquer the Alliance.

Yuka, speechless for a moment, continued to read the comments. The third top comment exclaimed, "Pinky, do me! Do me now!"

Yuka, with a sigh, closed her opticomputer.

They quickly arrived at Central Square, and everyone got off the Lev. Walking a few hundred meters from Central Square, they could see the experimental building donated by the Alliance Science Academy. This white building, resembling those on the training planets, housed databases of various simulated maps and holographic pods, capable of accommodating all the first-year students of the Combat Department from the five major academies.

The logistics specialists, also part of the Combat Department, were merely there for looking good. Once the competition started, they would sit behind the presidents and commentators, wearing holographic glasses to enter the best spectator seats in the virtual scene.

Together, the Combat Department freshmen from all five academies numbered over seven hundred. They wore different colored uniforms representing their academies and, under the guidance of onsite staff, proceeded to the white room on the fourth floor to lie in the holographic pods.

Yuka opened her eyes inside the virtual map, finding herself in a huge auditorium, sitting in the back rows, with Ayoi and Alex. The opening ceremony was also being broadcast live on the big screen at Central Square. The camera in the virtual auditorium, shooting from above, allowed the audience to clearly see every student’s face.

Roukujou, having arrived early for a front-row spot, propped up his camera and addressed his audience, "Good morning, friends. Since the underground arena is closed during the Tournament, I’ve come to watch the Tournament. Maybe Pinky is competing too."

The viewers commented:

[If Pinky really competes, we’ll recognize her immediately.]

[But aren’t the mechas in the Tournament standardized? How can you tell?]

[By feeling and movement.]

[Though we can watch the live broadcast on the opticomputer, it’s more comfortable in Saltyfish’s stream.]

[Right... Wait, look at the beautiful lady in the middle, sixth row from the back. Isn’t she the one Saltyfish met in the underground arena?]

[Wow, she’s really beautiful and seems to glow among the crowd!]

Roukujou recognized Yuka and brightened up, "Yes, that’s her."

The comments speculated, [Could she be Pinky?]

[Though the beautiful lady is attractive, she can’t compare to Pinky.]

[I don’t think so. She looks quite delicate, while Pinky is a fierce fighter.]

Roukujou quickly intervened, "Pinky hasn’t revealed her information. I think she doesn’t want her identity exposed. Let’s not speculate and just focus on the competition. Oh, the opening ceremony is starting, let’s watch that first!"

In the virtual auditorium, the presidents of the five academies sat on the stage, their expressions warm and welcoming. The president of UUA took the microphone and spoke to the students, "Hello, everyone. Today marks the start of the four-yearly Academy Tournament. I know many of you can’t wait to showcase your skills, but before that, I’d like to remind you of some important points."

"Firstly, I hope you all participate in the Tournament with the spirit of ’friendship first, competition second, and performance third’. Adhere to the rules and compete fairly. Remember, all three rounds of the competition are broadcast live across the Alliance, so I hope you know what is appropriate and what isn’t."

"Secondly, the first match will begin at 2:30 PM today. Please ensure you enter the holographic pods on the fourth floor at least fifteen minutes early, or you’ll forfeit your chance to compete. The rules will be announced ten minutes before the competition starts."

Lastly, the cafeteria and leisure areas are on the first floor, while accommodations for the next two days are on the second and third floors. Check your admission tickets for your assigned classroom and room numbers for the Tournament. Make sure not to get lost."

After finishing his speech, the president of UUA smiled at the crowd, "I wish you all the best in achieving great results. That concludes the opening ceremony. You’re all dismissed to rest."

The students then left the holographic pods and exited the classroom.

Leaning in, Ayoi whispered to Yuka, "Our president really is unique, not a single unnecessary word."

In other schools, like the high school she attended, the president and other speakers could easily take over an hour with their speeches, often leading to a sleepy audience.

In Central Square, the viewers in Roukujou’s livestream were also surprised.

[Is it over already?]

[I think it’s good, it gives the players more rest time.]

[Saltyfish, are you going to commentate during the Tournament?]

Roukujou shook his head, "No, the Academy Tournament has its own professional commentators. I won’t be doing it this time. You can watch the Tournament’s official live stream."

He knew his limits. In a large event like this, with so many participants and constant battles, it would be challenging to cover everything. His commentary would be more suited to individual matches, like Pinky’s.

Just after returning to her temporary dormitory, Yuka sneezed lightly. Rubbing her nose in confusion, she heard Ayoi ask, "Yuka, do you remember Shawn?"

"Of course, your childhood friend," Yuka replied. "What about him?"

"He said he’s gathered a few friends and they’re currently in the lounge, playing games. He asked if I wanted to bring some friends along," Ayoi tilted her head towards Yuka. "You want to go?"

Yuka nodded, "Sure, let’s go."

Ayoi then messaged Alex in their group chat, and the three of them met up at the stairwell, heading to the first-floor lounge.

Inside the lounge, Philip was fidgeting, facing the expressionless Donny. He leaned towards Shawn and whispered, "Is Yuka coming or not? If she is, tell her to hurry up. Donny Horn and I have nothing in common."

Shawn glanced at the silent Donny and then at his opticomputer. "She’s on her way."

The door to the lounge was knocked, and Philip immediately sprang up to open it.

Yuka looked up as Philip, upon meeting her eyes, stood frozen at the door.

It wasn’t until Yuka asked, "May I come in?" that he snapped out of his daze, stuttering, "Uh, yes, of course, hello, you can call me Philip."

Yuka smiled at him, "I’m Yuka."