The second-round team competition came with detailed conditions for advancement:
Out of 160 teams, matchups would be decided by lottery.
The 80 winning teams would enter the Winners' Bracket, while the 80 losing teams would fall into the Losers' Bracket.
From there, both brackets would reshuffle and fight again within their respective groups:
In the Winners' Bracket, the 40 victorious teams would advance directly to the third round.
In the Losers' Bracket, the 40 teams that lost would be eliminated outright.
However, the 40 teams that lost in the Winners' Bracket would get a second chance—
They'd face off against the 40 who'd won in the Losers' Bracket.
The 40 victors of those matches would also advance.
In short:
By the end of this stage, 80 teams—a total of 400 candidates—would move on to the third round.
"If everything goes smoothly," said Kamui Woods, glancing over the printed rules, "we just need to win two matches to qualify."
His optimism was contagious—but Sirius frowned, her voice quiet and apologetic.
"I'm sorry. My Quirk might hold us back…"
Her tone carried guilt.
A keen sense of hearing was powerful for reconnaissance or disaster relief—but in pure combat, it seemed limited.
If the competition focused only on strength, then Sirius feared she'd be little more than a liability.
Lock smiled softly and shook his head. "Don't worry about that. Your Quirk's perfect for team play. It'll be more important than you think."
As he spoke, his hand moved almost unconsciously, brushing through Sirius's soft, ocean-blue hair in reassurance.
She froze—face instantly flushing scarlet. Quickly, she turned aside, pretending to adjust her collar.
Realizing what he'd done, Lock retracted his hand, coughed lightly, and refocused. "Ahem. Anyw, y—of the four of you, who would you say is the strongest?"
The three Pro Hero hopefuls exchanged uncertain looks.
Then, simultaneously, Mt. Lady and Death Arms pointed toward Kamui Woods, standing between them.
The wooden Hero sighed with a small, embarrassed smile.
"In a five-on-five, my control can support everyone," said Mt. Lady. "But in a one-on-one, my Gigantification gets restricted too easily."
She folded her arms and frowned, frustration tugging at her voice.
"I hate fighting small, fast opponents—I can't hit them, and they just dart around!"
Death Arms nodded vigorously. "Same here. I can punch through concrete, but speed-types? Forget it!"
Judging by his scowl, he'd clearly been humiliated by someone faster before.
Lock rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Then, Kamui, you'll take the first match in the individual set."
He leaned back, thinking through the logistics.
If everything went perfectly, they'd only need to win two team battles total.
That meant conserving stamina and magic power was crucial—especially for him.
Because Lock wasn't just another candidate.
He was also the one with the special examination clause, the "unique mechanism" being closely observed by the Hero Public Safety Committee.
That meant he needed to stay sharp for whatever surprise evaluation awaited him later.
"Got it. Leave the first fight to me," Kamui Woods said without hesitation.
Lock nodded. "Good. Then we'll set up for the one-on-one round. Five matches, best of five. I want us to sweep all three wins as fast as possible."
His tone was firm.
If Sirius was worried about dragging them down, then the best solution was simple—
Win before her turn even comes.
They could have used a "Tian Ji's horse racing" strategy—sacrificing weaker members early to beat the enemy's stronger ones later—but Lock valued momentum over tactics.
Morale was everything.
Winning three straight would crush the other team's spirit, and in battle, spirit often decided the outcome before fists did.
"I think that's a solid plan," Mt. Lady said.
"Agreed," added Death Arms.
"I'm on board," Kamui Woods confirmed.
Sirius looked away, still a little flustered, but nodded faintly.
"Then it's settled," Lock declared.
They spent the next hour reviewing formations and timing—how Kamui would open by restraining enemies, how Mt. Lady's size could block escape routes, how Death Arms would push the offensive line, and how Sirius's sonar would act as radar support, relaying every movement in the arena.
Lock would serve as the trump card—reserving his magic power for when the tide needed to be turned.
The hour passed quickly.
The partitions of the Ante Room slid apart again, the walls retracting to reveal a wide circular space surrounded by eight raised arenas.
Good Eyes reappeared on a hovering platform, holding a small black lottery box in his hand.
"There are eighty numbers written on slips of paper inside this box," he announced. "Each team will send one representative to draw. If two teams pull the same number, er—you'll face each other in Round Two!"
Immediately, all eyes turned toward Lock.
The unspoken agreement was unanimous.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward, joining the line of team representatives.
Good Eyes watched him carefully as Lock reached into the box. "Let's see how far you can go," the pro hero murmured. "And whether you can keep shocking us."
Lock drew a folded paper strip and opened it.
Number 28.
Tucking it into his pocket, he turned away with a confident grin.
"Get the Hero license ready for me," he said flatly, walking back toward his team.
Good Eyes blinked—caught off guard by the boy's confidence—then chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"What a fearless kid," he muttered.
He reached into the box again for the next draw.
And so, with the numbers assigned and brackets set—
The Second Round of the Team Competition was about to begin!
---
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San