The next day…
The sun arose from the east, brightening up the sky. Mythos detected the sunlight and shut off the lights that were roaring through the night. The people woke from the slumber, yawning. In the Unarmed league's hotel, Janus groggily woke up. Sunlight pierced through the curtains as he stood up. He pulled them back, revealing the view. Staring at it for a moment, he drew a long breath.
Then, he took off his pajamas and put on his clothes. Picking up an extra pair, he slid his shoes on. He exited his room and headed to the gym. As he entered the elevator, his phone began to buzz. He pulled it out and saw it was a call from Taylor.
'Why is she calling so early in the morning?'
He picked up the call while questioning it.
"Sup. Good morning." Janus spoke first.
"Good morning. What are you doing right now?" Taylor asked.
"I'm heading to the gym. What about you?"
"Yeah…so, I was going to ask…what is this participation award I received about?"
"You're such an idiot…" Janus pinched his nose, sighing.
"The hell did you say?!" Taylor shouted in embarrassment.
"Nothing – nothing." Janus exited the elevator.
"Anyways, Answer my question…please." Taylor's voice cracked a little.
Janus chuckled. "It is what it says. It's proof that you participated in the tournament. Since, you made it to the quarter-finals, you'll receive a custom quarter finalist award."
"Okay…but what's the point of it? It kinda seems useless to give awards of participation – especially for the empire's meritocratic reward system."
"Two reasons. One to relieve depression to the contestants since they will put immense pressure on themselves to win their respective leagues which often causes depression and sometimes suicide." Janus passed the lobby.
"And the second reason?"
"It's easy to produce and it's the only way to prevent depression among participants."
"Thanks, I understand. I'll call you after I meet up with my parents."
"Sounds good. See ya later."
Janus cut the call, tucking the phone in his pocket. He greeted Adam and headed to the gym together with him.
***
Janus closed the door to his room. Having finished his light warmup to activate his muscles, he sat down at his computer. He powered it on. Lights flared out as the device activated. It displayed it lock screen which Janus clicked, leading him to the home screen. He leaned back, stretching his arms.
"Time for some research…" he muttered under his breath.
He tapped away on the keyboard. He brought up the information of his next opponent. He placed his face on his hand, scrolling through the page. He stopped at a certain person information. He narrowed his eyes. The photo of the participant showed a young man with long brown hair that reached his shoulders. A scar ran across his face as his brown eyes burned with fury.
[Name: Kairos Stási
Age: 18
Academic institution: Von June high school
Attribute: Time Stop]
Janus paused at his attribute. He laughed nervously, staring at his next opponent's attribute.
'Time stop? Are you serious?'
Cold sweat rolled down his face as he nervously tapped the table with his finger. He exited the page, pulling videos of his opponent's previous bouts. He played the videos one by one. In the round of sixteen, he fought another. One second, he stood in one place – the next he teleported to another. His enemy would get attacked by an invisible force that not even Janus could perceive. Not even the camera could capture.
Suddenly, Dante's voice ripped through the computer.
"God damn! He is not going easy on him. One jab to the rib, another to the head and kick to the stomach. Better check yourself at the hospital later, man."
Dante spoke aloud, predicting the attacks before they even came.
"Can he perceive stopped time…?" He muttered.
A theory arose in Janus. A smile couldn't help but make its way onto his face.
'Can my software adapt to his time stop then…? Maybe…Maybe…'
He scrolled down, checking his list of matches. Then, he recognized a name from the group matches. He immediately picked up phone, dialing his friend. After a few rings, Adam's voice came from the other side.
"What's up?"
"Adam, did you fight a guy named Kairos?" Janus asked.
"Kairos…? Yeah, sure I did. I also lost miserably. That guy was ruthless."
"Know anything about his attribute? It's weakness or something."
"Attribute? Yeah, he can stop time but the duration is short."
"How short we talkin'?"
"At most, five seconds but that's just my estimation. It doesn't even list on the website how long he can time stop for. Kairos doesn't even reveal it."
Janus groaned, pinching his nose.
"Damn…"
Hearing his frustration, Adam chuckled from the other side.
"He's your next opponent, isn't he?"
Janus leaned back, sighing heavily.
"Yeah…but I think I can beat him."
"Huh? How?" Adam blurted.
"Wasn't Dante still commentating, saying attacks before they even landed? During your match, you heard him saying where the attacks would land before they even hit."
Adam paused, thinking for a moment.
"Yes…he did but that's just because of his attribute."
"I know. That's why I think my adaptation can work." Janus stated.
"Then, make a plan. Semis are tomorrow. You don't have much time."
"Right. I was just asking for clarification."
"Your welcome." Adam said.
Janus cut the call, placing the phone on the table. He continued with his research, formulating a plan to defeat his opponent.