Book 3 - The Merchant from the Depths: Chapter 15; Stardom Dreams

The screen turns on as the chapter title card plays "Chapter - 15; Stardom Dreams''.

They had just finished playing, and although everyone was a little tired they were generally feeling pretty good.

This is proven by Grim's change in attitude as he shouts "Who knew a morning workout could feel so good? I'm alive, I tell ya! Aliiiive!" Jack smiles as his tail wags and he says "Right? 'S why I get up an hour earlier than this to get some jogging in."

Grim is a little concerned and weirded out as he says "O-okay, that might be a little overboard."

But they all move on as Grim asks Savanaclaw "So Savanaclaw Dorm's already trainin' hard for next year's interdorms, huh? Looks like we'll have some worthy rivals."

Ruggie looks over at them as he raises an eyebrow and asks "Oh, I guess you guys haven't heard yet. Every May, we have and even bigger Spelldrive event than the interdorm tournament." Grim shouts "MRAH! It gets even bigger than that?!" in surprise.

This time Leona speaks up as he flips a towel over his shoulder "Yup. It's the interscholastic games."

Yuu puts a finger to her chin as she thinks back to Chenya and says "Oh yeah, this isn't the only magic school, huh?"

Ruggie gives a singular nod as he further explains "As the name suggests, it's a Spelldrive even where different schools compete." Leona continues the explanation "Our school always plays against Royal Sword Academy."

Grim also thinks back to what happens at Heartslabyul towards the end and shouts "Ooh, I've heard of them!"

Ruggie explains "Twisted Wonderland's got a number of educational institutions for cultivatin' magicians. Night Raven College and Royal Sward Academy are particularly prestigious. We're basically known as the Big Two."

Grim seems to forget that they've met someone from there as he asks "So what's Royal Sword Academy like?"

Leona smirks as he starts dissing them with his answer "It's a school for pampered lordling that's fulla snooty, scrawny wimps." Ruggie does his signature laugh as he joins in "What he said. Their campus 'n uniforms are all shiny and sparkly. Talk about lame! Can you imagine how much a single scuff would stand out on a white uniform? I know they're supposed to be a big deal, but I wouldn't go there even if they begged me."

Jack then asks, seemingly slightly confused "Hasn't Night Raven College lost the interscholastic for the past hundred years running, though?"

Ruggie gets embarrassed as he tries to defend "Grk! W-well… We're only at 99 so far! You can bet your tail we'll win this year. Hundredth time's the charm!"

Jack then says "From what I've seen watching the interscholastics on TV… Royal Sword Academy's roster of players are all individually outstanding, but that's not why they dominate. The real key is their incredible teamwork."

Grim seems to realize something as he asks "Hey, wait a minute. If we're talkin' interscholastics' here… Does that mean it'll be more 'n just Savanaclaw? Will the other dorms be goin' up against Royal Sword Academy, too?"

Leona answers as he explains "Yeah. Each dorm contributes a player into one big team that represents the school."

Yuu sees a big problem with this system as she crinkles her nose and says "Sounds like personality clashes waiting to happen." Leona puts a hand to his head as he agrees and admits saying "Last year, the team broke out into a brawl before the game even started, just from arguing over who got what position."

Grim doesn't see the problem at all, blinded by his interest in the sport, laughs before shouting "I like their moxie! If you want a position, you gotta fight for it! I'll make sure I get picked as a school rep!"

Jack smiles as he tells Grim "If you wanna strut your stuff and make a good case for gettin picked, the best way to do that is to stick to your daily practice." Ruggie continues Jack's advice "The interscholastics get higher TV ratings than the interdorms, so it's a prime chance to get scouted for the pro leagues!" As Leona finished it all off with "You'd better start thinking now about what you're gonna do to beat out the competition and land a team spot."

Yuu isn't as interested in the sport but has a feeling the other one of the big two will be important as she says "Royal Sword Academy, huh…?"

The screen fades to black as "To be continued" plays before it fully turns off.