The male trainee had a square jaw with a hint of a goatee. He gave off a gangster vibe. The trainee shuffled his feet and cleared his throat a few times, preparing to speak. In fact he took so long to get around to it that one of the female trainees got up and reached over to snatch the microphone from him.
The female trainee had her hair in messy pigtail braids and wore a black denim overall dress with a pink undershirt. She wore pink and black striped knee high socks with spiked boots. Her face had dark makeup.
"Give me that, Jeff," she scowled. "Stacey, I don't know if you remember me. I'm Kelly. I'm one of the lost kids who was tested with you at the start. To be honest, I looked down on you at first because you seemed dumb. I mean, you didn't know any Tadpole or a lot of stuff that even us lost kids knew. I thought you were a fake and a lost cause. If you hadn't been kicked out of the actual competition because of your stupid mistake and been forced to stay to try and achieve the same standards of all the other trainees here or better, I think I'd be scared. And worried. Maybe panicking a bit. I think some of the other trainees might be thinking the same thing."
Kelly cocked a hip and shook her head, glancing at the trainees around her who nodded in agreement.
"I mean, the audience can't see or tell the truth through the episodes or video clips on the program online channel. We trainees watched and interacted and lived with you, and we know. When you first came, you were a simpleton. You talked weird, didn't know basic commonsense like how to use or flush the toilet, or even open a can of drink. You literally knew nothing. And then we saw how you studied and got a little bit worried, because even without studying, we discovered you had a terrifying amount of raw talent. And that maybe you were a genius who really did literally walk off the street to join us guided by Providence or something."
Kelly took a deep breath and Stacey struggled to sit up straight in her chair again, after she found that she'd been slipping. Strangely enough, she felt her heart burning. Telea helped her sit up straight again.
"Then we watched you have your nervous breakdown and fall apart. And then saw how you put yourself together only to go mad while being trained as a beserker fighter in preparing for the battle despite being such an awful fighter. A five year old kid could fight better than you did. Even up to the day of the battle, most of us were sure you would never come back. We were sure, or at least I was sure, that you'd either die or be carried away. But you killed the leader of the beastmen - the biggest and strongest centaur I have ever seen. And I've been in at least fifteen battles around the place. You even saved two of our sisters here."
Kelly gestured in the direction of Stacey's roommates who nodded.
"I saw you in the battle cleanup, ignoring your injuries so that others could be seen to first. You worked without complaint and only collapsed when everything was over. Then I saw how hard you struggled in your rehab and recovery. How you had to relearn everything all over again for the second time. Saw how hard you've worked and studied. How hard you cried when you thought no one was looking. What I want to say is," Kelly shuffled her feet and then performed a formal bow. "I'm sorry I judged you. Even if you aren't a proper part of the competition anymore, you are a worthy rival."
Most of the trainees bowed with Kelly, leaving Stacey feeling more than astonished at this sight. How gutsy did a person have to be to give a public apology like that?
Seeing so many people apologise in this way moved her in ways Stacey couldn't explain.