"You did it, and I'm proud of you and everyone in the academy for your performance. Half of you will be leaving to represent the northern academy in the world ranking tournament." Damien looked at the 20 students lined up in front of him, and the thousand in parade dress behind them. "You all deserve a round of applause, thank you for participating."
The parade grounds erupted in applause, hooting and hollering. Everyone was in high spirits, because, even though they lost here, their colleagues were moving on to represent the academy. Everyone knew that only the best had made it this far.
"In a few hours the top 20 will compete in a round robin style tournament. You all will be there to cheer them on." Another round of cheering followed this announcement.
