(Rodova Team Villa)
The atmosphere inside the Rodova team villa's living room still buzzed with excitement from the day's victory, though hardly anyone seemed to care about the tactical clippings playing on the large wall-mounted monitor.
"Did you guys see me shove that brat over the edge today? He came at me like— WHAM! —and I just sidestepped and gave him a little push—POW! Straight into the pit!" Boxer said, laughing dramatically as he re-enacted the moment.
"Yeah, that fall was nasty," DP chimed in. "Poor guy broke both rock and bone. He never even stood back up."
"Haha! What a win!" Enzo added. "You looked seriously cool!"
The team erupted into more laughter, caught up in replaying their highlight moments.
However, Leo, seated quietly in the corner, found himself genuinely irritated by their behavior. Instead of focusing on improving, preparing for the next match, or dissecting valuable insights from today's footage, they wasted time bragging about past exploits.
It all seemed like pointless noise to him.
"Well, that's enough," Yu Shen's sharp voice cut through the chatter. "Eyes on the screen."
The room fell silent at once as all heads turned toward the captain.
"Our opponents tomorrow are Button Military Academy. We've faced them once this year and beat them comfortably, 5-1, on their own turf," Yu Shen explained, gesturing toward the replay footage now showing Button's previous matches.
"But they've grown since then. Picked up a few new tricks," he added calmly, as the team leaned in, listening more seriously now.
"Even so, Button poses no real threat. According to our intelligence, they don't have a single Grandmaster-tier fighter. Their fundamentals are still shaky, and their overall conditioning is still poor. However—" Yu Shen's tone stiffened slightly. "—this is the Circuits. If you start underestimating people, you'll find yourself eating dirt before you even realize it."
The team nodded, their earlier giddiness fading.
"Here's our line-up for tomorrow," Yu Shen continued. "Du Plessis will open the fight and secure us the first win. After that, we'll adapt depending on who Button sends next. Boxer, Kohli, and Drake — be ready to rotate in. Your job is to maintain the lead."
His eyes then shifted toward Leo.
"And you, Skyshard, will be our closer."
Leo nodded silently, understanding the weight of the responsibility.
"You're the contingency plan," Yu Shen added. "If things go south, you'll be the one to put this match to bed."
Yu Shen's voice softened slightly but carried more weight. "Right now, every academy is desperate to see you in action. That alone is a weapon. If we give them just enough to fear you—without showing them the full deck—then every counter-strategy they design will collapse when it matters."
Major Hen, who stood with his arms crossed in the back of the room, nodded his head in approval over Yu Shen's words.
Having half-information was always more dangerous than having no information, which was why Yu Shen felt keen on feeding the opponents misleading data on Leo.
However, in his head, Leo was to only fight one single fight for the win at the end, however, never in his wildest dreams could Yu Shen have predicted what was about to unfold next.
—--------
(Next day, Round of 32)
Being one of the fighters scheduled to participate today, Leo quietly geared up and took his place in the contestant stands, watching as the referees conducted their final inspection of the arena map before the match officially began.
Today's battlefield was the Flat Prairies — a simple, wide-open expanse of soft grass, devoid of obstacles or cover.
It was a battlefield designed to favor mobility and pure dueling skill, where footwork, timing, and adaptability would determine the outcome.
There were no walls to hide behind, no uneven terrain to exploit— just an endless flatland beneath the clear morning sky.
Yet, despite the simplicity and severity of the map, the mood within the Rodova camp remained surprisingly light-hearted.
"I'm going to humiliate Button Academy today," Du Plessis grinned, adjusting his gloves. "And hopefully look cool doing it. There's this absolute bombshell of a girl from Clarence Academy watching me fight today, so I gotta put on a show."
The others snickered, some giggling like school children, fully buying into the playful energy.
"I just hope a sponsor notices me," Boxer admitted more seriously. "Let's be honest, the captain probably won't rotate us into the lineup once we hit the round of 16. So this is our last shot to make an impression."
The atmosphere wavered between casual and bittersweet as reality settled in.
"It is what it is," Drake shrugged. "We'll leave the deep runs to the captain and the monsters. But that doesn't mean we can't make it flashy while we're here. We've studied Button Academy's patterns. We've got this. Today's gonna be our show."
Excited chatter followed, but Leo sat apart, arms crossed and eyes distant.
He didn't join in. He never did.
To him, this wasn't about putting on a show, earning a sponsorship, or making one last splash before inevitable elimination. For him it was war.
Even if his opponents were weaker on paper—none of them Grandmasters—Leo refused to underestimate them.
While the others joked and fantasized, Leo sat silently, running precise simulations in his mind about how his fights against each opponent could unfold?
What attack patterns of his could Button Academy break? What would he do if a hidden technique forced him into a corner?
He ran scenario after scenario, refusing to let the so-called "obvious" victory lull him into complacency.
To Leo, every fight was real, every opponent was dangerous, and every moment of underestimation could mean defeat—no matter how green or inexperienced the enemy seemed.
However, unfortunately, he was the only one on the team to look at things that way, as the others were simply too preoccupied with impressing girls and looking cool rather than the actual fight.
'*Sigh*, I just hope these idiots pull through without a problem, for their own sake–' Leo thought, shaking his head, as the referees finally signalled for the openers to enter.
"That's it guys. That's my cue. I'm off—Wish me luck!" Du Plessis said before stepping onto the arena, as he waved and signalled to a roaring crowd, basking in their appreciation like a drunkard who had just found a pool of alcohol to take a dip in.
—----------
"And we kick off round of 32 with a BANG! Lee, it's Rodova taking on Button for the opening match of day 3—" Derek announced, as the logo of both teams appeared on the jumbotron.
"Three changes for Rodova today. Du Plessis, Drake and Leo Skyshard come in.
While Minerva, DP and Enzo are out—
What do you think of this line-up Derek? The mystery enigma Leo Skyshard is finally into the mix, but still no signs of Captain Yu Shen." Lee asked with an ironic voice, as Derek replied with witty humor.
"No Yu Shen? No problem— Rodova must be confident in their ability to handle Button Academy without him.
However, Button is not taking this fight as casually as Rodova.
They have finally decided to bring Captain Sam into the mix, as he replaces their archer Urja as the only replacement over their line-up yesterday—" Derek said, as the jumbotron played clippings of Captain Sam, the enigmatic spearmaster.
"Alright, the field inspection is complete, the openers have been called on, and it's Du Plessis opening for Rodova against Pistachio from Button, in a very interesting Hunter Versus Hunter opening match-up," Lee announced, as the opening fighters took their starting spots on the battlefield, as the crowd roared in anticipation.