(Rodova Team Room – Post-Match)
The door to the Rodova warm-up area hissed open with a soft pneumatic whoosh as Leo stepped inside lazily after his win.
But before he could take a single step forward, he was swarmed.
Du Plessis, eyes red and nose running, barreled toward him like a toddler spotting his parent after a nightmare. "BRO!" he wailed, throwing his arms around Leo with a half-laugh, half-sob. "You saved us! You actually saved us! I can't even imagine the backlash I'd have faced if you hadn't won that— I-I would've had to change my name to something different from shame!"
Kohli joined in, gripping Leo's arm as if it were a lifeline. "Forget going back into the academy halls… I wouldn't be able to show my face in the entire star system. My own father would've disowned me, man."
Drake followed, nodding fervently. "They'd have written songs mocking us— 'The Rodova Clowns', performed galaxy-wide! But you... You shut them up."
Boxer dropped to his knees, arms raised to the heavens. "All hail Skyshard. The man, the myth, the last strand of our dignity."
Tears flowed freely—some real, some exaggerated for dramatic effect. Their faces, earlier smug and cocky before the match began, were now wrinkled with shame and wet with gratitude.
Leo stood in the center of the chaos, surrounded, suffocated.
He didn't return a single hug.
Didn't speak a single word.
'Idiots,' he cursed silently, his jaw tightening. 'They think this is all a joke. That I bailed them out because we're friends.'
He did not pat their backs, offer smiles, or ease their guilt.
He let them squirm.
He let the silence linger.
Because they deserved to feel it.
Then—
The heavy air in the team room shifted suddenly, as the main chamber doors slammed open behind them.
*BANG!*
Yu Shen entered with a thundercloud over his face, flanked by Su Yang, Minerva, Instructor Hen, Professor David, and Muiyan Faye, as all eyes turned.
Yu Shen's gaze landed on the four fallen fighters—and he exploded.
"YOU'RE ALL A DISGRACE TO RODOVA!" he shouted, jabbing his finger at them like it was a blade, as the room trembled with his fury.
Du Plessis, Boxer, Kohli, and Drake instantly lowered their eyes like scolded children.
"You couldn't even beat Button Academy? BUTTON?!
They had one real fighter, and the rest were barely scraping by! And still, you managed to roll over like damn amateurs!"
His voice cracked with rage. "You were arrogant, lazy, unprepared—and worst of all, you made the entire galaxy laugh at Rodova today.
The number one seed!
The so-called giants— reduced to clowns!"
Each word hit harder than the last. No one dared breathe.
Yu Shen stepped closer. "Don't even think about asking for another chance to redeem yourself after this.
Your time in the circuits is over.
You're done.
It was mercy from me that I allowed you to fight today…. That I trusted you to do your jobs and maybe earn sponsorships that could change your life, but no—
I was a fool! And I will never make the same mistake again! None of you are fighting in the Circuit's again!"
A beat of silence followed, before Instructor Hen stepped forward, arms crossed, expression like ice.
"I agree with the Captain," Hen said sternly. "You shamed this academy with your performance. Geneva, Clarence, the entire top 16—they're laughing right now. And why wouldn't they? You gave them a comedy show."
Even David, ever the softy for commoners couldn't hold back his tongue as he said "What the hell was that showboating Du Plessis? You had your opponent beat, but you threw that match away for fucking photographs and fame.
It's because of idiots like you that people believe commoners are inferior to nobles. Why wouldn't they? When the best of commoners are idiots like you!"
"I hope you're all proud. Because your foolishness forced Leo to expose skills he should've saved for the semi-finals." Faye said last, as she reminded them that Leo had to reveal a few of his cards prematurely because of them.
Cards that he should've held for later rounds.
However because of their stupidity, they had not only jinxed this round but also Leo's future fights.
The mood in the room plummeted. No one dared speak, even the usually sharp-tongued Drake.
Then, finally, Yu Shen turned his eyes toward Leo, his anger melting.
A moment passed.
Then he stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Good one, Skyshard… I owe you one," Yu Shen said, his voice calmer now.
"You saved Rodova's name from being dragged through the dirt. You reminded everyone why we're number one. And you also taught me my lesson to never gamble with fools again." Yu Shen said, as Leo acknowledged his words with a simple nod.
Su Yang stepped forward next, a relaxed grin on his face as he extended a hand towards Leo.
"I told him you had it under control," he said, gesturing towards Yu Shen, as Leo took the handshake, gripping it firmly.
"Of course I wasn't going to be taken down by those clowns, like I know you wouldn't either." He replied, as the two shared a small nod of mutual respect—before grinning wildly.
It wasn't glazing.
It was just two wolves, acknowledging each other, while the rest in the room watched their bromance bud silently.
The Circuit's weren't over yet, and the rounds were only going to get tougher and tougher from here on out.
However, while the Rodova team undoubtedly faced a humiliating setback today, through Leo's brilliance they were still in the tournament and still had a shot at winning it all.
Hence, once the scolding had been imparted, and the congratulations were given, the Rodova team dove straight into planning and strategizing for tomorrow's fight, as if one good thing came from today's scare, it was that it woke everyone up to the true unpredictable nature of this competition.
A change that Leo had been desperately waiting for since he joined the team a few weeks ago.
As finally, the atmosphere around the team felt focused and serious for a change.