The first official day of the tournament began under a strikingly bright blue sky. From early morning, the atmosphere at the sports complex had shifted. Gone were the introductions and scouting—now seriousness and tension could be seen on the participants' faces. Everyone knew that a single mistake could cost them the victory.
In the large room where Group 17 had spent the previous day assigning roles, the five members were already ready. Dressed in light athletic wear, they had received their schedule: three team events planned for the day. Nothing brutal, but each activity was designed to test team cohesion, strategic thinking, and physical endurance.
Ehito stood near a digital board, reviewing the events. Reiko was warming up in a corner silently. Yuji rolled his shoulders in wide circles, focused. Zoe stretched her legs, while Elian studied a map of the complex on his tablet.
"First event: Strategic Relay," Ehito announced. "Speed, navigation, and logic. Two parallel courses, each with puzzles to solve before moving to the next checkpoint. It's a team race."
"We all run together?" asked Yuji.
"No. It's a relay. One by one, but mistakes from the previous runner can slow you down," Elian explained. "We need to choose the order carefully."
Ehito stared at the screen for a moment.
"I'll go first. Then Zoe, Yuji. Reiko fourth, Elian to finish. You think well under pressure, right?"
Elian nodded. "I'm best when it all depends on me."
They left the room together, walking across the glass walkways that connected different wings of the complex. The place was so massive it felt like an entire city dedicated to sports. They passed other groups already in motion, faces marked by concentration.
When they reached the starting zone of the relay, a referee greeted them and explained the rules.
"You'll receive a map with checkpoints. Each one has a riddle. Wrong answer, you lose 30 seconds. The next runner starts when the previous one touches the final wall. Fastest team wins."
They got into position. Ehito approached the starting point, tense but composed. His face was calm, but his eyes were already calculating trajectories, obstacles, potential traps.
The whistle blew.
Ehito took off.
He ran with calculated speed. His steps were fluid, controlled. At the first checkpoint, a digital screen displayed the riddle: "I am half of ten, but not five. What am I?"
He smiled inwardly. The letter V. He typed the answer. Valid. He dashed off immediately, no hesitation.
In just under two minutes, he reached the end of his course and slapped the wall. Zoe launched into her section, more graceful than fast. Her path was filled with balance zones, rhythmic movements, and quick choices between routes. She completed it flawlessly, despite a brief hesitation at one pattern challenge.
Yuji followed, fast and strong—but overconfident. He answered a color-coded riddle incorrectly, losing thirty precious seconds. He groaned in frustration but finished without further mistakes.
Reiko continued next, agile and explosive. She leapt over obstacles with ease and cleared her course in impressive time.
Then Elian took off. His segment, the most complex, combined puzzles and navigation. He had to activate a series of levers in the correct order to unlock the path. He paused, visualized the entire schematic in his mind, then moved.
When he slapped the final wall, a screen displayed their provisional ranking.
Group 17 – 3rd place.
"Not bad," Reiko breathed.
"We'd be first if I hadn't screwed up that dumb riddle," Yuji grumbled.
Ehito looked at him without judgment.
"We'll have more chances to catch up."
They returned to the staging area where water bottles awaited. Members of Group 23 walked past them, Lia in front, slightly out of breath. She briefly locked eyes with Ehito. She gave him a small nod. He responded with the faintest blink.
—
The afternoon moved quickly. The second event began: The Cooperative Maze.
Five members, five zones. Each had to navigate a semi-transparent maze and find one puzzle piece to pass to another teammate. The twist? Only one member had the maze map… and had to guide the others through earpieces.
"I'll take the map," said Ehito.
"You sure?" asked Zoe. "You haven't seen the layout."
"Exactly. It'll force me to memorize it on the fly. I'm quick with that."
They got into place. A countdown. Flashing lights. Then—go.
Ehito studied the map, mentally photographed it, and activated his mic.
"Yuji, two steps left, then straight. You'll see a blue hallway—take it. Reiko, stop. Turn around and go right. Zoe, hold on. You'll miss a junction otherwise."
Every word was precise, almost surgical. The others followed without question. One by one, they found their pieces, passed them, then returned.
Final result: 1st place.
They exited the maze zone in silence, but the mood was lighter. Even Yuji, usually grumpy, was smiling openly.
"You just turned into a human GPS, man."
Ehito shrugged.
"You all executed well. That's what made the difference."
—
The sun was beginning to dip when the third and final event of the day was announced: The Balance Zone.
A giant raised platform. The team had to cross it together while tethered by a rope. One misstep, and a buzzer would sound. Three buzzes meant failure.
This time, Zoe stepped up.
"I'm the lightest. I'll lead. Reiko, you bring up the rear."
They tied themselves together and started crossing. The wind blew, the planks swayed. Occasionally, a foot slipped or a rope pulled too tight… but every time, Ehito stabilized the motion.
"Stop. Step half back. Yuji, duck. Reiko, tighten the rope."
They moved slowly but with surgical precision. When they reached the end of the platform, the entire room was silent.
Then the referee gave a thumbs-up.
"No errors. Time: 4 minutes 32 seconds."
The screen showed their performance.
Group 17 – 2nd place.
—
The group returned to the locker area, tired but satisfied. They sat on the floor, catching their breath. Zoe stretched her arms with a smile.
"We make a pretty solid team."
Yuji nodded.
"Haven't worked this hard in a while."
Reiko looked at Ehito.
"You handle pressure well. What's your secret?"
He shrugged, drinking a sip of water.
"I don't think about failure. Just the next move."
The setting sun painted the complex's glass panels in warm orange. In the fading light, Group 17 savored their first successes. But they all knew one thing: this was only the beginning