Chapter 7 – The First Motion
The gym was packed with energy, but not noise. Dozens of students sat in tight clusters, each team surrounded by opened folders, sticky notes, highlighters, and more bottled water than seemed necessary.
At the front, Mr. Takeda cleared his throat. Behind him, the projection screen displayed the bold header:
ENGLISH DEBATE EXHIBITION – TOURNAMENT BRIEFING
"You'll each debate three rounds today," Takeda began, voice firm and clear. "All matches will run simultaneously on the second floor. After each round, teams will wait until results are processed."
He tapped the remote, switching to a slide.
Debate Format – School Adaptation
Model: Based on HEnDA / World Schools / Parliamentary hybrid
Team Size: 3 speakers per team
Sides: Affirmative (Government) vs Negative (Opposition)
Speech Order:
Constructive Speech (3 minutes) Rebuttal Speech (3 minutes) Summary / Closing Speech (2–3 minutes)
Notes:
No POIs (Points of Information)No crossfire or interruptionsFixed speech slots
Speaker Roles:
First Speaker: Defines terms, introduces argumentsSecond Speaker: Rebuts opponent, strengthens team's logicThird Speaker: Summarizes clash points, closes round
Judging Criteria (100 points total):
Logic & Relevance: 30 ptsStructure & Flow: 25 ptsFluency & Language Use: 20 ptsTeam Coordination: 15 ptsResponsiveness: 10 pts
"You'll be given a motion 30 minutes before your match begins," Takeda added. "No phones, no internet. Just pens, paper, and your heads."
Kotarō felt the weight of that line. No fallback. Just thought versus thought.
Motion: This House would prioritize environmental protection over economic growth.
Team 2-C was on the Government side.
Haruka copied the motion down onto the whiteboard in their prep room, then sat in silence for exactly five seconds before saying, "We go practical. Frame it as long-term survivability. Not emotional, not political."
Kotarō was already sketching a stakeholder matrix.
"We need to sound like idealists without being naive. Our biggest risk is sounding like we don't understand economics. So we pretend we do. I remember a news piece—"Warming Costs Expected to Cut Global GDP by 10% by 2050." Close enough. I can use that."
Watanabe tapped a pen against his shoe. "So like, we're saying trees matter more than money?"
Kotarō didn't respond. Haruka gave a small shrug. "More like trees are the reason we get to spend money at all."
They divided roles quickly. Haruka would open. Kotarō would clash. Watanabe would clean.
"I'm second. That means I build around her rhythm. And fill in whatever cracks they throw."
Their debate room was quiet. Not silent—quiet in the way that a library gets quiet before someone says something important.
Three judges sat in the back. One committee member in the corner. A documentary camera was stationed at the door.
The opposing team from Class 3-A looked practiced. Blazers ironed. Shoes polished. Their first speaker stood with the poise of someone who had done this before and knew it.
Kotarō sat in his chair, fingers curled around a capped pen, not moving. Not fidgeting. Just watching.
"Haruka goes first. I listen. Then I find their openings. Let them look confident. They haven't seen her talk yet."
The bell rang.
Haruka stood.
"Good morning. We affirm today's motion: That this House would prioritize environmental protection over economic growth."
Her voice was clear, conversational. Not loud. Not robotic.
"Before we begin, let me define the key terms for clarity.
Prioritize means to make something the primary focus when two goals conflict.Environmental protection refers to policies and practices aimed at preserving natural ecosystems, biodiversity, and minimizing harm to the planet.Economic growth refers to the increase in production, consumption, and market activity measured primarily through GDP or similar indicators.
Our team believes that when these two goals are in conflict, protection of the environment must take precedence. Not because growth is unimportant, but because without a stable environment, long-term growth becomes impossible."
She paused briefly—just long enough to feel like she was thinking aloud.
"We present three main arguments today.
Sustainability is Security. We argue that environmental protection isn't anti-growth—it's the only way to guarantee stable markets in the long run. From climate disasters disrupting global supply chains to health crises driven by pollution, the costs of inaction outweigh the benefits of unchecked growth. The False Trade-off. This isn't a binary. Many policies that protect the environment—like renewable energy, carbon capture, or sustainable agriculture—create jobs and long-term economic value. Growth doesn't vanish. It changes form. Ethical Responsibility. Finally, as stewards of both our economies and our ecosystems, it is our moral obligation to choose preservation over short-term gain. The costs of reversing environmental collapse are exponential.
With that, I turn the floor over to the Negative team."
She sat down calmly.
Kotarō hadn't looked up once during her speech.
He had been writing the entire time.
Not because he wasn't listening—but because he was hearing everything.
"Good. She didn't lean too hard on emotion. The first argument's clean, the second's the bait. They'll try to redefine it as an impossible balance. We'll call that a false dilemma. The third... they'll dodge the ethics. Probably call it subjective. I can drag that back into cost framing."
The opposing first speaker stood.
Confident. Relaxed.
"Okay. Let's hear your first mistake."
Chapter End