The forest arena creaked with the sound of buzzing swarm bots like angry bees. The nano-mist grew thicker, sweeping over Team C's base like living white smoke, obscuring all movement. The trees swayed wildly, as if responding to the escalating tension, adding to the aura of chaos in the midst of the battle.
At Team D's base, Dhoost had just escaped Jackson and Minji's deadly trap, but his vest was blinking red, its signal weakened by Kazuha's magnetic shuriken that had nearly eliminated him. His legs still felt heavy, the residual effects of Jackson's gravity wave making every step feel like running in quicksand.
At Team C's base, the situation was far worse. Dzoavha, still struggling with the glitches in his AR glasses, suddenly exclaimed,
"Their swarm bots are moving here!There are so many!"
His glasses'display showed dozens of red dots approaching the base, but their movement was strange. Not attacking, but forming a tight circle around Team C's base area, like a living, rotating fence.
Radhif, still in the central lane with his energy shield activated, gritted his teeth.
"They're trying to lock us in! Ryn, fall back! We need to return to base!"
His shield flickered as it blocked random attacks from Katarina's swarm bots,but the earlier false signals had made him realize too late that the main threat wasn't in the center, but at their own base.
Ryn, from his high position on the base roof, cursed softly.
"Damn,my energy is only 54%! How can I shoot accurately when this mist is blinding me!"
His rifle scope shook, failing to capture targets in the thick, spreading mist. Reluctantly, he jumped down, running after Radhif towards the base.
"Nad, what's the situation? How's Dhoost?"
Nadhyfa, running behind Radhif, checked her medical bracelet with a pale face.
"Dhoost is still alive,but his condition isn't good! His heart rate... he's panicking!" Her bracelet showed Dhoost's signal moving slowly towards Team C's base, but he was too far to cover.
"We need to hurry, guys! Our base is in danger!"
But they were already too late. At Team D's base, Katarina smiled slightly behind her tablet, her fingers dancing as she controlled the swarm bots.
"Do they think we'll just stand still?" she murmured, the tactical lens in her eye projecting the circular defense pattern now surrounding Team C's base.
"Now, Kazuha, Minji to the bottom lane. Hanni, thicken the mist."
Hanni, standing near Team D's base, nodded. Her motion-detecting bracelet blinked, showing Team C's position beginning to retreat. With one touch, she released a massive wave of nano-mist into the bottom lane towards Team C's base. Thick white smoke swept the area, masking the body heat and vest signals of Kazuha and Minji, making them undetectable by Dzoavha's drone.
"They won't see us,"she said, her voice full of confidence.
"Let's go, move in."
Kazuha and Minji moved like shadows. Kazuha, with her nano-cloak, slid silently in the bottom lane, her magnetic shuriken spinning slowly in her hand. Minji, with her glinting yellow energy bow, walked beside her, her steps steady yet full of confidence. They infiltrated Team C's base, which was now surrounded by the circle of Katarina's swarm bots. No alarms. No drones detected them. Hanni's nano-mist covered everything, blinding Team C's radar.
Inside Team C's base, Jackson Craig was already waiting. His gravity shield was activated, creating a slowing field around the base entrance.
"Three...two... one..." he counted softly, his energy axe ready in his hand.
As Kazuha and Minji entered, the base claim process began. The holographic lights in the center of the base blinked red, counting down from 10 seconds.
"Finally, we've secured this base," said Minji, her voice cold, her bow still raised in anticipation of an attack.
Outside the base, Radhif, Ryn, and Dzoavha finally arrived, but they were immediately met with disaster. Two of Kazuha's shuriken shot from the mist, hitting Radhif and Dzoavha's vests. Their vest signals blinked red, their protection systems weakened.
"Where is this attack coming from?!" shouted Radhif.
Ryn tried to aim, but Minji's tracking arrow shot from the mist, hitting his rifle and causing his scope to error.
"Damn, their shots are too accurate!" Ryn cursed, stepping back.
Nadhyfa, trying to close the distance, activated her medical bracelet to stabilize Radhif and Dzoavha's vests, but Hanni's nano-mist made it difficult to target accurately.
"What do we do now, they're all inside the base!" she exclaimed, her voice full of panic.
At the same time, Dhoost appeared from the top lane, panting heavily. His vest was blinking red, his camouflage cloak torn in several places from Jackson's earlier gravity wave. His legs still felt heavy, the residual gravitational effects making every step feel like dragging stones. He saw Team C's base being controlled by Team D. Jackson stood firm at the entrance, Kazuha and Minji were inside, the base claim lights shining brightly.
"No..." he cried out, realizing too late that Team D's main trap wasn't to defend their own base, but to distract Team C and capture theirs.
Dhoost ran with all his might, his folding knife glinting in his hand, but his foot stumbled. He almost reached the base entrance, his hand nearly touching the claim panel to cancel Team D's process. But exactly at the tenth second, the arena siren echoed loudly. The giant holographic screen above the arena lit up, displaying the words,
TEAM D WINS THE MATCH.
Dhoost stopped in front of his own base, his breath ragged. His folding knife fell to the holographic ground with a soft sound. The nano-mist slowly dissipated, revealing Kazuha, Minji, and Jackson standing in the center of Team C's base, their faces full of victory.
Radhif lowered his shield, his face full of disappointment. Dzoavha removed his AR glasses, his gaze empty. Ryn sighed, his rifle hanging limply at his side. Nadhyfa just stared at her medical bracelet, not knowing what to say.
Dhoost bowed his head, his fists clenched. In his mind, only one sentence whispered, full of regret.
"What...have I done..."
The arena siren stopped echoing, and the holographic lights above Team C's base slowly dimmed. The wilderness that was once full of holographic trees and nano-mist vanished instantly, transforming into an empty space with shiny steel walls and floor. The blue neon light from the PILAR headquarters ceiling illuminated the room, making Team C and Team D's vests glow faintly. The artificial earth smell was gone, replaced by the cold metallic aroma characteristic of the agency's advanced technology.
Agent Thomas stood in the center of the arena, his voice echoing through the speakers.
"Match over! Congratulations to Team D for their victory. All trainees, you may now exit the arena!"
His tone was firm, but there was a slight note of pride, as if he had enjoyed the drama of the battle.
Team C stood listlessly near their newly captured base. Radhif took a deep breath, his energy shield already deactivated, his short sword back in its sheath at his waist. He turned to Dhoost, who was still kneeling and frozen with a blank stare, his camouflage vest blinking faintly red.
"Dhoost, you were really carrying hard at the beginning. Seriously awesome," said Radhif, his voice gentle but firm, trying to lift spirits.
He patted Dhoost's shoulder,but the Shadow just bowed his head, not responding.
Ryn, standing nearby with his precision rifle slung over his shoulder, nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, Dhoost, you were really carrying from the start. If it weren't for your initiative earlier, we might have lost from the beginning." He tried to smile, but his eyes showed frustration; his rifle energy was only at 50%, and he knew his shots hadn't been very helpful.
Together with Radhif, he helped Dhoost, whose legs were still heavy from the residual effects of Jackson's gravity, towards the arena exit.
Nadhyfa walked behind, her medical bracelet still blinking, showing the team's vital data which was now stable but weak. Her face was full of doubt, her brow furrowed.
"What are we lacking? Our team composition is fine. Radhif, you cover the center, but why didn't you try pushing harder? Dzoavha, why was your drone so easily hacked? Ryn, you—" Nadhyfa started chattering, her voice a mix of anxiety and annoyance, but Ryn cut her off sharply.
"Nad, be quiet for now! Can't you see Dhoost's condition?" Ryn turned his face away, his fists clenched.
Nadhyfa opened her mouth to retort but finally fell silent, realizing the tension among them. They walked out of the arena and sat on the metal chairs at the edge of the hall.
The atmosphere was quiet, only the soft hum of the PILAR headquarters' ventilation system could be heard.
Dhoost sat at the end of the chair, his gaze blankly fixed on the steel floor. His mind circled back to the moment at Team D's base, Minji's gaze, the nano-mist, Jackson's gravity wave, and Kazuha's shuriken that had left him powerless.
"I thought... I could handle everything alone... but I ended up making us lose."
The regret gnawed at his chest, making him ignore the conversations around him. His folding knife, which had fallen in the arena earlier, now hung limply from his belt.
Suddenly, footsteps approached. Team D, with their vests still shining brightly, walked towards Team C. Kazuha led, her cloak now folded over her arm, her face calm and friendly. Behind her, Minji, Jackson, Hanni, and Katarina walked leisurely, their faces full of confidence but not arrogance.
"You guys were really great," said Kazuha, her voice soft with a gentle Japanese accent.
"You gave us a hard time at the beginning, especially you." She pointed at Dhoost, trying to console him.
But Nadhyfa immediately stood up, her fists clenched.
"Great? You all played dirty! Spamming mist, swarm bots, you think we don't know your dirty strategies?!" Her voice was loud, her eyes glaring at Kazuha.
Hanni and Katarina exchanged glances, slightly surprised, while Jackson just raised an eyebrow, holding his axe casually.
Dzoavha quickly stood up, pulling Nadhyfa's arm.
"Nad, that's enough. They played smart, we were the ones who lacked coordination. Sorry about that," he said to Team D, his face red with embarrassment.
Kazuha nodded, smiling slightly. "It's okay, it's natural. We've also lost and learned from it." Her voice was sincere, but Nadhyfa just snorted and looked away.
Minji, who had been quiet, stood behind Kazuha, her eyes fixed on Dhoost. She noticed the Shadow's blank stare, his vest still blinking faintly red. There was a hint of pity in her eyes, but she said nothing. Her energy bow hung on her shoulder, and for a moment, she seemed to want to approach Dhoost, but ultimately chose to remain silent.
Agent Revie, with her hair neatly tied, appeared from the side of the hall.
"Team D, it's time to return to the PILAR Trainee Mess now." Her tone was firm, but there was a small smile on her face.
Kazuha nodded, then turned to Team C one more time.
"Keep your spirits up. There will be more chances," she said, then walked away with her team.
Minji walked behind, glancing at Dhoost briefly with an unreadable gaze, a mix of pity and respect. Nadhyfa continued to glare at them until their shadows disappeared down the corridor.
Not long after, Agent Rusdi and Agent Fuad appeared from a side door, already wearing their school cleaning staff uniforms as their disguise.
"Come on, Team C, time to return to school," said Agent Rusdi, his voice relaxed but with a concerned tone. Agent Fuad, who was quieter, just nodded, pointing towards the secret elevator at the end of the hall.
Team C got up from their chairs. Radhif and Ryn walked in front, their faces still looking tired. Dzoavha walked slowly while analyzing his drone data in his head. Nadhyfa sighed, still annoyed but beginning to calm down. Dhoost, who could now walk on his own, followed behind with a gaze that remained empty, his mind trapped in the moment of his failure. He didn't utter a single word, only stepping towards the elevator.
As the elevator door opened, the neon light of the PILAR headquarters faded, and the scent of the school began to waft in. Team C stepped inside, ready to return to their normal lives in Maykarta, but the shadow of defeat still shrouded them. Dhoost bowed his head, and the whisper of regret echoed once more,
"What... have I done..."
TO BE CONTINUED…