Thursday morning in the PILAR trainee mess, the scent of lavender from a diffuser filled the tidy girls' room. Morning light slipped through the window, illuminating Minji as she brushed her hair. Her bow leaned in the corner. Kazuha sat on the bed, watching Minji with a small smile.
"Minji, no need to be so tense," said Kazuha, her voice soft but spirited.
"We already beat Team C. Team B? Should be easier than yesterday." She tossed a pillow at Minji, who caught it with a snort.
"Easy for you, your individual ranking is above mine," Minji retorted, glancing at her PILAR watch showing the individual standings.
She put the pillow back,then tied her hair.
"But we need to win again today. I don't want to give Team A any openings."
The door opened, and Hanni, Jackson, and Katarina entered, already equipped. Hanni hummed cheerfully, her typical upbeat mood filling the room.
"Okay, Team Asia, let's send Team B home today!" she exclaimed.
Jackson chuckled. Katarina just nodded, her eyes full of focus.
They gathered in the hall, a holographic screen displaying the arena map and tournament schedule. Hanni, as Support, began the discussion.
"Guys, our strategy against Team C yesterday was good. We used a combination of my mist and Katarina's swarm bots. We can stall, make Team B panic, then attack when they're distracted. Fun, right?"
Katarina nodded, her fingers tapping her tablet.
"The PILAR watch data says Team B is weak in coordination.Hanni's mist will confuse them. I'll set the swarm bots to block their paths."
Jackson leaned against the wall. "Just don't let what happened with Team C happen again. That Shadow really gave us trouble. Lucky we had a counter." He glanced at Minji, who looked down, blushing at the memory of her moment with Dhoost.
"Let the past be, focus on today," said Kazuha, patting Jackson's shoulder.
"We need to steal 1 point!" They laughed, the atmosphere relaxed but spirited, ready for their second match in the PILAR tournament.
---
Noon at the SMAN 4 Maykarta canteen, the air filled with the smell of fried snacks and sweet tea. Students ran around the yard, taking advantage of break time. Radhif, Nadhyfa, and Ryn sat in a corner of the canteen. Their PILAR watches blinked, reminding them they had less than an hour to get to headquarters for their match against Team A.
Radhif drank his tea while opening his PILAR watch.
"Our strategy needs to be better than yesterday. Team A has good equipment, all of it dangerous. Let's use our upgrades, Dzoavha's drone for sound detection, my shield to block attacks, Nadhyfa's laser for light harassment."
Nadhyfa, spinning her medical bracelet now equipped with a laser, nodded enthusiastically.
"Now I can help harass the enemies, this is fun too. But, how far is the range of Rey's turret anyway?" She glanced at Ryn, who seemed restless, playing with the straw in his tea glass.
Ryn sighed, his eyes staring outside the canteen. "I need to go to the warehouse now, to get my rifle. Otherwise, I'll have to fight them all empty-handed." His tone was cold.
Radhif frowned. "Be careful, Ryn. Lately, teacher supervision has been tightened. Leaving school at a time like this is high risk."
Nadhyfa nodded, but patted Ryn's shoulder. "Be careful, Ryn. Don't get caught!"
Ryn stood up and walked out of the canteen. He moved quickly towards the school gate, using the CCTV blind spot as he had days before. With a deft movement, he threw a small stone at the camera, making the lens screech and die. But as he stepped towards the gate, it was locked tight, as if someone had predicted his move.
"Damn," Ryn muttered, panicked.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm from behind. Ryn turned, his heart pounding, and found himself facing Agent Fuad, disguised as a school security guard, his eyes sharp.
"Ryn Dandelions," said Agent Fuad, his voice low.
"You think I didn't know your plan to skip class? I sabotaged that CCTV from the start, but you had to damage it further..."
Ryn swallowed, but Agent Fuad released his grip.
"Go now, before other teachers see. Straight to the warehouse, get your rifle, and go directly to the arena. Don't waste time." His tone was firm, but there was a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
Without a second thought, Ryn dashed out the gate, running towards the public bicycle rental near Maykarta People's Bank. He borrowed the same bicycle as before, pedaling quickly through the busy city streets. The midday Maykarta wind felt hot, his heart pounding, thinking about the match and Rey Gustastu's face.
As he passed his usual coffee stall on the outskirts of Maykarta, the aroma of black coffee and cigarette smoke caught his attention. Ryn glanced at his PILAR watch, 10:10.
"Still have time," he muttered, steering the bicycle towards the stall.
He ordered a black coffee and a pack of cigarettes, then sat on a wooden bench outside, leaning the bicycle against a tree. To calm himself, he pulled out his phone, opened the MOBA game he usually played, his fingers tapping the screen rapidly.
At 10:48, Ryn snapped back to reality.
"Oh crap,it's past time!" He turned off his phone, put the cigarettes in his pocket, paid for the coffee, then jumped on the bicycle, pedaling hard towards the old warehouse.
---
The PILAR Headquarters hall buzzed with tension. Holographic screens displayed the arena map and current standings, while the time showed eleven past five.
Radhif, Dhoost, Dzoavha, and Nadhyfa stood on one side of the room, their equipment ready in hand.
They stared at the entrance, anxiously waiting for Ryn. Their PILAR watches blinked, showing the time ticking towards the match against Team A. On the other side of the hall, Team A stood confidently.
Agent Khai stood in the center of the hall, his voice echoing through the communicator chips.
"Result of the match between Team D and Team B, victory for Team D! Current standings... Team D +2 points, Team A +1 point, Team C -1 point, Team B -2 points."
Some trainees from Team A whispered about Team D's dominance.
Suddenly, the hall door burst open. Ryn stepped in, his rifle slung over his shoulder, his eyes sharp like an eagle's. His steps were full of confidence.
Nadhyfa waved enthusiastically, "Hey, Ryn, finally!" but Ryn only gave a stiff nod, his gaze locking onto Rey, who stood calmly on Team A's side.
Radhif patted Ryn's shoulder, whispering, "Calm down, Ryn. We need to win today."
Dhoost and Dzoavha nodded, but Ryn seemed not to hear, his eyes not leaving Rey. Agent Khai raised his hand.
"Team C, Team A, enter the arena now!"
The arena theme had changed to an abandoned city, with piles of building rubble, cracked roads, and flickering streetlights. Artificial wind blew, carrying dust that obscured vision.
Team C and Team A took positions at opposite ends. The match siren sounded, and the action began.
Dzoavha immediately launched his mini drone, the newly installed microphone buzzing softly. The drone shot towards Team A's base, capturing faint conversation.
"Rey, set up the turret in the central lane!" Han Dirga's voice was heard.
Dzoavha, through the speaker in his AR glasses, whispered to the team via communicator,
"Rey's turret is in the center. Be careful, guys."
Ryn, standing in his position, gripped his rifle tightly, his eyes tracking Rey's movements. Rey's Mini Turret was placed in the central lane, its automatic laser glowing red, ready to shoot anything approaching. Ryn snorted, his fingers on the trigger, his focus excessively on Rey.
"You won't get away today, Rey," he muttered, his voice full of resentment.
On the front line, Han Dirga advanced with a reflective shield in his left hand and a glowing red sickle in his right, blocking Nadhyfa's laser shots as she tried to harass.
Gerald Raster, with his stealth mantle, infiltrated the eastern side lane, almost invisible among the rubble.
Dioné Firmanshah, from the rear, fired her crossbow, her shot hitting Nadhyfa in the opening minutes.
"Ow-ow-ow!" Nadhyfa yelled, her body jolting from the electric shock, her medical bracelet blinking red before she retreated to a safe position.
Radhif, with his portable shield expanded to full size, attacked Han Dirga relentlessly, his short sword now with a shock effect creating sparks each time it clashed with the Sickle.
"Dhoost, attack the east side, now!" Radhif whispered via communicator, holding Han's attention in the central lane.
Ryn took advantage of the chaos. From a safe position behind rubble, he shot at Rey's turret with his precision rifle, the backup energy from the 10,000mAh power bank ensuring his shots didn't stop. The shots hit the turret, making it screech and forcing Rey to retreat towards his base. Every shot from Ryn was full of rage, not just to destroy, but to corner Rey.
"Don't run, you bastard!" Ryn shouted, his voice echoing in the arena.
Nadhyfa, now recovered, yelled, "Hey, Ryn, focus on the base, don't just chase him!"
Dhoost, with his wire rope knife, sneaked through a narrow path on the eastern side, his camouflage cloak blending with the rubble shadows. Even Gerald didn't notice his presence.
With a quick movement, Dhoost threw the wire rope, tangling Gerald's legs, making him stumble and lose focus.
"Gotcha," Dhoost murmured, his voice soft but satisfied.
In the center of the arena, Radhif continued to hold off Han Dirga. Nadhyfa, from the rear, fired lasers from her bracelet to aid her pressured teammates and harass Youda, who was trying to restore his team's stamina with his Recovery Pistol.
"Take that,laser!" she shouted, grinning, though sweat dripped from her forehead.
Ryn, ignoring his team's warnings, kept chasing Rey, who ran for a safe position near his base. His relentless shots forced Rey to hide behind rubble.
"You think you can hide, Rey?" Ryn yelled, his voice emotional, remembering the night on Limestone Hill.
Suddenly, the arena alarm blared loudly. Dhoost, without anyone noticing, had infiltrated Team A's main base and stood in the center. The holographic screen on the arena ceiling displayed the match result:
"Team C wins! Team A's main base claimed!"
Team C's cheers were heard faintly, but internally, the tension was still palpable.
As both teams walked out of the arena, Ryn suddenly stopped. His eyes locked onto Rey, who was walking ahead with Team A, his face still calm despite the loss. Without a word, Ryn reached for his rifle, pulling out the small hidden cutter. With quick steps, he ran after Rey, his eyes blazing with anger.
"REY!!!" he screamed, the cutter in his hand raised, ready to strike.
TO BE CONTINUED...