James pressed something offscreen. "Before we reveal your Week One theme, you'll need to know where you currently stand."
The room stiffened.
"What? Already?" Aria's voice jumped an octave.
Storm patted her shoulder, though his smile looked thin. "It's just orientation scores. Nothing serious."
Nicholas leaned forward eagerly. "This is where the chaos begins. I've been waiting."
Theo hit him with a cushion. "Can you not summon disaster this early in the morning?"
Efua rolled her neck until it cracked sharply. "They better not put us below top five. I swear."
Zhihao folded his arms, blank expression unwavering. "Top three. Manifesting." No one could tell if he was joking.
Jun swallowed hard. "We're fine. Yeah. We're okay…" He turned to Solene for reassurance, but she was staring at the screen with the stillness of someone watching their life flash before their eyes.
Raye buried her face into Malik's shoulder. "If we're last, I'm walking out. Actually no—I'll faint. Then walk out."
"You won't be," Malik murmured, though a tight line formed at his jaw.
Purple shrunk a little behind Deji, fingers tugging on his sleeve. "I don't think I want to watch."
Deji covered her hand, voice low, steady. "Relax. If you're not top three, I'll eat Nicholas's sock."
Nicholas jerked up. "Why my sock?!"
Before anyone could argue further, the silhouettes on the screen began to shift—slowly at first, then rapidly, as if being shuffled by unseen hands. The room fell into suffocating silence.
"These rankings," James said, "are based on your public reception—your entrance, interviews, and your orientation performance. This is your baseline. Not your destiny."
The silhouettes snapped into formation, now numbered from one to ten.
The glow around them faded.
The room held its breath.
James smiled, faint and unreadable.
"Duos… here are your initial rankings."
The screen remained black for a moment too long.
A low hum vibrated through the living room.
Then—
A single number appeared, glowing cold and white.
10
Everyone held their breath.
The silhouettes shifted… sharpened…Noor & Lennox. A stunned silence dropped over the room like a curtain. Lennox inhaled once, slow and controlled. "Well. That's… clean. Dead last."
The screen flickered again.
9
Raye & Malik. Raye let out a dramatic gasp and folded into Malik like she'd just fainted. "Malik. MALIK. I'm too young for humiliation." Malik sighed. "We move." "Move where? UP I hope—because this is embarrassing."
8
Aria & Storm. Aria froze. "No. No way. Eighth? As in… barely above bottom two?!" Storm rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Aria, please don't—" "I SURVIVED GYM THIS MORNING FOR EIGHTH?!" Storm stared blankly at the screen. "This is going to be a long season."
7
Indigo & Thira. Thira was the first to react—by punching the air. "WE'RE NOT LAST! LET'S GO!" Indigo exhaled in relief. "Room to grow. I'll take that."
6
Nicholas & Theo. Nicholas squinted at the screen like he could negotiate with it. "Six? SIX? I didn't even get mid?". Theo pat his shoulder. "Could've been worse." "Could've been better!"
5
Zayn & Mira. Mira grabbed Zayn and shook him playfully. "TOP FIVE, BABYYYY!" Zayn flashed a grin. "We'll make top three next time. Watch."
4
Efua & Zhihao. Efua immediately smirked. "Yessss. I had faith. Zhihao didn't, but I did." Zhihao simply nodded once. "Acceptable outcome." Blaze snorted. "Man's back to speaking in update logs."
The tension thickened. Top three. The room leaned forward.
3
Jin & Solene. Solene gasped softly, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh my gosh—we placed that high?" Jin's lips curled into the smallest, proudest smile. "We earned it."
Two left.
Purple felt her heartbeat trip. Blaze rolled his shoulders, confident. Someone whispered, "It has to be them…" The screen glowed.
2
Jade & Blaze. Jade inhaled sharply, relief and pride mixing in her expression. Blaze grinned. "Second place. Respect it." Efua muttered, "I knew they'd be up there."
Purple's jaw dropped. "We—what—FIRST?!"
Deji leaned back, laughing. "Ehn ehn… see as God dey work."
Purple shoved him weakly. "Stop! People are looking!"
The room erupted—cheers, teasing, whistles.
The screen faded to black. And James' voice returned, calm but charged with purpose. "Congratulations, duos. Now that your rankings are set… it's time to reveal your first theme."
"Now that your initial performance rankings are revealed… it's time to present your first official theme."
The background behind him shifted—darkening.
A beat.
A bass vibration.
Then—
BRRRRRRRRAHH—
A heavy, distorted kick blasted through the speakers, unmistakable, viral, everywhere online.
Several duos straightened at once.
Nicholas's eyes widened. "No way—"
Malik muttered, "Oh, we're cooked."
A glowing title appeared behind James:
WEEK 1 THEME: BRAZILIAN PHONKThe room erupted.
"LET'S GOOOOOO!" Thira shouted, practically vibrating.
Jade covered her mouth. "Oh my god—this is trending everywhere."
Zayn laughed. "They want chaos. Very well."
Purple blinked. "Phonk? As in… the one with the motorcycle edits?"
Deji grinned.
James raised a hand, restoring silence.
"Brazilian phonk has surged across the internet over the past two years. It is energetic, gritty, fast, and difficult to master."
The screen displayed flashing visuals—neon lights, smoky silhouettes, quick cuts of dancers hitting sharp footwork and experimental styles.
"But," James added, "there are rules."
The visuals stopped.
And the room stiffened.
"To avoid plagiarism and to challenge your creativity, your choreography must be completely original. Any recognizable move or sequence taken from TikTok, Instagram, or viral edits will immediately result in—"
He paused.
Silence.
Someone swallowed.
"—a score of zero."
A ripple of horror passed over the room.
Theo leaned forward. "A full zero? No warnings?"
"Correct."
Nicholas slapped his forehead. "Bro, EVERY phonk move looks like it's from TikTok!"
Lennox muttered, "We're dead."
Noor pointed at him. "Correction: you are dramatic. We'll be fine."
James continued:
"You will each select a random Brazilian phonk track from the box that will appear in your practice hall. Each song has its own tempo and style. Choose wisely."
The screen shifted to show a sleek black box with glowing red edges.
"Your performance is in seven days. You may begin preparing as soon as you receive your track."
The background dimmed.
James smiled—just a little too pleasantly.
"Good luck, duos.
This first theme will separate the confident…
from the truly creative."
The screen shut off.
A beat.
Then—
The room exploded.
"What if we pick something impossible—?!" Indigo panicked.
Solene grabbed Jin's sleeve. "We need strategy. Immediately."
Raye paced in small, distressed circles. "Phonk in the morning was NOT on my mood board!"
Nicholas dropped onto the floor. "I'm going to jail. Zero points prison."
Purple turned to Deji, wide-eyed. "We're allowed to freestyle, right? We can just… create?"
Deji bumped her shoulder gently. "We'll be fine. You freestyle like you're possessed." "I DON'T—!" "You do. In a good way." Storm finally spoke. "We need the box." Everyone froze.
Yes. The box. Ten duos. Ten random songs. Ten chances to rise or crash. And only seven days to create something completely original. The House of Duos' first real challenge had begun.
The practice hall felt bigger than it had during orientation—wide mirrors, polished floors, the faint smell of sweat and speaker static. The doors slid open automatically, and the ten duos stepped inside, quiet with nervous anticipation. In the center of the room sat a sleek black cube, pulsing with red light.
The Box.
For a moment, nobody moved. Then Jun exhaled dramatically. "Okay. We're all just… scared, right? Everybody's scared." "Correct," Theo said immediately. Nicholas frowned. "I'm not—" "You are," Mira cut in. He sighed. "…Fine."
James's voice echoed from hidden speakers: "Duos, approach the box.
The order will follow your ranking—from 10th to 1st."
A collective gasp.
"Noooooooooo…" Aria collapsed onto Storm's shoulder. "Why are we being punished first?!"
Storm dragged her forward anyway. "Come on. Rip the band-aid.
Noor squared his shoulders like a man walking into battle. Lennox walked beside him muttering something that sounded like a prayer. Noor reached into the glowing slit on top of the box. A small holographic card slid out. Lennox read it aloud.
"Montagem Ladrao."
"…that sounds illegal," he whispered. Noor shrugged. "We move."
Raye approached like she was facing a monster. Malik was calmly stretching behind her. She pulled the card.
"Montagem Xonada."
Raye blinked. "What is a xonada?" Malik shrugged. "Whatever it is… it's ours now."
Storm grabbed the card before Aria could overthink it. He flipped it around.
"Montagem Rugada."
Aria stared. "Storm. That sounds like the noise my blender makes."
Storm murmured. "offensive to the phonk fandom…tryna get us cancelled."
Thira practically sprinted to the box. "PLEAAASE be dramatic!" she whispered, pulling a card.
Indigo read it:
"Passo Bem Solto."
Thira screamed. "YESS!! Freedom footwork! Indigo, we're SAVED!"Indigo blinked slowly. "We… are?" "You'll see!"
Nicholas rolled his shoulders, hyping himself up. "Alright. We take whatever comes. We don't fear phonk." Theo looked at him. "You literally said earlier you fear phonk." "Shh." Nicholas pulled the card.
"Montagem Tomada."
Theo nodded once. "We can work with that." Nicholas squinted. "Tomada… like electricity?" "Exactly." "Oh." Nicholas brightened. "Okay that's kinda cool."
They stepped forward in perfect sync.
Mira took the card, elegant as always.
"Acelerada."
Zayn smirked. "Iconic" Mira mirrored his grin. "Let's make them sweat."
Efua cracked her knuckles. "Let ME pick. If he picks we'll get something cursed." Zhihao shrugged. "True." She snatched a card.
"Montagem Bailão."
Efua gasped. "THIS ONE SLAPS." Zhihao finally smiled—tiny, but real. "Good."
Jun walked with swagger; Solene glided beside him.
Jun dipped his hand into the box like he was choosing destiny.
"Montagem Rugada."
Solene blinked. "Didn't someone already get that?" The box glowed text: NO DUPLICATES. PLAY VARIATION B.Jun's jaw dropped. "There's a variation B?!" Solene sighed. "Of course there is."
Jade stepped forward like royalty. Blaze cracked his neck. She plucked the card, eyes sharp.
"Dia Delicia."
Blaze smirked. "Sounds like victory." Jade flipped her hair. "Obviously."
All eyes turned to them. Purple froze. Immediately. "Go," Deji nudged gently. She shook her head. "What if I pick something scary?"
"Everything here is scary," he said dryly. "So calm down." She inhaled, then stepped forward, reaching into the box with both hands like it might bite. The card shimmered up.
She read it softly.
"No Era Amor."
Deji grinned wide. "A heartbreak phonk? Ah! Beautiful!"
Purple blinked. "Damn.."
The duos gathered, each holding their fate in the form of a glowing track card.
The speakers crackled—one final message from James:
"You now have exactly seven days. Originality is everything. Good luck… you'll need it."
The lights dimmed.
The room erupted.
Shouts. Plans. Groans. Vows to win. Claims of doom.
And then—Practice truly began.