Note: The use of 'major' and 'minor' as a modifier to sports in this chapter is under the context that major sports are given higher points than minor sports in the story. I hope that's clear.

***

Sports week, opening day

Festive, loud, and vibrating with excitement.

Those are the words to express the atmosphere so early in the morning. Yesterday, the fifteen squads finished setting up their base. The said structure must be installed within a hundred-mile radius of the main hall where all activities will be announced.

The team leaders will be given a communication device to aid them in interacting with their members. Each leader and their respective members have a smart band that automatically updates the number of points that each team will rack from each game they win.

"The rules change every year, and this year is no exception," Ryzel started and looked around the room. Ryzel called a team meeting to review the rules laden comprehensively in their guidebook. "There will be a total of ten games, five of which are major sports. The maximum amount of points they can award for a major sport is 1,000 points; 750 points for second place, and 500 points for third place. For minor sports, the highest points you can win is 800 points; 650 for second place and 400 points for third place. There will be a consolation prize worth 50 points."

"Aiming for the major sports is a very attractive idea, but that's not what we're going to do," Ryzel continued, arousing the curiosity of his members.

"What are we going to do, Captain?" Eris, one of the members, asked. "From the looks of it, a lot of teams will focus on major sports since it will give them lots of points."

"Precisely!" Ryzel smirked and the two people close to Ryzel know what that smirk means. "We are going to win all of the minor sports because it will be less competition, but it doesn't mean that we will ignore the major ones. No one can beat me in archery so we got that in our bag. There's volleyball, swimming, basketball and soccer. For minor sports, we have target shooting, taekwondo, golf, billiards, and fencing. Except for archery and swimming, the major sports are team sports and the minor sports are individual sports."

"If we win all the minor sports, we will get 4,000 points and a total of 5,000 points with Captain's win in archery," Seven supplied and the room was filled with confidence and excitement. "That's a definite win, everyone. The total points you can rack up if you win all first place is 9,000 points. We already won if we get 5,000 points." The members cheered and the smile on their faces was so wide.

Ryzel rejoiced internally. He is, after all, getting closer to his mission of killing Makimoto and the Harris brothers. One at a time, Ryzel. Let them experience the beast they unleashed.

****
"Announcement. All teams are requested to gather in the main hall. The five-day sports festival will commence. I repeat, all teams, gather in the main hall. Thank you." The speaker in every team's base sounded off.

Blue nodded at his team. They were strategizing their plans of attack in their base. "Okay. I know that this will be a risk, but we are going to focus on the major sports. The sooner we can rack up points, the better." For Blue, there is a lot at stake; more than a million dollars. If Blue and his team win, Blue can stop Ryzel from going on that suicide mission.

"Get ready, everyone. Let's do this," Ken hyped up the team and all of them went out of their base. On the way, Blue caught a glimpse of Ryzel's back, standing strong and exuding an aura of confidence. From Blue's position, he can feel the determination coming off in waves in Ryzel's posture.

"You're staring again, Cap," Ken elbowed their captain and Blue glanced at Ken in confusion.

"Huh? What?"

Ken rolled his eyes. "Captain Ryzel. What did he do this time? You kept on staring at him, and you have been doing that for several days. Your attention automatically gravitates toward him when he's within your sight. Am I missing something?"

The teasing in Ken's voice got Blue on alert. "What are you talking about? I'm not staring." Ken raised his brow, unconvinced. "I'm not. I'm observing him. It's a strategy; we need to defeat them, okay?" Blue defended strongly and left Ken shaking his head in amusement. "I was not staring. Why would he think that?" Blue grumbled and brushed his hair back with a small frown.

"What got your panties in a twist, Winters?" Ryzel popped out of the blue and the newbie captain almost tripped on air from shock.

"Fuck. What's with all of you? Nothing's wrong, okay? And I'm not staring!" Blue bellowed in frustration and dashed to the main hall while Ryzel blinked in confusion.

"I was just asking. Why is he mad?" Ryzel walked back to Seven and Jameson who was busy making tactics for the upcoming games.

"You're frowning. Problem?" Seven asked and Ryzel shook his head.

"Not a problem, more like... curiosity. I asked Winters a question and he almost went ballistic on me. Anyways, did we get the game schedule for today?"

"Not yet. They'll distribute the handouts later. Don't worry, Captain, I'll take care of it," Jameson volunteered and assured the team.

"Good. Let's go. We can't be late." Team Ryzel headed to the main hall and the fourteen remaining teams joined them. Ryzel swept his eyes around and no one seemed formidable, except Blue Winters. Ryzel already knows the capability of each team because he got to play with them but Blue? Blue Winters is still a question mark. An uncertainty that needs to be solved.

For now, Ryzel will assign a member to act as a scout and check out Blue Winter's team. He can't let them win because that could sabotage his mission.

Everyone gathered in the main hall. There were specified seating arrangements for each team. On the stage are a podium and a rustic stage design. Each group was also given snacks while waiting for the representative. Seven requested three different flavors of soda and one empty bottle to mix his concoction with. Jameson didn't hide his disgust and made a gagging sound.

"Shut up, Jameson. I don't interfere with your food choices. What about you, Captain? Should we request a yogurt drink?" Seven turned to Ryzel who just nodded and gave Seven a small smile.

Blue, who was just several seats behind Ryzel's group, heard Seven. Hmm. He likes to drink yogurt? That's cute. Right after he thought that, Blue smacked his forehead, creating a loud sound, attracting Ken and the other member's attention. "I'm fine. Just... preoccupied," Blue lied through his teeth and they did not press further.

When the Madam entered, she was met with a round of applause. "Good morning, everyone. I can feel your excitement over here so I don't need to guess that all of you are excited for the sports week?" Everyone in the hall hollered and clapped their hands in agreement. The Madam grinned.

"Perfect. My assistant will distribute your smart bands and communication devices. The smart band will help you track your points. At the end of the week, we will award the winners and grant them their wishes. Any words from the previous champion?" The Madam turned to Ryzel who smirked and got on his feet. The atmosphere went tense and the hall got eerily silent.

"We will win. No one can stop us. You're welcome to try," Ryzel trailed off and glanced towards Blue's direction who went on alert. "At the end of the week, we will hail as champion and there's nothing you can do about it." Ryzel averted his gaze and smirked at the other teams who got intimidated. "That's all."

"Well, what a motivation," the Madam remarked with a soft chuckle, dismissing Ryzel's threat. "From the handouts given to you, the first games this morning would be archery, swimming, and target shooting. The entire afternoon will be allocated to team games, namely: basketball, volleyball, and soccer. These team games will follow the best-of-three games category. If you have a lot of members, the major games will be beneficial for you since you will have a lot of reserves for other games." The groups with more than twenty members cheered.

"This is a matter of strategy. The team with the most points will win. For the archery, the event will be held in Dojo Room 3 while the target shooting will be in Room 6. For swimming, proceed to the pool area. Please assign your representatives. The games will start in an hour. Best of luck to all of you." The hall was filled with applause and when the Madam left, Ryzel and his team went to their base. Blue and his team also returned to their base, with a newfound determination: to defeat Ryzel.