Students dashed forward, their footsteps thundering as they raced toward Ronko Forest.
"Everyone, look above!" Rock's voice echoed through the stadium. "With the help of Valles' advanced viewing tech, we can now watch and cheer for our nation's students in real time—all thanks to the innovation of our Imperial Nation!"
"How are we supposed to find those flags in a forest this big?" Ito muttered, glancing around the dense trees.
"You're right, Ito," Zayden said, glancing around. "This forest is bigger than I expected."
"I think the four of us should split into pairs—it'll be easier to search that way. What do you say?" Shion suggested.
"Okay then—Zayden and I, and you go with Sara. Now, let's split up." Ito said.
"Wait," Zayden said, reaching out to stop Ito. "What if one of us doesn't find a flag? What then?"
"Hmm..."
The group fell silent. Eyes darted between one another, the question hanging heavy in the air. Leaves rustled overhead, but no one spoke—because none of them had an answer.
"I don't think worrying about it now will help," Ito said, his tone steady. "If we give it our best, everything will work out."
Shion nodded, a small smile forming. "Yeah, you're right, Ito."
The tension in their faces eased, a quiet sense of resolve settling over the group.
"Twenty minutes have passed," Rock announced to the crowd, his voice brimming with energy. "And as you can see, some of the students have already managed to grab a few flags for themselves—oh? Wait a second..."
He leaned forward, squinting at the massive viewing mirror.
"...What's that boy doing over there?"
The crowd stirred, curious and amused, all eyes turning to the screen to catch a glimpse of the unexpected scene.
"If you don't want to get hurt, then hand over that flag to me," The boy narrowed his eyes.
The girl said, her voice trembling with fear. "No! I found it myself. I'm not giving it up."
With a snarl, he clenched his fists and charged at her, shouting, "Don't blame me then!" as his punch swung through the air with reckless force.
But at the same time, someone grabbed his arm and twisted it back—his face slammed into the ground with a muffled grunt.
"Sounds like you missed the rules," the man said smoothly, adjusting the collar of his Knight Squad Captain uniform. "You can watch the rest of the tournament... from the sidelines."
"Did everyone catch that?! Second Squad Captain Walter just stepped in and shut that boy down!"
He chuckled lightly before continuing, "And with that... we're down to one hundred ninety-nine students remaining!"
The crowd stirred—some clapping, some murmuring—energy building in the forest as tension thickened.
"This tournament's only just getting started, folks. Let's see who's next!"
Deep in the forest...
"All–almost…!"
Ito teetered on Zayden's shoulders, fingertips brushing the flag.
"I got th—"
Crack.
"WAIT—NOOO!"
Thud!
They crashed to the ground like fallen Jenga pieces.
The flag?
Gracefully caught the wind... and floated away.
"...You didn't get it," Zayden muttered, face buried in dirt.
Ito just groaned.
A squirrel clapped. Probably.
Ito and Zayden scrambled to their feet, dirt flying as they bolted after the drifting flag."There it is!" Ito shouted, arm outstretched.
He lunged forward—fingers just inches away.But—snap!Another hand shot out from the opposite side, grabbing the flag at the exact same moment.
"You're Ito from Nation Yonor, right?" the other guy said, meeting his gaze with a calm, unreadable expression.
"Huh? Who are you? How do you know me?" Ito asked, eyes narrowing in surprise.
"My name's Kajin." He pointed his thumb at himself, a slight smirk on his face. "And I liked your resolve back there."
"Are you talking about the tournament registration?" Ito's eyes widened as the thought clicked in his head.
"Yeah—and that's why you're my little brother now," Kajin declared with full confidence, grinning like it was already set in stone.
"Huh… brother?" Ito blinked, clearly confused.
Kajin's grin didn't fade as he tightened his grip on the flag. "Now," he said, calm but firm, "let's get to the real issue—how do we settle this, little brother?"
Ito smirked, tugging the flag toward his side. "Easy. Just hand it over to your little brother."
Kajin chuckled, eyes sharp with amusement. "You can ask for anything else, brother—but not this."
Ito tugged the flag with all his might, eyes blazing. "I want this, brother!"Kajin yanked it back, just as intense. "No, not this, brother!"
"I said I want it!""And I said NO!"
They kept pulling like two kids fighting over the last pudding cup, faces squished, feet skidding in the dirt.
"Don't make me disown you before we even start this brotherhood!" Ito barked."You were adopted five seconds ago—don't get attached!"
Leaves flew. The flag flapped like mad. Somewhere nearby, a crow stopped mid-caw just to watch the dumbest power struggle in the forest.
And so, the battle of brotherly nonsense raged on—with neither side giving an inch.
Zayden pointed at the guy casually watching the chaos. "Hey, you. You with that guy Kajin?"
"Yeah, sorry if that idiot's causing any trouble," the guy replied with a shrug.
"Oh, no worries." Zayden offered a casual grin. "Name's Zayden."
"I'm Gakurei," the guy said, hands in his pockets.
Zayden sighed, eyes drifting back to the ridiculous tug-of-war. "How long are they gonna keep this up?"
Gakurei crossed his arms. "Long enough for me to nap and still catch the ending."
Meanwhile, deep in the forest—far from the ridiculous battle of "brothers"—another clash was unfolding.
Sara stood still, eyes sharp and focused.In front of her, a girl mirrored the same intensity—silent, composed, and ready to strike.
"Both of you, please calm down," Shion said, stepping between them with a nervous smile. "Remember? Fighting is against the rules."
"Yes," they said in sync, not once breaking eye contact.
"If you're ready… then on my clap." Shion raised his hands, already regretting this.
Clap!
Both girls burst forward, crossing paths in a blur of motion.Had one of them already grabbed the flag?