The notification appeared simultaneously across dozens of devices in different time zones: IMS Championship Competitor Coordination - Mandatory Video Conference - Sunday 3 PM GMT. Aiko stared at her screen in the academy's international conference room, watching as participant indicators began lighting up from around the globe.
"This is actually happening," she murmured to herself, adjusting her camera angle to include the practice materials she'd prepared for what Viktor had described as "the most important pre-competition meeting any of us will ever attend."
Yuki and Kenta had insisted on being present for moral support, setting up their own devices nearby so they could witness what promised to be a historic gathering of young talent from across continents.
"Fifty-six confirmed participants," Kenta read from the official tournament documentation. "Ages sixteen to twenty-three, representing thirty-four countries. That's... unprecedented for any hairstyling competition."
The video conference platform began populating with faces as competitors joined from their respective locations. Aiko recognized Javier immediately as his camera activated from Isabella's Madrid studio, his familiar warm smile making distance feel irrelevant. Viktor appeared from what looked like a professional training facility in Moscow, while Esperanza joined from her family's Barcelona salon.
But it was the sheer scope of participation that took everyone's breath away. Screen after screen filled with young faces representing every continent—confident, talented individuals who had each earned their place through exceptional skill and dedication.
"Welcome, everyone," came a voice in accented English. A striking young woman with elaborate braids appeared on what seemed to be the main coordination screen. "I am Amara Okafor from Lagos, Nigeria. Viktor Petrov asked me to help facilitate this meeting because my family preserved coordination protocols from the resistance period."
"Thank you for organizing this," said another voice with a distinctly Brazilian accent. A young man with artistic flair in his styling appeared on screen. "Carlos Mendoza from São Paulo. My father was corporate defector during transition period—he's been waiting twenty years for this gathering."
"Elena Rodriguez, Buenos Aires," announced a confident girl whose technical setup suggested serious professional training. "My family preserved traditional Argentine techniques through suppression period. Very excited to meet everyone in person."
As more competitors introduced themselves, a pattern emerged that made everyone simultaneously excited and nervous. Name after name revealed family connections to the same historical networks, the same resistance period, the same preservation efforts that had spanned continents and industries.
"This is extraordinary," said a composed young man with precise diction. "James Wellington-Smith from London. My grandfather documented academic suppression networks. I'm beginning to understand why so many of us qualified for the same competition."
"Sophie Dubois, Paris," added a girl with effortless French elegance. "My grandmother preserved traditional techniques through religious networks. The convergence here is... significant."
"Marco Rossi, Roma," announced an energetic Italian with obvious artistic flair. "My family preserved ancient Roman beauty traditions through Vatican connections. This feels like destiny."
As the introductions continued, Viktor took the lead in addressing the patterns everyone was noticing. "What we're seeing is not coincidence. Based on documentation my father preserved, most of our families were part of coordinated resistance efforts during the 1990s and early 2000s."
"Resistance against what, exactly?" asked a serious-looking girl from what appeared to be a Scandinavian location.
"Systematic suppression of knowledge and targeting of populations," Esperanza replied, sharing her screen to show historical documents. "For decades, networks of corrupt oligarchs worked to suppress traditional practices that enhanced human competence and made the populations difficult to artificially misdirect."
The revelation sparked intense discussion among the gathered competitors. Some had grown up knowing about their families' historical involvement, while others were learning for the first time that their parents had been part of something much larger than they'd understood.
"My father never told me details," said a competitor from Tokyo who Aiko recognized from Japanese beauty industry forums. "Kenji Nakamura. He said the work was too dangerous to discuss until the 'new systems' were fully established."
"Same with my family," added another voice from somewhere in Eastern Europe. "Secrets that were kept for our protection, they said."
Amara pulled up what appeared to be an official tournament document. "I think we need to see the complete competitor list with family background information. Viktor, can you share what you've compiled?"
The screen filled with a comprehensive spreadsheet showing all fifty-six competitors, their countries of origin, and brief notes about family connections to resistance networks. The scope was staggering—nearly forty of the participants had documented family involvement in preservation, documentation, or resistance activities during the same historical period.
"This is unprecedented," breathed a competitor from Australia. "We're not just individuals who happened to qualify—we're the children of people who worked together to create the world we're inheriting."
"Look at these names," said a young woman from Sweden, scrolling through the list. "Petrov, Mendoza, Rodriguez, Okafor, Dubois, Wellington-Smith—these families are mentioned in historical documentation about resistance networks."
"And Matsumoto," added someone from the German section. "Emiko Matsumoto appears in multiple academic papers about knowledge preservation during suppression period."
Aiko felt her breath catch as dozens of faces turned toward her camera. "My mother was part of these networks," she said quietly. "I'm still learning about the full scope of her work."
"As are most of us," Viktor said gently. "This meeting is helping us understand that our individual family stories are actually parts of a much larger coordinated effort."
Carlos leaned forward on his screen. "My father said something last week that makes more sense now. He told me the IMS Championship would be 'the gathering he had been waiting for'—a time when the children could finally come together safely."
"My grandmother said similar things," Esperanza added. "That we would recognize each other when the time came, and that the competition would be about more than just hairstyling excellence."
Elena's voice carried determination from Buenos Aires. "Systems that ensure fair judging, transparent evaluation, and protection from the kind of targeting they faced."
"The accountability mechanisms mean we can focus on excellence rather than survival," James observed from London. "Our parents couldn't compete openly because doing so would have made them targets."
"But we can," Amara said with quiet pride. "Because they built the transparency systems that protect us."
"This competition represents the first generation to benefit from truly fair systems," Viktor concluded. "No corruption, no suppression, no targeting of talent. Just pure merit and transparent evaluation."
"That's a responsibility as much as an opportunity," Javier added thoughtfully. "We're not just competing for ourselves—we're proving that their sacrifices created something worthwhile."
The conversation continued for over two hours as competitors shared family stories, compared training backgrounds, and began to understand the magnitude of what they were inheriting. Technical discussions about styling techniques flowed seamlessly into revelations about family histories and the growing recognition that their gathering in Milan would represent something historically significant.
"One thing is becoming clear," Amara said as the meeting began winding down. "We're not just competing against each other—we're demonstrating what the next generation is capable of when they inherit systems designed to nurture talent rather than suppress it."
"Agreed," said Marco from Rome. "This feels like proving that our parents' sacrifices were worthwhile."
"And that the knowledge they preserved can be used to create beauty rather than destruction," added Sophie from Paris.
As participants began signing off to return to their training schedules, Viktor addressed the group one final time. "In six weeks, we'll all be together in Milan. I have a feeling that meeting in person will reveal even more about what we're inheriting and why this competition matters beyond individual achievement."
"See you all in Milan," Javier said, his voice carrying the quiet intensity that had driven his entire journey. "I'm honored to be part of whatever this represents."
After the call ended, Aiko sat in the quiet conference room processing the weight of what she had learned. The IMS Championship wasn't just about hairstyling excellence—it was a reunion of families that had been scattered across the globe by their parents' resistance work, a demonstration of what the next generation could achieve with the freedom and transparency their parents had died to create.
The competition list Viktor had shared revealed patterns that were impossible to ignore. The majority of participants were children of families that had documented corruption, preserved suppressed knowledge, or provided protection for those who had resisted oligarch networks during the most dangerous period of the transition.
In six weeks, they would all gather in Milan for what was beginning to feel like much more than a competition. It would be a convergence of inherited legacies, preserved knowledge, and young people ready to prove worthy of the sacrifices that had made their freedom possible.
The real preparation for Milan was about more than perfecting techniques—it was about understanding the full scope of what they were inheriting and the responsibilities that would come with demonstrating their capabilities on a global stage.