I looked at my team.
Darius. Mira. Theo. Four of us against Northern Spire's five. Outnumbered. Outranked. Underestimated.
Perfect.
"We have two days," I said. "We're going to use every hour."
Darius raised an eyebrow. "That's insane."
"That's the plan."
I pulled out paper. Started drawing.
"Day one: Scout them in person. Watch their last practice. See their patterns with our own eyes."
Mira nodded slowly. "Makes sense."
"Then drill specific counters. Every weakness we identify, we build responses."
Theo spoke up. "And morale? Confidence? We're all nervous."
"Day two. Team building. Rest. Mental preparation." I looked at each of them. "We train smart, not just hard. Agreed?"
Darius grinned. "Agreed."
Mira nodded.
Theo took a deep breath. "Agreed."
[TEAM PREPARATION: ALL OPTIONS SELECTED]
Two days. Maximum efficiency. Let's work.
---
Day 1 – Morning: Scouting
Northern Spire practiced in a private area, but Lyra's network had already identified a viewing spot—a maintenance platform overlooking their training grounds.
We went early. Stayed hidden. Watched.
They were good.
Captain Vorn led with brutal efficiency—fire and earth magic combining into walls, projectiles, shields. His control was precise. His commands sharp.
Strategist Jessa directed from behind. She saw everything. Adjusted formations. Exploited gaps.
Berserker Tor was exactly as described—all offense, no defense. He charged constantly, relying on teammates to cover him.
The other two were solid but unremarkable. Support players. Filler.
We watched for two hours.
By the end, I had pages of notes.
Patterns:
· They always start with Vorn advancing, Tor flanking, Jessa directing.
· Their support players hesitate when pressured individually.
· Tor overcommits. If we bait him, he'll abandon formation.
· Jessa is the brain. Take her out, they crumble.
Back at quarters, I spread the notes.
"Tomorrow, we drill these counters."
Darius studied the pages. "You're scary, you know that?"
"Thank you."
"It wasn't a compliment."
"Yes it was."
---
Day 1 – Afternoon: Drilling Counters
We practiced for six hours.
Counter 1: Isolate Tor. Theo would act as bait—run, draw him away, keep him chasing while we handled the others.
Counter 2: Target Jessa. Darius's job. Hit her hard, fast, before she could direct. If she fell, their coordination collapsed.
Counter 3: Neutralize Vorn. My job. Not beat him—distract him. Keep him busy while Darius eliminated Jessa and Mira supported.
Counter 4: Mira as anchor. Heal. Watch flanks. Warn us of traps.
Counter 5: Team communication. Three words: "Go," "Fall back," "Now." No time for complex orders in combat.
We drilled until we couldn't stand.
Then we drilled more.
By sunset, we moved as something closer to a unit.
---
Day 1 – Night: Team Dinner
Lyra arranged food from a merchant contact. Real food, not tournament rations.
We ate together. Talked about nothing. Laughed at stupid things.
Theo relaxed for the first time all day. Mira told stories about her family. Darius admitted he'd never had friends before—only allies.
"Same," I said.
He looked at me. Surprised.
"Really?"
"Really. First life, I had no one. This life, I found people." I gestured at them. "You. Lyra. The Conspiracy. It's different now."
Darius was quiet for a long moment.
Then: "If we win tomorrow, it's because of you."
"The team wins together."
"Modest is annoying." But he almost smiled.
---
Day 2 – Morning: Rest
No training.
Breakfast together. Slow. Leisurely.
Then individual time. Darius meditated. Mira wrote letters home. Theo napped. I studied notes one last time, then put them away.
By noon, we were relaxed. Ready.
Lyra appeared with final intelligence. "Northern Spire is confident. They're already celebrating victory in advance."
I smiled. "Good. Let them."
---
Day 2 – Afternoon: Final Strategy
We gathered one last time.
"Tomorrow, they'll expect us to be scared. Overwhelmed. Easy win." I looked at each of them. "They don't know us. They don't know what we've survived. They don't know that we've already won harder fights than this."
Darius nodded. Mira straightened. Theo's eyes hardened.
"Follow the plan. Trust each other. And when it's over—" I extended my hand. "—we walk off that arena together."
They stacked their hands on mine.
"Team Valdris," Darius said.
"Team Valdris," we echoed.
---
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Preparation Complete: MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY
· Scouting: Success (weaknesses identified)
· Counters: Drilled to muscle memory
· Morale: High
· Rest: Optimal
· Team Synergy: Maximum
Match Prediction: 65% chance of victory (up from 40%)