"Hello everyone, and welcome all to the Inaugural Annual Lunanova Police Force Cadet Sparring Tournament, presented to you by Sub-District 101!
Be not mistaken, however. Although this campus is the first to hold an event like this, this is the first of many of its kind and is soon to take place all throughout the District of Lunanova!"
A few weeks had passed since Nyota, Sage and Kilo trained with Jora.
Following the fierce battle, it was finally time for the long-awaited cadet sparring exhibition tournament to begin.
All participating cadets reported to the campus coliseum. The thousands of seats for spectating were already filled to maximum capacity.
The faint celebratory cheers of the roaring crowd could be heard from within the coliseum's tunnels where the various cadet cliques gathered within a large atrium in preparation.
"Sub-District 101?" Nyota asked. "What is that?"
"It's the particular name of the campus we attend," Sage responded. "As you know, there are many throughout Lunanova, this one is one of the first."
Nyota nodded back. "I see."
As Nyota, Sage, and Kilo mingled amongst themselves, Jora walked in with Trifon and what appeared to be a couple of other instructors.
Immediately, he approached the three.
"How're we feeling?" He asked with a bright smile.
"Never better," Nyota answered.
"Likewise," Sage added. "Ready to get this show on the road."
"Same here!" Kilo grinned. "We're getting you a guaranteed win!"
"That's great," Jora assured. "But let me remind you that you're not doing this for me, or anyone else for that matter. You're doing it for yourselves and each other.
Together, you cannot think solely of self. You're a complete unit. All for one, and one for all. Now don't forget it."
The three cadets smiled and nodded before he continued on.
"Oh yeah, I just remembered! The tournament allows for weapons to be used." He handed personalized katanas to Sage and Kilo.
"I have one for each of you."
Sage studied the details of his blade. "Nice!"
Kilo stared at his own for a moment. "I'm good. Thanks, but I think I'm fine for now."
Nyota and Sage looked at him in confusion.
"I mean I appreciate it, of course, but I like fighting with my hands." He raised one in front of him.
"Sure thing, I understand," Jora assured. "But take it with you just in case, because I'm not taking it back with me."
He offered the blade to Kilo once more, which he reluctantly accepted.
Finally, Jora gave Nyota his katana.
Nyota partially unsheathed the blade to admire it. Its cord handling was colored silver and blue.
He was elated. After training for so long and using generic weapons, he finally had a reliable weapon to use personalized just for him.
"Thank you, Jora."
"Of course," he responded.
"Well, I've got to get going," he sighed, resting his arms on his waist. "Me and the other instructors have special seats to see the action.
I'll see you all later. And once again, I'm proud of you all, and I'm sure you won't disappoint!"
He left and quickly hurried to meet with Shiloh, Faris, and Cadel.
Meanwhile, Trifon spoke with Colt, Raphael, and Khafra.
"Ready?" He asked as he approached them.
"You know what they say," Raphael started. "Stay ready so you don't have to get ready."
"Great, I'm glad I don't have to remind you, again." He laughed, as did Khafra and Colt.
Annoyed, Raphael rolled his eyes.
"In all seriousness," Trifon continued. "Strike first, and strike hard.
The tournament allows for weapons to be used.
I thought I'd be generous for once and fetch some katanas or staffs for your use but figured you could make your own with your abilities," he laughed.
"You've trained for this moment, and as a matter of fact, you've been training for what's beyond it.
Now go out there and make me proud."
"Sir!" The three cadets stood upright and at attention, acknowledging Trifon's words.
Trifon headed for the atrium exit to meet with the other instructors so they could depart altogether.
"Make him proud, huh?" Raphael sneered.
Colt patted him on the back. "Remember what we're here for. You got anger? Well, you know what to do with it."
"It's good you're angry," Khafra added. "Use it to help us out there."
"Yeah," Colt continued. "All you've got to do is pretend every opponent we go against is Trifon's face."
Khafra reminded. "Well, after the first round. We have a free ticket to the semifinals." Together, she and Colt laughed.
"Yeah, sure." Raphael kept a focused expression on his face, avoiding eye contact with Colt and Khafra. The two watched with concern as he walked away from them.
Somewhere else nearby, Jora checked in briefly with Cadel, Faris, and Shiloh as intended.
"My amazing cadets!" He announced. "How are we doing? Are we ready?"
Cadel shot Jora a look out of the corner of his eye, one that Jora hadn't noticed.
Faris noticed his cousin's gaze but ignored it for the moment.
"As ready as we could possibly be," he replied.
Jora noticed Cadel and Shiloh's refusal to respond.
Shiloh, per usual, was in a meditative state, sitting a few feet away from Cadel and Faris with his legs crossed.
Cadel continued to stretch and do whatever else it was he had been doing.
Although Cadel and Shiloh's ignorance was somewhat typical, Jora decided to address them during this instance.
"Hey," he started, trying to grab their attention. "I'm talking to you, too."
They looked at him before he continued on.
"You always listen to authority when it speaks. It may sound crazy, but if you get ignorant with the wrong people, you could risk messing around and losing your lives."
"I've got a question for you, Jora." Cadel stood upright, completing his short stretching routine.
"Cadel…" Faris called his name in hopes of preventing him from saying anything that could have offended Jora any further.
Cadel asked anyway. "Where do we rank, for you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean among the competition. Where do we rank?"
"Well, first of course!" Jora laughed. "You're my cadets, why would I expect you to finish any place short of first—"
"Oh, come on! You know that's not what I mean," Cadel interrupted him. "I mean, after all, you do have six cadets participating.
It's not placing that I'm referring to. It's priority."
Jora didn't know what to say. He thought about how much time he spent mentoring Nyota, Sage, and Kilo.
He spent so much, in fact, that it hadn't crossed his mind over the last few months that the rest of his squadron could have felt lost, abandoned even, during the entire duration of the year.
He sought the correct words to respond to Cadel's question. "I—"
"Don't even worry about it," Cadel shook his head and sneered. "We all know those other three are really important to you, and only the gods know why."
Still in his seated position, Shiloh opened one eye as the conversation piqued his interest.
"Cadel!" Faris interrupted. You heard him! That's no way to speak to authority—"
"Oh, shut it, will you?! You know as well as I do how much we've trained—and what we've trained for!
I've always wanted to be the best. It has always been—and still is—my number-one goal.
You know it, I know it. I'm sure even this damned emo teammate of ours knows it, too!"
Shiloh, still in a seated position, glared at Cadel from the corner of his eye. Cadel continued on.
"Do you understand now, Jora?" He placed sarcastic emphasis on the annunciation of his name.
"If any of the rest of our squadron actually cared about being great, I'm certain they, too, felt some kind of way, so don't you dare tell me how to act!"
At this point, Cadel had raised his voice, allowing any cadets or instructors nearby to possibly overhear the conversation.
This included the likes of Nyota, Sage, and Kilo, as well as Tatius, Enki, and Idalia.
Jora understood completely what Cadel had complained about. He wished it wasn't the case that Cadel, as well as the rest of his squadron, felt ignored and cast away.
However, at least for the moment, he couldn't let the disrespect stand.
"Listen to me, and listen well," he began. He inched in closer to Cadel and punched him.
"What part of respecting authority can't you seem to comprehend?
I'm sorry, I haven't been present as much as I could have. But I need you to understand that I have no favorites.
You're my students, just as much as anyone else within our squadron. I have a duty to instruct you effectively, ensuring you don't go out into the world and do anything stupid.
Perhaps I have been a little selective in where I've placed my attention, but I was once in your shoes, and not that long ago, too. I know what it's like, naivety and all.
That's why I'm here. Taking up the job as an instructor on a cadet campus when I could very well be out doing field work.
Right now, I'm here to protect you from yourselves, a danger you wouldn't, otherwise, have seen coming.
You didn't have me for as much as you could have. But you have me now, and there's no telling how long you will for the foreseeable future. So, use me now before it's too late."
Everyone in the vicinity remained quiet and listened in, as they found Jora's speech to be quite insightful.
It wasn't just a message for Cadel, Faris, and Shiloh. It was a message for all to hear.
Cadel remained quiet, balling his hands into fists as he looked at the ground, a tear fallen.
Faris and Shiloh remained quiet as well.
Jora gave one final remark. "Now, ask yourself, do you hate me? If you answered yes, then great. That's what I'm aiming for.
You've now discovered a chip on your shoulder. Now take it to heart, let it fuel your rage, and prove yourself.
Let it all out, leave everything out on the court."
Before departing, Jora smiled one last time. He handed a katana to each of the three cadets, then headed for the atrium exit with his hands in his pockets.
Everyone who witnessed the incident nearby went back to minding their own business.
"Well, that was quite the show, am I right?" Kilo joked.
Sage hit him on his head.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"A tad bit funny, sure. But there was a lot of substance to what he said."
The two brothers went back to whatever they were doing prior.
Nyota stood in place in contemplation.
"I'm my worst enemy, huh?" He thought to himself. "Yeah, I mean, I guess I can see that.
That also serves as a reminder that everybody wants to win, just like us. And everyone has their own reasoning and drives."
He continued to observe Cadel from a distance, who remained still, standing in place.
"I'll show him I haven't taken Jora's mentorship for granted.
For his sake, as well as mine, I'll give him a fight he won't forget."
Meanwhile, the Big Three chatted amongst themselves.
"Looks like Lieutenant Newman's cadets are giving him a hard time," Idalia commented.
Enki shrugged his shoulders. "Me personally, I wouldn't let a cadet speak to me like that."
"Enki," Tatius facepalmed. "You are one."
Enki crossed his arms. "So, what? My point still stands."
Seconds later, the Big Three's instructor appeared.
"Hey, guys!" He greeted with a wide grin. "Are you ready? Today's the big day. Or, second at least, to graduation anyway."
"Lieutenant Airrion Nesmith!" Idalia greeted back. "Well, if it isn't a pleasure to see you."
He grew confused. "What do you mean? You just saw me yesterday."
Tatius elaborated. "Yeah. But all morning, they've had us preparing for the tournament's commencement.
For hours, it's been nothing but fairly confusing instructions. Regardless, glad to be here."
"Ah, well, it is technically still in the works. I guess you could say this ship's being built as it's ridden.
Anyway, just checking on you. After all, it is my job. I'm going to head out and meet up with the other instructors. Let me know if you need anything."
"Sir!" Idalia, Enki, and Tatius shouted in unison.
As Airrion headed for the door, the atrium's intercoms made an announcement.
"Attention all cadets! It is now time to make your way to the coliseum tunnels! Whether you are to be stationed at Tunnel A or Tunnel B depends on the information your team was provided with.
I repeat, it is now time to make your way to your respective tunnels. The tournament's commencement ceremony is set to begin in roughly twenty minutes!"
--
"Well, this is exhilarating!" Kilo exclaimed.
The cadets were now stationed at their respective tunnels in preparation for the tournament's commencement ceremony.
"It certainly is," Sage agreed.
"Yeah," Nyota agreed. He couldn't help but to notice the other cadets that remained on their side of the coliseum.
Among them were Cadel, Faris, and Shiloh.
The three of them walked in their direction.
"Hey!" Nyota called out. "Hoping for a nice battle out there. Can't wait for you to show us your best."
Cadel continued on, walking past Nyota and the brothers without saying a word or batting an eye.
Shiloh did the same.
"Looking forward to our match," Faris replied. He noticed his teammates' had ignored Nyota and didn't want to leave him without a response.
Nyota, Sage, and Kilo watched as the three passed them by.
"So much for sportsmanship," Kilo grumbled.
"It's fine," Sage assured. "They'll show us what they can do on the court."
Nyota nodded. "Can't wait."
Moments later, the cadets could hear the intercoms in the central part of the coliseum make an announcement.
"Attention everyone, we're nearing the time for grand entrances! Now, it's time to introduce our cadets!"
The crowd roared again in anticipation.
"Well guys… here we go." Kilo bumped his fist together with Nyota's as the three of them collectively looked beyond toward the end of the tunnel in anticipation.
"It's about time," Nyota started with a deep exhale.
Sage nodded as the many cadets could hear the stadium intercoms announce their pending appearance. "Let's show 'em."
"Introducing your Sub-District 101 cadets!"
Altogether, the twenty-one cadets emerged from the coliseum's two central tunnels—twelve from one, nine from the other—and were greeted by the beaming sun and the erupting crowd.