The air had grown thick with tension as Stronghold's team found themselves at a crossroads. With two tokens already in hand and the battlefield still teeming with rival benders hunting for their own, the group had gathered in a small clearing to regroup and discuss their next move.John, sitting on a rock, wiped sweat from his brow and let out a deep breath. "Alright, we've got two tokens now," he said, his voice a little hoarse from the previous battles. "But there's still a long way to go if we all wanna qualify."Anne nodded, arms crossed as she leaned against a tree. "The problem is, we need to only carry four of these tokens back to secure our spot. Keeping the extra one might not do us any good."Alex, stretching his sore muscles after the intense skirmishes, looked up with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean? Two tokens sounds great to me. That means we're halfway there."John shot him a glance, his fiery aura still barely flickering. "Yeah, but here's the thing: there's a chance we'll need help later. We might run into more teams, or worse, we could get outnumbered by one of the stronger cities like Ignis Peak or Mira."Anne chimed in, her voice pragmatic. "We could give one token to someone and send them back. That way, we secure one spot in the finals without losing a token ourselves. And we'll have an extra set of hands in case things get ugly.""Send someone back? Are you serious?" Gordon, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up, his eyes narrowing in irritation. "Why would we waste an opportunity like that? We need everyone here, fighting for more tokens, not taking a free ride home."Alex shrugged. "Yeah, but the point is that we have to play this smart. If we keep everyone out here, there's a chance we could lose everything. It's a gamble."John nodded, agreeing with Alex. "Exactly. And we can't ignore the fact that someone could get seriously hurt. If we send one person back now, we secure one spot. It's a guarantee."Gordon scoffed, clearly unimpressed by the idea. "Who's to say we're gonna lose? If anything, we've been crushing it so far. Why send someone away?""Because it's not just about brute strength, Gordon," Anne said firmly, stepping forward. "It's about thinking ahead. The Nexus changes all the time. One wrong move and we could end up fighting off three teams at once, and not everyone is built to handle that."Tension hung heavy in the air as the group fell silent, each of them weighing the options.John glanced around the circle. "Alright, so who would go back?""I'm definitely not leaving," Alex chimed in, raising his hand quickly. "I want to be here when things really get heated.""I'm not going anywhere either," John added, his fiery aura burning a little brighter as his determination solidified.Anne gave them both a quick glance, nodding slightly. "I can stay too. We need to keep the group strong."They all turned toward Gordon now, who stood a little apart from the group, arms crossed over his chest and a familiar look of defiance in his eyes."You think I'm going to let you send me away?" Gordon asked, his voice low and laced with annoyance. "I'm not some backup. I'm not leaving this fight."John, sensing the growing tension, sighed. "No one's calling you backup, Gordon. We just need to think about what's best for the team.""Right," Anne agreed. "It's not about proving anything. We're just trying to guarantee a win."But Gordon wasn't having it. His scowl deepened as he stared at each of them, the frustration clear on his face. "You're all missing the point. If we play scared, we lose. I'm not here to sit back and take orders. I came to win."John stood up, trying to de-escalate. "That's not what we're saying. We're saying that one of us needs to go back and secure a spot—"Gordon cut him off, voice sharp. "And why should it be me?"The group exchanged uneasy glances. It was clear that no one wanted to leave, but the argument was quickly spiraling.Alex, sensing the growing rift, tried to calm things down. "Look, man, no one's forcing anyone to leave. But if we need to send someone back, we should at least talk about it, not fight over it."But the moment the words left Alex's mouth, Gordon's decision seemed to snap into place. Without another word, he stepped forward, his hand moving toward one of the tokens that rested between them."Gordon, what are you doing?" Anne asked, suspicion creeping into her voice.Gordon's hand closed around the token, his eyes locking onto John's. "What does it look like? You want someone to go back? Fine. I'll take the token and return. But don't say I didn't warn you when you're outnumbered."Before anyone could react, Gordon turned sharply and began walking away, the token gripped tightly in his hand. Alex and John exchanged startled looks as Anne took a step forward, ready to intervene."Gordon, wait—" Anne began, but Gordon's pace didn't falter."Let him go," John said, frustration evident in his voice. "If that's what he wants, we can't stop him."Alex let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know, man. This feels wrong. He's not thinking straight."Anne's expression hardened. "He's doing what he always does—acting on his own. But this isn't the time for solo play."John crossed his arms, watching Gordon disappear into the shifting landscape of the Nexus. "He'll regret this," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.And just like that, the team was down one member. The token was gone, and so was Gordon, leaving the remaining three to grapple with their next move."What now?" Alex asked, his tone quieter, the weight of the moment pressing down on him.Anne's gaze remained fixed on the path Gordon had taken, her mind already shifting gears. "We keep moving," she said, her voice steady. "We have one token left, and we need more. The race isn't over yet."John nodded, the fire in his eyes reigniting. "Let's get back to it. We're not done here."And with that, the three remaining members of Stronghold's team moved forward, knowing full well that the stakes had just risen even higher.