Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism

Finally, the day of the semifinals arrived.

The White family's driver dropped Violeta off in the morning at the sports arena.

She had arrived too early and hadn't had breakfast, so she grabbed a sandwich at a nearby convenience store.

As Zoren bit into her third sandwich, the rest of the team began to show up.

In the group chat, Zoren tagged Violeta.

Vio, where are you?'

Violeta replied, 'At the convenience store across the sports arena.'

After getting out of the car, Zoren checked his phone, glanced around, and spotted Violeta sitting with her chin resting on one hand and a sandwich in the other, waving it at him. He quickly walked over. "Vio, haven't you had breakfast yet?"

"Nope, I woke up too early. Didn't want to be late. Have you eaten, Zoren?"

"Yeah, I have."

Zoren sat beside Violeta, barely warming the bench, before others arrived at the sports arena.

They all headed to the convenience store, where Jasper grabbed some milk to drink.

Once Violeta finished her sandwiches, the group walked into the sports arena together.

As soon as they stepped inside, a staff member approached them.

"Are you from Toland University?"

Violeta nodded. "Yeah, we're The Mighty Dragons' team."

The staff member's stern face broke into a smile upon hearing that.

The Mighty Dragons were a hot favourite in this competition, so they deserved special attention!

"Come with me. I'll take you to get your uniforms. The match starts at 6 PM, but there's a rehearsal this afternoon to get familiar with the equipment. Once you're done, you're free to leave, but make sure you're back by 5 PM."

"Got it."

They got their uniforms and stood in front of a mirror, feeling like real pros.

Violeta pulled out her phone, intending to snap a selfie for Irene. Just as she pressed the shutter, the rest of the team turned towards her, and Zoren even made a peace sign, capturing all five of them in the photo.

The resting rooms were assigned based on the day's match schedule.

The team explored the venue, getting used to the computers and setups.

"This afternoon's match will be live-streamed on White Bear TV," a staff member informed them. "If any of you have concerns about being on camera, let us know now."

"Concerns?" Violeta asked.

The staff member nodded. "Some participants prefer not to show their faces and request to wear masks. We can provide those if needed."

Violeta thought for a moment. She joined this college competition for exposure; wearing a mask would defeat the purpose.

Plus, wearing a mask wasn't much use since their team, The Mighty Dragons, was already well-known at school.

"No mask for me. What about you guys?"

Zoren shrugged. "I'm good."

Jasper said, "No problem here."

Liam agreed, "I'm okay."

Hayden simply nodded and said, "Yeah."

With no objections, the staff member was relieved.

Since they were all quite good-looking, covering their faces with masks would be a shame.

After sorting everything out, five girls in high school uniforms, each carrying a backpack, entered the sports arena just as they were about to leave.

As they passed by, Violeta stopped and glanced back at them.

At that moment, Evelyn's gaze also landed on them.

Their eyes met.

The identity is self-evident.

Evelyn asked, "You guys are The Mighty Dragons' team?"

Violeta replied, "That's right."

Evelyn smiled. "You guys are impressive. Looking forward to the match this afternoon."

Violeta responded, "Same here. See you this afternoon."

With a brief exchange, they parted ways.

As she stepped outside, the sun was shining brightly.

Violeta hailed a cab and said, "Let's head to George's Internet Café. I heard they uploaded the videos from the preliminary rounds on the official site. Let's check them out."

"Sure."

Just as Violeta and her team left, Zelena and Hattie's teams arrived at the sports arena one after the other.

They had a lot of demands, asking for a private lounge and specific computer setups, and wanted the best camera angles.

Hattie and Zelena were particularly concerned about their appearance, fearing the HD live stream without filters might not flatter them.

While they were being picky, 'The Spring Blossom' was getting ready in the adjacent lounge.

Captain Evelyn was verifying the numbers on their ID cards.

One girl was fixing the bow on her uniform in front of the mirror. Two others were sipping milk tea on the couch. And another short-haired girl was smoking by the window, replying to messages.

A staff member knocked on the door.

Knock knock

Evelyn said, "Amara, can you get the door without turning around?"

Amara Vale, the girl fixing her bow, nodded and said, "Sure."

She opened the door to find a staff member smiling awkwardly, with Hattie's team standing behind him.

"Can we help you?"