The Tournament

Sunday mornings, a day of rest and preparation for the following hectic week, was a statement that never applied to doctors, computer geeks, and most especially… gamers.

The ritual of downing black coffee before every match, enduring marathons of non-stop playing, fighting to stay awake, and losing one's eyesight from staring at a screen for twelve hours straight, had never been easy.

Especially when there was a global tournament taking place the next day, and your teammates still hadn't figured out who their opponent was.

Nexar Gaming Stadium—the one place gamers all over the world dreamed of battling their way into. It was where they worked their butts off just to be among the twenty teams selected.

Those who managed to make it to the finals stood a chance of winning countless rewards, including sponsorship from the Nexar Gaming Hardware company, the prestigious title of world champions for a decade until the next tournament, one hundred billion dollars for each team member, and the ultimate prize: a game created in their name with their designs.

It was an opportunity no gamer would want to pass up.

Unfortunately, the tournament had already reached its climax. Eighteen teams had been eliminated, leaving just two: Lag Lords and Bugged Brigade, each team composed of five members with highly skilled Ace players.

Uravis Lockwood, Lag Lords' Ace player, had so far led his team to victory year after year.

The air was alive with anticipation as Uravis and his team faced off against their arch-rivals, Bugged Brigade, in the final showdown of the EA Gaming Tournament.

The crowd sat on the edge of their seats, their eyes glued to the massive screens displaying the battle. The arena echoed with the frenzied clicks of keyboards, the rapid movement of mice, and the synchronized tapping of feet on the platform beneath the players.

Uravis was a force to be reckoned with—known for his exceptionally fast reflexes and strategic mind, a combination that had earned him a reputation as one of the greatest gamers of all time.

"Eleven years of practice weren't wasted after all," he told himself as he controlled his avatar effortlessly, eliminating anything and anyone in its way.

His teammates glanced at him with a mix of awe and determination, their faces tense as they fought for gaming supremacy.

The commentators' voices roared like a stampede of bulls being chased by a hungry lion, their words tumbling over each other in a frantic attempt to keep up with the action.

"And Uravis takes the lead! Oh my gosh, what a move! He's got the Bugged Brigade on the ropes!"

The crowd erupted into an ear-shattering cheer that would have distracted the players—if not for the noise-canceling headphones they wore.

Uravis' teammates high-fived each other, their faces glowing with joy. Victory was knocking at their door. All Uravis had to do was eliminate the boss, kill the opposing team's Ace player, and return to base—all while dodging obstacles.

Amidst the joyful chaos, Uravis remained calm and focused, his eyes locked intently on the screen. He was in god mode, the zone where he tuned out everything except the game. His mind worked at lightning speed, outmaneuvering his opponents at every turn.

Though his teammates had been defeated, he still fought as if they were right there beside him.

But the Bugged Brigade wasn't a team known to give up easily. With fifty seconds left on the clock and three members still alive, they clung to hope. To them, defeating Uravis alone seemed like a piece of cake.

They launched a devastating counterattack, their fingers flying across their keyboards with a speed and accuracy that left the audience gasping. The commentators' voices became background noise as the crowd stood on their feet, watching in breathless silence. Uravis fought against the three opposition members and the game's boss simultaneously.

Unfortunately, Uravis was down to his last two lives. The Bugged Brigade managed to pull a fast one on him. His teammates were seconds away from respawning, but it felt as though all hope was lost.

In a last-ditch effort, Uravis launched a desperate attack to turn the tide. His fingers danced across the keyboard and mouse, eliciting another round of excited screams from the audience.

He wiped out two of the Bugged Brigade members while reducing the boss's life bar to its last fraction. The crowd leaned forward in their seats, their faces alight with anticipation as the two teams battled ferociously for the ultimate prize.

"Move move move," Uravis yelled the second two of his team mates respawned, like a spell they began their attack, shielding Uravis from the attacks that came his way.

He was seconds away from winning, and then, just as victory seemed within their grasp, Uravis expression wavered, he hesitated for a second as he felt his fingers freeze, hovering over the keyboard.

Seeing that their Ace possibly had a cramp, they took the flag away from him and made their way back to their base.

They were not skilled enough to get the flag back without Uravis help and he was frozen, unmoving.

It was all the time his opponent needed, The Bugged brigade's Ace seized the opportunity and summoned a beast to assist him with attacks.

Uravis then came back, his mind racing as he remembered he lost himself in a dark void, his mind blank and empty. He quickly recovered, building up all his XP and HP into one attack.

That was his only chance, and he was certain it would work, a blast strong enough to wipe out the opponent and then win. He fired, tapping on his mouse repeatedly to continue the blast inorder to avoid making a mistake like he had once did.

He stared intently at the screen, watching the bugged brigade Ace's avatar slowly disintegrate, his HP dropping to a dangerously low level ND he was on his last life.

A smile found its way to his face, he already imagined winning and going back to their city with the title that was once taken from them ten years ago.

'Just watch, President Gerald, we will bring the trophy back and gain the respect we lost ten years ago,' He told himself, his tone filled with determination.

He cared less about the money, knowing perfectly well he would have to save it up for his sister who was still in Highschool and had a year before she finished and would begin preparation for College.

"Uravis, you can do this, we all trust you," He heard a little kid yell from the crowd, he would never forget his face. The six year old kid that he was teaching gaming for a month now, the voice of that kid was enough to elevate him even more.

'Just..one..more..push,' He strained, clicking his keyboard and mouse at an incredibly fast rate that left his team mates dumbfounded.

However, the stadium suddenly went dark, everything going off at that moment except the screen in front of the gamers, Uravis remained focused, in a desperate attempt to win.

A ray of light then descended upon him, through the glass ceiling from a source no one could point out, but it was from the sky. Uravis still kept playing, counting the seconds that went by, he wanted to win at all cost, no light would stop him from achieving his dreams, not even a thunderbolt.

Suddenly, a flash if light blinded every single person in the stadium for a split second and then died down, the crowd searching through the chaos for Uravis but they saw his chair moving slowly, empty.

The crowd went silent, frozen in shock when they realized he was not in his seat. The crowd was stunned, eyes wide when the team began searching under the seats, hoping he hide out of fright.

But he was no where to be found.

He had vanished into thin air, automatically the Bugged Brigade had a chance at winning.

"Move, move, move!" Uravis yelled as two of his teammates respawned. Like a spell had been cast, they sprang into action, shielding him from the relentless attacks coming his way.

Victory was within reach. Uravis was seconds away from securing the win when suddenly, his expression wavered. He hesitated for a brief moment, his fingers freezing above the keyboard.

Seeing their Ace falter, possibly due to a cramp, his teammates took the flag from him and bolted toward their base. They weren't skilled enough to secure the flag without Uravis' help, and he remained frozen, unmoving.

It was all the opportunity the Bugged Brigade's Ace needed. Seizing the moment, he summoned a beast to assist him with a barrage of attacks.

Uravis snapped back into action, his mind racing. He remembered the dark void he'd just been lost in, his mind blank and disoriented. Shaking it off, he quickly rebuilt his XP and HP, pouring all of it into one final, devastating attack.

This was his only chance, and he knew it had to work. The blast had to be strong enough to wipe out the enemy and secure the win. His fingers flew across the keyboard and mouse, tapping furiously to sustain the attack. He couldn't afford to repeat the mistakes he'd made before.

His eyes were locked on the screen as he watched the Bugged Brigade's Ace's avatar begin to disintegrate. The opponent's HP plummeted to dangerously low levels—he was down to his last life.

A smile crept onto Uravis' face. In his mind, the victory was already theirs. He could see it—returning to their city with the title that had been stripped from them a decade ago.

'Just watch, President Gerald. We'll bring the trophy back and reclaim the respect we lost ten years ago,' he thought.

He cared little for the prize money, knowing he'd save it for his sister, who was still in high school and just a year away from preparing for college.

"Uravis, you can do this! We all trust you!" a young voice shouted from the crowd. He recognized it immediately—it belonged to the six-year-old boy he had been mentoring in gaming for the past month. That voice alone was enough to fuel his determination.

'Just... one... more... push,' he strained, his fingers hammering the keyboard and mouse at a speed that left his teammates in awe.

Suddenly, the stadium plunged into darkness. Everything shut off, except for the glowing screens in front of the gamers. Uravis didn't flinch, his focus unwavering.

A single ray of light pierced through the glass ceiling above, illuminating him like a spotlight. No one could trace the source—it seemed to come from the sky itself.

But Uravis kept playing, counting down the seconds. No disruption, not even a thunderbolt, would keep him from achieving his dream.

Then, without warning, a blinding flash of light filled the stadium. It lasted only a split second, but when it faded, the crowd gasped in unison. Uravis' chair moved slightly... empty.

The silence in the stadium was deafening. Eyes scanned the scene, searching for him. His teammates frantically checked under the seats, hoping he had hidden out of fear.

But he was nowhere to be found.

He had vanished into thin air.

The realization sent a wave of shock through the arena. With Uravis gone, the Bugged Brigade suddenly had a clear path to victory.