The Fellowship of the Ring

Elara, Sophia, and Aaron huddled together, analyzing their situation like war generals before a battle.

Elara: "Guys, we need a strategy. We can't just run around randomly. If we're going to win this, we need a plan."

Sophia: "Plan? Elara, let's be real. We're looking for a lost engagement ring. Even the person who lost it has no idea where it is. You can't strategize pure luck."

Aaron: "She's got a point. There's no defined probability here. It's complete uncertainty."

Elara sighed. "That's true, but we still have to be smart about it. Look Caleb's team and Nathaniel's team are already forming alliances with lower-ranked teams. We need to act fast."

Aaron folded his arms. "Nathaniel's team is already in first place. Even if they don't take all the points, it won't change much for them. Caleb's team, though… they need at least 9 points to take the top spot, meaning they'll only be able to team up with one other team."

Sophia smirked. "Same goes for us. We only need 6 points to reach the top, so we have an advantage we can team up with two teams."

Elara nodded. "That's it. We need to secure those teams before Caleb and Nathaniel do."

Aaron's Internal Monologue:

"Elara and Sophia are right, but there's a bigger issue. The fourth and fifth-ranked teams have 10 points each. If either of them wins, they'll tie with Nathaniel at 28 points. That means they won't team up with anyone they'll go all-in to win on their own. That's one less variable to worry about."

"With 36 students and 12 teams, Nathaniel and Caleb will mostly be targeting low-ranked teams. If we want to win, we need to act now and secure our allies. Nathaniel is influential, so persuading teams to side with us will be tough. But that's where Elara and Sophia come in. They have strong ties with some students. If we use that to our advantage, we can get ahead."

Aaron clapped his hands together. "Alright, we need to act fast. Nathaniel and Caleb are going to move soon. Let's secure our partners before they do."

Sophia: "I already know who we should team up with Team 10 and Team 12. Elara and I have childhood friends there. We can convince them easily."

Elara: "Exactly. Let's go before someone else gets to them first!"

Forming the Alliance

Aaron's team quickly approached Team 10 and Team 12, who were sitting near the courtyard, casually discussing the ridiculousness of the challenge.

Team 10 consisted of:

Astrid Valmont – Known for her sharp mind and strategic thinking.

Ophelia Winslow – A natural leader who disliked unnecessary drama.

Magnus Whitaker – A silent but strong presence, known for being reliable.

Team 12 consisted of:

Dorian Lancaster – A laid-back but observant student.

Regina Langley A quick-witted, no-nonsense type.

Theodore Whitmore – Friendly, but slightly mischievous.

Elara stepped forward. "Hey guys, we need to talk privately."

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "Sounds ominous. What's up?"

Aaron wasted no time. "We want to team up. We'll distribute 6 points each between your teams if we win."

Dorian smirked. "And what if we find the ring first?"

Sophia grinned. "Then you guys get all 18 points. Fair deal, right?"

The teams exchanged glances before nodding.

Ophelia: "Sounds fair. I'd rather team up with you than get screwed over by Nathaniel or Caleb."

Regina: "Agreed. Let's do it."

With that, Team Aaron officially had its allies.

The Hunt Begins

The challenge officially kicked off, and the school became a battleground. They had only till 3.00 pm to find the ring.

Nathaniel's Team Strategy:

Nathaniel, being the master strategist he was, convinced four other teams (Teams 7, 8, 9, and 11) to join forces with him.

Nathaniel's pitch? Divide and conquer. They would split up the school and search systematically. If they found the ring, Nathaniel would take 6 points, while the others would split 12 points equally.

Nathaniel: "This way, we maximize our chances and still benefit even if we don't find it first."

His team, as expected, quickly got to work.

Caleb's Team Strategy:

Unlike Nathaniel, Caleb didn't have the numbers. He only managed to secure Team 6, striking a 9-point deal with them.

Caleb smirked. "Simple plan one team shadow Coach Wilder. He'll definitely react if we get close to the ring's location. And other team keep the track of other teams while hunting for the ring."

His team nodded, and their hunt began.

Aaron's Team Strategy:

Aaron, Elara, and Sophia had one advantage their numbers. Since they had two teams allied with them, they divided the school into three zones.

Team 10 took the library and classrooms. Team 12 searched the cafeteria and hallways. Aaron's main team took the gym, locker rooms, and outdoor sports area.

Aaron sighed, scanning the school map. "Alright, people, let's move out. We only have until 3:00 PM."

The Coach Wilder Interview

Before the search began, the entire class gathered around Coach Wilder to ask questions.

Nathaniel: "Sir, when exactly did you lose your ring?"

Coach Wilder: "Uhh… sometime last week, I think."

Caleb: "Do you at least remember where you last saw it?"

Coach Wilder: "Yeah, on my finger."

Aaron: facepalms "Coach, can you at least tell us what areas you've been in this past week?"

Coach Wilder: "Oh, I go everywhere. Gym, office, cafeteria, rooftop, football field… maybe even the janitor's closet, who knows?"

Sophia: "This isn't helpful at all."

Regina: "Coach, was there any time you took off the ring on purpose?"

Coach Wilder: "Oh yeah! I take it off when I'm coaching PE sometimes. Maybe it fell off then?"

The students groaned.

Elara: "Do you even care about this ring?"

Coach Wilder: "I care about not getting murdered by my fiancée."

Aaron's Discovery 

Hours passed. It was 9:00 AM when the hunt started. At 11:30 AM, Aaron decided to check near the sports equipment room.

As he stepped inside, his heart nearly stopped.

There they were Team 4 and Team 5. The two teams that were supposed to be working alone.

But that wasn't what shocked him.

There was someone else in the room.

A tall figure, standing in the shadows, facing away from him.

Aaron's breath hitched. Who the hell is that?

Before he could react.....

The figure turned around.

And Aaron froze.

Who was this person? And why were Team 4 and Team 5 secretly working together?