[MORNING – SCHOOL GROUNDS]
The sun was blazing. Banners waved.
"Listen up!" the Class Rep shouted. "Today is war! Class 3A has won for three years straight. Not this time!"
Class 3B cheered.
Noah stood in the back, adjusting his headband.
"I just want the participation prize," Noah whispered to Lilly. "Nana says free towels are always useful."
"Focus, Noah," Lilly said, eyeing the competition. "Class 3A looks... different."
Noah looked.
Class 3A's "students" were huge. They had beards. One of them had a tattoo on his neck that said 'PAIN'.
"They must have hit puberty early," Noah observed.
(In reality, Class 3A had hired the Iron Fist Mercenary Group to ensure victory. The Principal was too scared to disqualify them).
[EVENT 1: THE OBSTACLE COURSE]
"First up!" the announcer yelled. "The Obstacle Course! Sato vs. The Mountain!"
Noah walked to the starting line.
Next to him stood a man who was literally shaped like a vending machine. He cracked his knuckles.
"You're going down, kid," The Mountain growled.
Noah blinked.
"Going down? Is there a slide?"
The whistle blew.
The Mountain charged. He smashed through the barriers. He vaulted over the wall.
Noah jogged.
He reached the "Net Crawl."
The Mountain got tangled. His muscles were too big.
"Help!" The Mountain screamed. "I'm stuck!"
Noah crawled past him.
"You should wiggle more," Noah advised. "Like a worm."
Noah finished the course. He wasn't fast. He wasn't flashy. But he didn't get stuck in a net.
WINNER: CLASS 3B.
The Mountain cried in shame.
[EVENT 2: THE CAVALRY BATTLE]
"Next event!"
Noah was the "horse" for the Cavalry Battle. Daisuke sat on his shoulders.
"Charge!" Daisuke yelled, waving a headband.
Three mercenaries surrounded them.
"Target the legs!" one whispered.
They lunged.
Noah saw a bee.
"Whoa!" Noah ducked.
The three mercenaries collided in mid-air. BONK.
They fell into a heap.
Daisuke snatched their headbands.
"VICTORY!" Daisuke roared.
Noah stood up. "Is the bee gone?"
WINNER: CLASS 3B.
[EVENT 3: THE THREE-LEGGED RACE]
"Final Event!" the announcer screamed. "The Decider! The Three-Legged Race!"
Noah and Lilly stood at the line. Their ankles were tied together with a red sash.
"Okay," Lilly said. "Left, right, left, right. Don't rush."
"Got it," Noah said. "Rhythm."
Next to them were two mercenaries. They looked fast.
"Ready... SET... GO!"
The mercenaries took off like rockets.
Noah stepped forward.
His foot caught on a pebble.
"Whoops!"
He started falling forward.
But he didn't hit the ground.
The Weighted Vest (20kg) he was wearing under his uniform came loose and he threw it away.
"Lilly! Hang on!"
He dragged Lilly with him.
They didn't run. They careened. Like a boulder rolling downhill.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Lilly screamed.
The mercenaries looked back.
They saw a blur of dust and limbs approaching at 30 mph.
"What is that!?" one mercenary yelled. "Is he flying!?"
"It's the Juggernaut Technique!" the other screamed. "Evade!"
They dived out of the way.
Noah and Lilly blasted past them.
They crossed the finish line.
They kept going.
They crashed into the high jump mats.
POOF.
Dust settled.
Silence.
Then—
"WINNER: CLASS 3B!"
[THE AFTERMATH]
Noah sat up, covered in foam from the mats.
"That was fun!" Noah beamed. "We were really fast!"
Lilly lay next to him, staring at the sky.
"My life flashed before my eyes," she whispered.
The mercenaries approached. They looked defeated.
"We surrender," the leader said. "We cannot defeat a man who wears Weighted Vest to a match and he was confidant to win while wearing then it came off and we seen his real power."
"Here," Noah said, handing them a towel. "You guys look sweaty. Want some water?"
The mercenaries took the towel. They wept.
"He... he offers us comfort after destroying us."
"Truly a King."
[CONTROL ROOM]
"Report," the Commander said.
"Target Noah won the Sports Festival," the analyst said. "He removed his Weighted Vest to reach speeds of 40 km/h in a three-legged race."
"Casualties?"
"Three mercenaries retired. One developed a fear of nets."
The President nodded.
"Send him a trophy," the President said. "And tell the Olympic Committee to ban him."