Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Storm Riders and Chaotic Comebacks

The smell of pizza and victory hung in Tom's Café that Saturday night. Old Tom had bought them a giant pepperoni pizza to celebrate their first win, and the Thunderclap team was crammed around the corner table, talking a mile a minute. Lena was still wearing her neon pink cap backwards, her face covered in pizza sauce, as she recounted her "epic" kills."And then I charged in, fired three shots, and took down that Blaze Boy like he was a bot!" she yelled, waving her pizza slice. "Strategic chaos, baby! Works every time!"Olivia rolled her eyes, wiping a spot of sauce off Lena's cheek. "You charged in without waiting for Jesse's signal. Again. If Elias hadn't covered you, you would've died. Again."Jesse, who was munching on a cookie from his calming kit, looked up. "I almost missed that shot on Jake. My hand shook. But I didn't freeze up! Progress, right?" He held up his new blue mouse pad—still dry, thanks to Lena promising to "be extra careful."Marcus pushed his glasses up, taking a bite of pizza. "I studied a little after the match. Just to be safe. But I think we're ready for the Storm Riders. As long as we stick to the plan. And Lena doesn't eat all the candy before the match. And Jesse doesn't bring five mouse pads. And—""Marcus, breathe," Elias said, smiling. He'd taken off his bandage, massaging his wrist gently. "The Storm Riders are tough. They're not like the Blaze Boys—they don't rely on fast charges. They're a defensive team. Strong, steady, and they know how to work together. We need to be patient tomorrow. No impulsive moves, Lena. No panicking, Jesse. Marcus, focus on healing and traps. Olivia, your turrets will be key to breaking their defense."Everyone nodded, and the conversation turned to silly stories—Lena talking about her bike adventures, Jesse recalling his baseball days, Marcus rambling about his lab report, and Olivia pretending to be bored but secretly smiling. For a moment, they weren't a team preparing for a tournament—they were just five friends, laughing over pizza and soda.Sunday morning arrived, and the team was surprisingly on time. Lena showed up with a bag of candy (hidden from Olivia), Jesse had only two mouse pads (a win, he said), Marcus left his textbook at home (after much persuasion), and Olivia was already reviewing Storm Riders' old match footage on her phone."The Storm Riders' leader is a girl named Zoe," Olivia said, showing them her phone. "She's a defender main. Their sniper is named Ryan—he's slow, but he never misses. And their assaulter, Mike, is calm. No chaos. No yelling. Just precise shots. We need to be ready for their defense—they set up turrets and traps early, and they don't move until they have to."Elias nodded. "Plan A: Jesse, take the east rooftop. Cover Marcus while he sets up traps near their hub. Olivia, hold the west corridor—your turret will block their snipers. Lena, you and I will push the middle—slowly. No charging. We'll draw their fire, and Jesse will take them down. Marcus, keep us healed. Got it?""Got it!" everyone said, much more focused than the day before.The gaming center was even busier than on Saturday. The crowd cheered when they saw the Thunderclap team, and Jake—from the Blaze Boys—was standing in the corner, scowling. "Good luck losing!" he yelled. Lena stuck her tongue out, but she didn't charge at him. Progress.The Storm Riders walked in, and the crowd went quiet. They were dressed in matching navy blue jerseys, their faces serious, no smiles, no jokes. Zoe, their leader, nodded at Elias—a respectful greeting, not a smirk. Ryan, their sniper, was hunched over his PC, already warming up. Mike, their assaulter, stood quietly next to Zoe, his controller in his hand."Welcome to the second match of the Nova Arena Amateur Tournament!" the announcer yelled. "Thunderclap vs. Storm Riders! Mode: 5v5, Capture the Hub! Let's play!"The game started, and the Thunderclap team stuck to the plan. Jesse took the east rooftop, his hands steady. Marcus snuck toward the Storm Riders' hub, setting up traps. Olivia placed her turret in the west corridor, scanning the map. Lena and Elias pushed the middle—slowly, carefully, no yelling.But the Storm Riders were ready. A trap went off near Marcus, and his health dropped to 50%. "Marcus! Get back!" Jesse yelled, firing at the Storm Rider who'd set the trap. Headshot. "I got you!"Marcus breathed a sigh of relief, dropping a health pack for himself. "Thanks, Jesse. Trap set near their hub. Ready when you are."Lena and Elias reached the middle, and Mike—their assaulter—fired at them. Elias dived for cover, but Lena froze. For a split second, she forgot the plan. Then she remembered, and she ducked behind a wall. "Sorry! Habit!" she whispered into her mic."It's okay," Elias said, firing at Mike. "Jesse, take him down."Jesse aimed at Mike, but Ryan—their sniper—fired first. The bullet grazed Jesse's shoulder, his health dropping to 60%. "Jesse! Health pack!" Marcus yelled, dropping one near him.Jesse dived for it, his hands shaking a little. He aimed at Ryan, took a deep breath, and fired. Headshot. "Yes! I got their sniper!"The game was slow, tense—nothing like Saturday's chaotic match. The Storm Riders held their defense, and the Thunderclap pushed carefully. Lena only charged once (and Olivia yelled at her), Jesse only panicked once (and Marcus gave him a pep talk), and Marcus only forgot to drop a health pack once (and Elias gently reminded him).With one minute left, the score was 3-3. No one had captured the hub yet—it was a stalemate. Zoe, the Storm Riders' leader, set up a turret near the hub, blocking their path. Mike was covering her, firing at anyone who got close."Plan B," Elias said, his voice calm. "Lena, charge the west corridor—distract Olivia's turret. Olivia, take down Zoe's turret. Marcus, set a trap near Mike. Jesse, cover Olivia. I'll capture the hub.""Got it!"Lena charged the west corridor, yelling (a little), and Mike turned his attention to her. "OVER HERE! COME GET ME!" she yelled. Jesse fired at Mike, grazing his arm. Marcus set a trap near him, and Mike stepped on it—his health dropping to 30%.Olivia fired at Zoe's turret, destroying it. "Turret down! Elias, go!"Elias sprinted toward the hub, his wrist aching. Zoe fired at him, but Jesse took her down with a perfect headshot. "Clear!" Jesse yelled.Elias reached the hub, and the capture bar started filling up—40%, 50%, 60%… Mike respawned and charged at him, firing. Lena ran over, firing at Mike, and he collapsed to the ground."80%!" Marcus yelled. "Almost there!"Ryan respawned, aiming at Elias. Jesse fired, but he missed—his hand shook again. "Jesse! Breathe!" Elias yelled.Jesse took a deep breath, aimed again, and fired. Headshot. Ryan fell.The capture bar hit 100%."VICTORY!" the announcer boomed. "THUNDERCLAP WINS AGAIN!"The crowd erupted. Lena jumped up, yelling, and accidentally knocked over Jesse's water bottle—spilling it on his new mouse pad. "Oops! My bad! But WE WON AGAIN!"Jesse stared at his wet mouse pad, then laughed. "It's okay. I have a spare. And we won! Two wins in a row! Can you believe it?"Marcus grinned, high-fiving Jesse. "I told you we could do it! No textbooks, no panic, no—" Olivia cut him off, smiling. "We're a team. That's why we won. And Zoe was good. Respectable."Zoe walked over to them, her face still serious, but there was a small smile on her lips. "Good game. You're better than I thought. Not just chaos and luck. Actual teamwork." She held out her hand to Elias. "See you in the finals. If you get there."Elias shook her hand. "We'll be there. Good luck to you, too."Jake, from the Blaze Boys, walked away, muttering. The crowd cheered again, and Old Tom waved at them from the door, a cigar in his hand.As they left the gaming center, the sun was shining. Lena was singing off-key, Jesse was talking about buying three mouse pads for the finals, Marcus was planning to celebrate with ice cream, and Olivia was pretending to be annoyed but grinning.Elias walked behind them, his wrist aching, but his heart light. Two wins. Two chaotic, messy, perfect wins. They weren't just amateurs anymore. They were the Thunderclap. And they were going to the finals."Next stop: finals!" Lena yelled, jumping up and down. "And my neon pink sniper rifle!"Elias smiled. "Next stop: finals. Let's win."