After watching Miranda and her husband take their seats, Juniper made her way to the front row.


    "Goddess!"


    "Juniper!"


    Theputer science students in the first row all stood up to greet her politely as she approached.


    "Sit down," Juniper said with a curt nod.


    "Yes, ma''am!" they replied in unison, their voices thundering as they sat back down in perfect sync.


    Other audience members shot them confused looks.


    Juniper frowned. Why were they making her look like the head of some syndicate? It was ridiculous.


    “Juniper, here''s a milkshake," Qadir immediately scurried over, eagerly offering her a spread of snacks.


    He was a huge fan of the Neverfall Navigators and had been kicking himself for missing thest match because of a schoolmitment. Thankfully, Juniper had saved tickets for all of them for the finals.


    “Thanks.” Juniper took a sip. It was mango, her favorite vor, and her mood instantly brightened.


    “Qadir, I remember you y this game too," Queenie, sitting beside her, asked curiously. “Neverfall Navigators are up against the Digital Sabers from Batonia Country today. What do you think our chances are?"


    "Hmm..." Qadir said thoughtfully around the lollipop in his mouth, his voice slightly muffled. “Digital Sabers are no joke. They fought their way up from thirtieth ce to the top three, and their strategies and formations are incredibly innovative. Of course, our Neverfall Navigators are amazing too, especially after that win against the Shadow Titans. Their morale is through the roof."


    "But-" Qadir''s tone shifted, and even Juniper turned to look at him with curiosity. "The two teams are pretty evenly matched. It''s impossible to say for sure who will win. Plus, Neverfall Navigators don''t have any substitute yers."


    "No substitutes?" Juniper''s hand, holding the milkshake, froze. Her eyes narrowed, a cold glint in them.


    "Nope," Qadir confirmed with a nod. "They originally had two, but they went to Batonia Country for a minor league tournament a little while ago. They were scheduled to fly into


    Era Cityst night, but they were blocked at the border. The officials said there was some ''problem'' and wouldn''t let them leave."


    "Everyone knows the Neverfall Navigators'' number three yer has a hand injury and might need to be swapped out mid-game. And they just happen to get stuck in Batonia Country?" Qadir fumed. “Damn it, it''s obviously a deliberate move by Batonia Country."


    in ast


    "Seriously," Queenie, Dolce, and the other students who had overheard chimed in, their faces showing their disgust. They pull these kinds of dirty tricks all the time. In thest few tournaments they won, it was one thing after another. First, theyin the other team''s servers weren''t up to code, then they''d im the crowd noise was distracting them. It never ends."


    This time was even worse. They were so afraid of losing that they''d resorted to blocking the substitute yers.


    "Number three just finished a match a few days ago. I don''t know if his hand has even recovered," Qadir sighed, his worry palpable. "Today''s a best-of-five. Who knows how long it willst? Can he hold out?"


    The others fell silent, sharing his concern.


    Juniper didn''t say a word. Instead, she pulled out her phone and started searching for news about the Digital Sabers. The more she read, the angrier she got.


    For this esports tournament, Digital Sabers hadunched a massive PR


    campaign, predicting the hall of


    the Neverfall Navigators. They imed the team was a disorganized mess, ready to crumble at the slightest pressure, especially without any subs. They were determined to defeat the two-time champions and take the trophy home.


    The fans from both countries were fighting me wars online, neither side backing down.


    "Hah,” Juniper thought with contempt. “Such a tiny ce, and they sure know how to stir up trouble."


    Ten minutester, the match officially began. Like the semi-finals, it was a best-of- five.


    As it was the final, and the organizers were live-streaming it globally for free, the hype and viewership were off the charts.


    At the start, both teams looked to be in top form, shing fiercely. After thirty minutes, the kills and losses were about even. But Juniper quickly noticed something troubling. The Neverfall Navigators'' number three yer was performing erratically, asionally misfiring his skillspletely.