The number of unsearched rooms was decreasing. There were only a few doors that hadn't been opened. It was getting harder to find plastic balls. Akari had suggested using the tracker this round, but Ryan disagreed and thought it would be more useful in the final round. After a quick explanation, she unwillingly agreed. She didn't show her unwillingness, but inside, she really wanted to use the tracker. There was a reason she wanted to use the tracker this round.
Akari didn't like this challenge.
It didn't suit her at all. All this running around and searching wasn't her forte. She would've much rather stayed back in the classroom and helped that way, but after hearing the stuff, Owen told them, it was pretty clear the guys in the classroom didn't have much of a role to play. That was the thing that disappointed her the most. When she heard this was a class challenge, she was eager to compete with her class against the other classes, but it didn't turn out as she had expected. Akari wanted to show everyone that the gap between 1-A and 1-B was not big. There was no rankism between 1-A and 1-B or between 1-B and 1-C. Akari didn't know too much about 1-D and 1-E, so she couldn't speak on them. It was a big deal at the start of the year. People in higher classes were acting more proud and prestige, but as the semester continued, people stopped caring. It became all about points. You had people in 1-E with higher ranks than people in 1-A. Which ultimately showed that the order of classes didn't really matter because someone in the lower classes could get more points than you. If you were in 1-A, all it meant was that you smashed the entry applications, interviews and exams. The students in 1-A are 'better', but anything could happen in a challenge. The students would learn about that next semester, as this semester was quite tame.
The perks of being in a higher class are that you have 'smarter' people around you, so if there is a challenge where you have to partner or team up, you'll have a stronger team than those in lower classes. That perk did show itself in the third challenge, as everyone in the higher classes finished before the lower classes. Another perk is that it is shown on one of your graduation certificates, and you can mention it on your CV. Being in the top class at Astral Academy gives you a little edge over other applicants. But overall, it wasn't a big deal. As I said earlier, no one cares about the class ranks. There are a few people who look down on students in lower classes, but the majority of students don't care. There are some students in 1-A who wish they were in lower classes.
Now let's go back to Akari. She wanted to prove a point. A point that the gap between 1-A and 1-B wasn't that big. Despite the majority of students not caring about class ranks, it was still an undeniable fact that the students in class 1-A were smarter than everyone else. They were put in that class for a reason. Therefore, reputation was high for 1-A. Leading to the classes below being in competition with each other as no class was close to 1-A. Originally, 1-A and 1-B would've been a close match, but now it's 1-B vs 1-C. It could be debated that 1-C is stronger than 1-B due to certain individuals.
Akari didn't like that.
In truth, deep down, she didn't like being in class 1-B. She wanted to be in class 1-A. She deserved to be in class 1-A. She would've been in class 1-A if she was better at physical activities. Akari was very intelligent but had no athletic ability. If she had just a little athletic ability, she would've been in class 1-A, but she doesn't. She wasn't qualified for that class. Being in the top class was the norm for Akari, so not being in the top class at the best academy hurt her ego. Akari doesn't have a massive ego or is prideful in any way, but intelligence and being a top student was what she took pride in. However, people don't associate those qualities with a 1-B student. Like, yeah, you're smart because you're in 1-B, but you're not in 1-A, so you're not THAT smart. That's what Akari wanted to prove. There wasn't a major difference between 1-A and 1-B.
But she was struggling to find a way to prove that point. After the first round, she realised she didn't have the ability to do that in this challenge. Pacing around a multiple-story building and searching rooms, Akari couldn't find anywhere to use her brain. She kept thinking about who would've been better suited for this challenge instead of her. There were a few girls who would've been perfect for this challenge, but unfortunately, she was chosen. The only thing Akari could do was try her best.
So far, her contribution to this challenge was four plastic balls and an item. An incredible item, to be fair. Those stats weren't bad, but Akari was running on fumes. She couldn't pace around the building anymore. She was dreading the thought of one more round.
Currently, she is searching a room. It was another boring office room. She was sick and tired of searching these rooms, but it had to be done. She half heartedly looked around the room.
"Are you sure there is a ball in this room?" Akari asked, trying not to sound tired.
"Yeah", Owen replied. "The door was closed, and the room was normal, so the ball must be in there".
Akari dropped the folder she was holding and took one big look around the room. She was at the back of the room, so she had a view of the entire room. She could see some potential hiding spots, but she'd seen these potential spots in other rooms, too. All of them had the same outcomes. Most of the rooms were similar, so it was like searching the same places over and over again. Akari was getting bored of them.
While Akari gazed around the room, someone walked in.
"Hey", Akari said, waving to the person like this was normal, and they weren't in a challenge.
"Hey.." Kayla awkwardly replied.
She didn't know why Akari was being friendly to her. They weren't even friends. Kayla continued to walk into the room. Akari wasn't stopping her, so she had no reason to stop. Sabrina had told her there was a plastic in this room. If Akari hadn't found it yet, it gave Kayla a chance to find it.
Kayla's stats for this challenge weren't too bad, either. Like Akari, she found four plastic balls and found a good item. It would've been six plastic balls, but Malakai took them both in the second round. Losing three balls in the second round was a huge loss, but they made a little comeback in the third round. Dillon found five balls last round, so the total for the round was seven. Which was great, but Kayla still wanted more. She felt like they had lost a lot.
Kayla casually walked around the room and double-checked the spots Akari already checked to make sure there was nothing there. There were quite a few spots that Akari hadn't checked. They were mainly the spots at higher places like the upper cabinets. Akari could've reached them if she had climbed onto the tables, but she couldn't be bothered. Kayla, on the other hand, didn't need to. Kayla was 5'7, so she could reach. Kayla went towards the upper cabinets and opened the first door.
Drop!
A ball dropped and rolled past her before she could catch it. The ball fell to the floor and continued to roll. Kayla turned around and saw that Akari was close to her left. Akari awkwardly glanced at Kayla. The plastic ball was in front of them. But who would get it?
They both jolted to the ball. Neither of them was particularly close to it, but with the sudden movement, Kayla was closer due to her quicker movement and longer reach. Kayla was bent down to the floor to retrieve the ball. Eight of her fingertips touched the ball, and she tried to grab it. But the ball slipped from her fingertips and rolled further away. If she wasn't so panicked, she would've got it. Now Akari had an advantage. Unlike Kayla, she wasn't near the floor, so she could go straight for the rolling ball. Akari, careful and as quick as she could, manoeuvred to the ball. Kayla quickly got up and went after Akari. Despite Akari having a few-step advantage, Kayla was already close behind her. Luckily, Akari was right next to the ball. All she had to do was reach down and grab it.
She didn't.
She was too worried about Kayla behind her and accidentally kicked it. Her brain was working faster than her body. She wanted to swoop down and collect the ball in one smooth motion, but her body took a step too many and kicked the ball by accident before she could reach down. The plastic ball rolled again. It continued to roll towards the door.
"Oh no..." Akari muttered as she watched the ball exit the room.
Kayla was still on the move. She swiftly moved past Akari and was on course to get the ball. At this rate, Akari was not beating Kayla to the ball. Kayla had already gotten ahead of Akari and was closer to the door. Out of desperation, Akari outstretched her arm and grabbed Kayla's arm. She just about managed to grab ahold of her forearm and tag along with Kayla. Akari wasn't trying to drag Kayla back. She didn't have enough strength to do that. Akari wanted to be dragged along with Kayla. Kayla waved her arm around to shake off Akari.
It didn't work.
She couldn't shake her off just by shaking her arm. She had to slow down. Kayla turned around, and as soon as she did Akari let go and tried to make a break for it to the door. Both of them were close to the door, but Akari just had to go straight. Whereas Kayla had to swivel as she turned around. The two of them wanted this ball, and it was evident. An exhausted Akari was battling this much. She didn't even know how she was doing this, but she was.
Akari made it to the door, but so did Kayla. They both squeezed through the door, causing each other to fall on top of each other in the corridor. They immediately got off each other and looked up to find the plastic ball. What they found was Justin picking up the plastic ball from the floor in front of them.
"You've got to be kidding me", Kayla said, annoyed and breathing heavily.
Justin didn't waste time. After seeing the two girls, he turned in the opposite direction and ran. He didn't need to, though, because both the girls weren't going to chase him.
Kayla breathed out, kissed her teeth and went on her way. She speed walked to the next room she could find. Another L for her. She had no time to sulk about it. She had to keep going. It was frustrating, but moping about it would waste time.
Akari, on the other hand, was standing still. She looked down the hall at Kayla speeding away. She couldn't believe what happened. She did all of that and didn't get anything. She tilted her head up, closed her eyes and thought,
"I wish this challenge would end already".
"Jason, who would you rather have got the ball. Kayla or your girlfriend?" Ash asked, pulling one of his dreads.
Jason stared at the screen and thought carefully about the question before answering.
"My girl".
"Huh? You would let your girlfriend steal points from you?" Ash asked, thinking he was saying that to sound nice.
"Yeah. Dillon's found a lot of balls last round, and Kayla can find more", Jason replied.
"Damn homie. I respect it", Ash said. "So this is what love does to a man. I need that shit, dawg", he joked.
Jason continued to stare at Kayla's camera angle, but his mind wasn't focusing on what was on the screen.
"I'm sure she's tired".
"You lot wanna know what happened when the camera's turned off?"
"What?"
"I'll tell you lot now if you want".
Malakai was still bored. The headache was gone, so he was still just sitting in his chair. He couldn't think of anything to do, so he asked that question. It would kill some time and cure his boredom.
"Yeah, everyone wants to know", David eagerly replied. "Delilah, Mally is going to tell us what happened when both of you turned off the cameras", he let her know.
"Oh, okay, if you need to tell me something, just say my name", Delilah replied.
"Go on, Mally. What happened?" David asked, wanting to hear the answer.
Malakai smiled and took a moment,
"I was going to have to sit out for the rest of the challenge".
"Huh!?" David said, surprised. "Why?"
Everyone in the class was asking the same thing with the same expression.
"I swallowed a bit of smoke. I was dying innit", Malakai exaggerated.
"Dying? We saw you coughing, but was it that bad?" David asked, taking him a bit too literally.
"Heh, nah. I'm joking innit", Malakai replied, smiling. "I was coughing a lot, though".
"How were you going to sit out for the rest of the challenge then?" David asked, confused.
"Mr White saw I was coughing a lot and said he was gonna come to our safe zone to check if I was aryt", Malakai replied. "Then he came in and said I was gonna have to sit out of the challenge, but then I convinced him I was fine".
"How did you convince him?"
"I just talked to him innit".
David rolled his eyes and shook his head. A classic Malakai response.
"I know you talked to him, but what did you say?".
"What did I say?" Malakai repeated. "What did I say?..." he rhetorically asked, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't know, you know. I forgot".
"How did you forget?" David asked, not understanding.
"I don't know", Malakai replied. "I just told him I was fine innit. And I am. I haven't coughed since".
"Can you still sit out of the challenge if you start coughing in the next round?"
"Probably", Malakai replied, shrugging his shoulders, not taking it that seriously.
David face palmed.
"Mally, you better be okay", he told him like a teacher.
"Bro, I can't control my body. If I start dying, What can I do? It is what it is innit", Malakai replied. He was taking the piss to annoy David and the rest of the class.
David knew what he was doing. He'd been friends with Malakai long enough to know when he was taking the piss to trigger people. Hearing this news was big for the class, but the reaction wasn't big at all. Hearing that their representative was going to miss the rest of the challenge was massive news, but most of the students brushed it off like nothing happened. It was mainly because Malakai looked like he was fine, so it didn't look like a big deal. But if they saw how bad Malakai was coughing and how serious Mr White was, the class would've had a more urgent and worried reaction. Also, how Malakai told them the news made it seem like it wasn't anything significant. Malakai made it sound like it was a simple conversation between him and Mr White, but only Delilah knew how serious that conversation was. The class wasn't worried about Malakai's potential to sit out for the rest of the challenge because he sounded fine. David, however, was a little troubled by what he had been told.
"David, the guys that went to search for map pieces are coming back", Benjamin said. "Delilah should probably go back now".
David checked his phone, and the round was almost over. He looked at Delilah's camera angle and saw her walking down a corridor. She wasn't in a room, so it was a good time to tell her.
"Delilah, the round is going to end. You might as well head back", David told her.
"Okay", Delilah replied, sounding glad. "I'm happy this round is ending, to be honest".
"Finally, man", Malakai said after hearing what David said. He went over the door and opened it so Delilah could walk in.
"One more round and it's over", he mumbled.
Malakai thought back to the previous rounds. He'd gone through a lot in this challenge. In the first round, he found a paintball gun. In the second round, he shot Dillon. In the third round, he chased Ryan and failed to shoot him twice. Then, he was on the verge of being kicked out of the challenge. Finally, in the fourth round, he shot Destiny. He felt a whole lotta emotions. Joy, excitement, disappointment, annoyance, frustration. He didn't expect to go through this much. He didn't know what awaited him in the final round, but he could feel a little pressure. He knew he had to perform.
Delilah came speedily, walking into the room with a plastic ball in each hand.
"Two?" Malakai said, kinda expecting more.
Delilah closed the door behind her.
"A lot of the rooms have been searched", she replied. "I don't think there's many plastic balls left".
"But then, what about the last round?" Malakai asked, watching Delilah walk past him. "They're gonna send everyone out. If there's nothing to search, what's the point?".
"You're going to have to go into other safe zones", David interrupted. "If they disabled the safe zones this round, they're definitely going to disable it next round".
Delilah didn't want to hear that. David was right, and she knew that, but hearing it out loud was scary. Delilah went over to the locker and put the two plastic balls she got inside. She also picked up the plastic balls lying around and put them inside, too. After hearing what David said, it made her worried about someone coming into their safe zone and stealing everything they had. She wanted to hide everything, but the locker was the only place to hide them.
"Next round is going to be chaos", Delilah said, closing the locker and keeping her hand on the door.
Malakai went over to the table and picked up his paintball gun. He looked down at it and gripped the handle. Malakai grinned and thought,
"Chaos. That's what I like".