Chapter 145: The Next Stage: Team Battles

Chapter 145: The Next Stage: Team BattlesEveryone stood in a semicircle, eyes locked on Victoria as she addressed the group. Victoria's expression was calm but there was a spark of excitement in her eyes.

"I want to congratulate all of you," she began, her voice carrying a sense of pride. "The agency has seen tremendous growth, and it's all thanks to your hard work. We've secured several new contracts with major sponsors. Your exhibition matches have caught a lot of attention, and the results have been impressive."

There was a murmur of appreciation, and several of the rookies exchanged excited glances. Victoria continued, her gaze shifting towards Mercury and Kaida.

"Mercury and Kaida, both of you are expected to rank up to the national level. You've shown remarkable improvement, and the league has taken notice. You'll have a chance to prove yourselves in the coming weeks during a series of tests."

Mercury's face lit up with a confident smile, while Kaida gave a satisfied nod, cracking her knuckles.

Victoria's expression softened slightly as she turned her attention to Eratz and Raya.

"As for Eratz and Raya, the league is considering both of you for assessment into the continental division. If all goes well, our agency could soon have two fighters in the continental league and two in the national league."

The room buzzed with whispers of excitement. Ryder's smile faltered for a moment, a flash of sadness crossing his face, but he quickly masked it. Kaida, noticing, gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

"Don't sweat it, dude. You'll get there soon enough."

Ryder forced a smile, nodding.

"Yeah, I know. Just gotta keep pushing, and avoid all the Rayas on the way."

Victoria held up a hand, her expression turning serious.

"I want to remind you all that this is still just speculation. Nothing is set in stone. It could change depending on your performance in the exhibition matches. But the important thing is... we're almost ready."

The room went silent as her words sank in. Victoria paused, letting the anticipation build.

"With our current roster, we are finally prepared to enter the team battles."

A ripple of excitement spread through the room. The fighters exchanged eager looks. Victoria turned her attention to Zara.

"Zara," Victoria said, "I'll let you take it from here. Please, explain the details."

Zara stepped forward, flipping through the papers. She looked up, meeting the eyes of each fighter in turn.

"Alright, listen up, everyone," she said, tapping the papers in her hand. "The team battles are a competition held alongside the regular season, but unlike the season matches, the schedule is irregular, except for the finals. It's not as predictable, and that's part of the challenge."

The fighters exchanged intrigued looks, leaning in to hear more.

"Here's how it works," Zara continued. "It's a competition between organizations or agencies, where each agency puts forward eight fighters. The level you compete in is determined by the rank of your two strongest fighters. So, in our case, with Eratz and Raya being studied for a continental level assessment, we might be facing off against some of the top-ranked agencies."

There were murmurs of anxiety in return. Mercury and Kaida exchanged a glance, both of them smirking with anticipation. Catarina's eyes widened, her mouth forming a small 'o' of surprise, while Ryder's grin faltered slightly.

A few of the younger trainees shifted uneasily, whispering among themselves.

One trainee, a young girl with a nervous expression, glanced at her friend.

"Same level as the Pharaoh? We're going to get bodied out there, aren't we?" she whispered.

Zara continued, speaking with a confident, technical tone.

"Relax, pansies, it's not everyone participating. Only our aces will participate, plus two lucky victims chosen to learn the hard way."

A wave of relieved sighs rippled through the trainees, though a few exchanged nervous glances, realizing they might end up being those victims.

"The format is different from regular matches. Each fighter represents one point for the agency, and there are three battles in total. The first is a one-on-one fights, so we get one point. The second is a tag team match with three fighters, so we might have three points. And finally, we have the best, the juicy four-on-four battle. The winner is the team with the most points, and if it's a draw, which happen so rarely that you might be the chosen one for achieving it, the final tiebreaker is a showdown between the strongest fighters of each agency.'

The room buzzed with excitement. The trainees whispered among themselves, a few eyes darting toward Eratz, as a silent threat that it would happen.

Mercury crossed her arms, nodding approvingly, while Kaida cracked her knuckles, eager for the challenge. Raya tilted her head.

"That sounds incredible," Ryder said, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "We've never done something like this before."

Kaida grinned.

"Three different types of battles? It's gonna be wild. I can't wait."

Catarina raised her hand playfully.

"Just saying, if we're in a tag team match, I'm always in Eratz's team!"

Mercury chuckled, shaking her head, while Eratz rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the small smirk on his face. Victoria stepped forward again, her voice cutting through the chatter. "This isn't just a chance for us to prove ourselves. It's an evolution for the entire agency. And with the success we've had so far, we're making big changes for the future of Crescent Moon." The room went quiet, everyone hanging on her words.

"The first major change," Victoria announced, "is that with the funds we've gathered from sponsorships and exhibition matches, Crescent Moon will be opening its very own formation center. A place dedicated to nurturing young talents and weaker fighters."

Zara's eyes lit up, practically sparkling with excitement.

"Do you all realize what this means?" she asked, her voice filled with awe. "Formation centers are something you only find in the biggest agencies. It means we won't have to constantly recruit new fighters. Instead, we'll train and develop our own talent from the ground up. We'll be building the next generation of champions!"

There were gasps of amazement. The trainees exchanged looks of disbelief and excitement. It was a dream for many of them to be part of an agency that could offer such comprehensive training, and more than anything, now they would officially be part of a top agency.

Victoria nodded, pleased with the reaction.

"The center will open soon," she continued. "But that's not the only change. From now on, our entire agency will follow a global training regimen. This means that everyone here will be training on par with our aces. You'll be following the same program as people like Eratz, Kaida, or Mercury for example." Searᴄh the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The trainees looked at each other in awe, whispers of excitement spreading through the room. Ryder's eyes widened, while Catarina clapped her hands together, grinning.

"Are you serious?" one of the younger trainees blurted out. "We get to train with them?"

Victoria's gaze softened as she looked at them, her voice taking on a warm, almost motherly

tone.

"We've come a long way," she said, her gaze sweeping across the faces in front of her. There was a quiet intensity in her eyes, the kind that demanded respect and inspired belief. "But this is just the beginning. It's time for us to evolve, to grow into something even greater. We've outgrown our old name, and it's time to step into the future."

She paused, the silence in the room almost tangible as everyone held their breath, sensing the significance of her words.

"From today onward, Crescent Moon will become... Golden Cosmos."

For a moment, there was silence, and then, the room erupted. The trainees shouted, their faces alight with a mixture of disbelief and joy, clapping each other on the back with unbridled enthusiasm. For many, this was more than a name change, it was a promise of a new era, a symbol that they were part of something big.

Ryder's eyes gleamed with a new sense of purpose. He clenched his fist, a confident grin spreading across his face as he felt the excitement coursing through the room.

"This is it," he whispered to himself, his voice filled with determination. "This is the push I needed. I'm never complaining again."

Catarina, on the other hand, looked positively ecstatic. She jumped up and down like a child, her joy almost bubbling over. But then her gaze darted to Kaida. She hesitated, biting her lip.

The if the numerous changes undergoing showed the evolution of Crescent Moon, in their case, no one remembered why they were there in the first place.

Kaida's eyes met Catarina's, and for a second, her expression was unreadable, but then, she smirked and lunged forward, pulling Catarina into a strong, bone-crushing hug.

"We fucking did it, Cat!" Kaida shouted, moving Catarina like a plushy in her powerful arms. "We've really become a top agency!"

Catarina let out a relieved laugh, her tension melting away as she hugged Kaida back, her

smile wide and genuine.

Raya stood off to the side, feeling the scene unfold. She didn't say much, but the soft, serene smile on her face spoke volumes. She gave a small nod to herself.

Meanwhile, Eratz turned his head slightly, catching Mercury's gaze. Mercury's lips curled into

a smirk, and Eratz answered with a confident smile of his own. Victoria observed the euphoria with a proud smile. This was her family, her team, and they

were ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

She raised her voice, clear and resonant, cutting through the noise.

"Then let's get ready," she declared, her eyes sweeping across the room. "Let the world know

about Golden Cosmos."

The cheers rose to a deafening roar, a wave of sound that seemed to shake the foundation of

the gym.