"Sakura, these guys are no joke. You sure we can win this?" Chaeyeon asks.

"Given what I have observed so far, we have a 39% chance of winning." She says bluntly.

"Aish, aren't you supposed to be reassuring me right now?" Sakura is surprised at this. All she had done was give her the facts. She gave their team higher chances to win the last two matches because that's what the data told her. Is that not what she wanted?

With a sigh, Chaeyeon continues. "Well, don't tell the rest of the team that, alright? Let's set up the link now while Gaeun's team is still getting set up. Sakura nods and closes her eyes to focus.

Link Established. She says. The first responses she gets are surprised yelps from their youngest teammates.

Aish, a little warning would've been nice! A disgruntled Yujin said.

Yeah, unnie. What if we were thinking of something personal? Wonyoung actually agreeing with Yujin was quite scary in Chaeyeon's head.

We heard that! They both thought in unison.

Ah, yeah. Sorry about that girls. Nako? Hitomi? You two in?

Yes, Chaeyeon-unnie! We're ready to capture some flags! The two other Japanese confirm their positions cheerfully as if this was just some playground game rather than a combat mission.

"Alright, Sakura. Just like the last two, I'll defend you while you concentrate and direct the others." Their team's plan had been very effective thus far. Sakura would always somehow know where everyone was on the field at once, pointing out weak spots and openings to take advantage. Chaeyeon didn't really feel like the appointed leader when Sakura was doing the strategizing, but she had told her that it was for the best since she was fluent in both Korean and Japanese.

Over to your west, Nako. I see Goeun and Chowon sneaking around. Sakura broadcasted over as if they were wearing comm. devices. All she needed was focus to link everyone's thoughts together like a spiderweb, and just like a spiderweb, when she felt a disturbance, she knew where to look.

~~~~

Nako and Hitomi slowly approach where Sakura had told them to go. The two Japanese took a bit of time getting used to each other in the first match, but after their second, they knew how each person moved.

"Hii-chan, cause a distraction on the left, I'll flank." Nako ordered. Hitomi raises a hand and the frozen tree next to them starts to move with a mind of its own. It rustles and shakes, mimicking the sounds of a person walking by.

Sakura-chan. I don't hear anything over there. Nako relays.

It shows they're right there, though. She responds, seeing two figures crouched behind the foliage. Chaeyeon, back them up over there, looks like their forces are spread out. From what she could see, Sakura noticed that Jurina's team was a bit scattered around their defensive perimeter. That's odd. Why aren't they going for an attack?

Nako decides to take her word and curls around. As she gets around a corner, she sees Goeun and Chowon and makes her move. She charges, ready to slam into them, but ends up running right through.

"Huh, what's this?" Nako asks out loud.

What? How could that be. Sakura was sure they were there...unless. When she opens her eyes, Goeun and Jurina were right in front of her, and before she could contact Chaeyeon, Goeun uses her ability and screeches loudly with such force, Sakura is blown off her feet, the connection with the others lost. She hears someone bark orders at another, then footsteps crunching in the snow. "I told you to follow the mission, didn't I? Were you actually trying to win?" Jurina asks her quietly. Sakura's head lolls to one side as the sky turns black.

~~~~

"OUCH!" Yujin and Wonyoung grab at their heads as a loud snap was heard, the connection breaking between them and the team.

"You alright, Wonyoung?" Yujin asks.

"Of course not, dummy. Something's definitely happened to Sakura-unnie. I can't reach her or the others anymore." She says worriedly. "The only thing we can do right now is defend this flag." She adds.

At this the whole area turns black, as if the virtual sun had been blocked out. They were now in a much more difficult position. After a few moments, the two see a figure approaching in the distance. "Yah, not so sneaky? Don't you think?" She yells at the figure, but it doesn't respond. It didn't help that the dark was making it hard for them to make out the individual either. Around them, the falling snow had begun to pick up, as if a snow storm was coming. Despite this, the two try to brush it off thinking it was part of the simulation.

Wonyoung then channels her power and tries to grab the dark figure and throw her in the air, but the figure simply implodes into dust. Suddenly, a voice speaks out.

"Yes, I actually do think I was pretty sneaky." It was Yunjin, standing there, tall and elegant, and to both Yujin and Wonyoung's surprise, had their flag in her hands. "I'll see you around." And with that, she runs off.

"Yah, get back here!" Wonyoung begins to chase after her. Yujin was about to follow, but the storm had finally picked up and a wall of snow now clouded her vision. Eventually, she couldn't make out Wonyoung at all. She was trapped in a snowstorm.

"My god! Don't you guys think you're taking this weather thing too seriously?" Yujin whines, looking to the sky knowing that the trainers were observing. After a few moments though, the wind shifts into a focused cyclone right in front of her. Leaves and branches were being blown away around her because of its strength. When it disperses, it reveals Gaeun standing in the middle of it.

"You really need to expand your mind, young one. I thought you were lauded as a quick-thinker?" She says. Yujin looks around nervously. She's alone, one of the youngest trainees against one of the oldest and most experienced. Oh, where's Chaeyeon when you need her. She thinks. Gaeun then raises her hand, and the flag they'd buried under the snow flies out to her.

"What? But...we just saw Yunjin run away with that." Yujin is now confused on different levels. Yunjin just...appeared, but also conjured that dark figure...wait. "A distraction with an illusion?" She says out loud.

"Yes, you've finally caught on, but I'm afraid it's time for me to go." Gaeun's cyclone begins to form again when Yujin feels a pull from her gut as if it's hinting her something. Another revelation then dawns on her. Snow is just frozen water.

As Gaeun begins to swirl into the air again, Yujin lets out a defiant yell and clasps her hands together, aiming at Gaeun. She's shocked as she sees Gaeun let out a yelp, now half frozen in a block of ice falling back down to earth, flag in hand. Yujin comes over to grab it, but not before Gaeun gets up and uses her strength to break out of the ice encasing her like a straitjacket. "Good one, kid. Let's see if you can keep this up." Yujin smirks and returns her gaze. "Bring it on."

~~~~

Wonyoung had been wandering around for ages already chasing Yunjin down, but she just disappeared on her. It's only then that the realization Yujin had dawned on her. A fake-out? She grunts at herself, upset at being tricked, but at the same moment she sees a figure hunched over by a tree. It's Sakura. Wonyoung rushes over to her teammate to check on her and is relieved to hear her heart still beating.

"Sakura-unnie! Are you okay?" She says as she shakes her shoulders. Sakura begins to gain consciousness making an attempt to grab at her ears. Wonyoung catches her mumbling something in Japanese. That siren. She doesn't understand what Sakura just said, but suddenly, she stiffens. Her voice in Wonyoung's head, saying, "Behind you!"

Wonyoung quickly turns and pushes both hands forward and a wolf is forced back, slamming into a stone wall. The animal begins to lose shape and it's revealed to be Juri. She quickly shifts to a swallow and attempts to fly away, but Wonyoung manages to get a grip on her just in time. Juri shifts again, this time into an elephant, and with the new weight, Wonyoung is forced to drop her. She can't shift consecutively for long. She hears Sakura say in her head. You have to drain her energy, don't let her shift back to human. As she's warned that, she sees the elephant come to its senses and begin to shift again, but before she could, Wonyoung uproots a large tree and throws it at Juri, who has to change into a mouse to avoid it. She lifts both hands again, and throws Juri across the area into another tree who shifts back to human, tired and out of breath. She then falls over giving Wonyoung a chance to catch a breather.

"Sakura, reestablish the link!" Sakura nods and tries to focus again. The second she does, she grabs at her head in more of irritation than pain.

"What's wrong?" Wonyoung asks.

"There's so many thoughts at once. Everyone's fighting right now." She responds then realizes something. "Have you seen Chaeyeon?"

Wonyoung shakes her head, saying. "Isn't she supposed to be your guard? I found you first which means she's somewhere else."

"I can't link to her. It's like there's something blocking me out." Sakura is increasingly getting worried about Chaeyeon given she's likely fighting against Jurina right now.

"Unnie, go hide or something first, I have to go back for Yujin. We were tricked into thinking they had the flag!" At the same moment, a storm explodes in the area where their flag was. "Yujin!" Wonyoung runs back over after getting Sakura hidden some place where she can focus, in a hidden grove, with shrubs blocking her.

~~~~

Ugh, my head. Chaeyeon wakes up trying to get a bearing of her surroundings, struggling to recall what had happened to her. The last thing she remembers was Sakura telling Nako and Hitomi that there were hostiles in their area. She'd been ordered to flank them, but...from there, it was a blur. Sakura...where is she. I left her alone.

She looks around and sees the blackened sky and hears winds howling in the distance. I have to make a move, but where even am I? She thinks to herself.

Suddenly, a voice speaks out from the shadows. "Hello there, Chaeyeon." She turns at the direction of the sound but no one was there. "Who's there? Show yourself!" Her voice echoing into the forest. At that, she hears movement from behind. She turns again, but once again, no one. She then feels a sharp pain in her back as someone hits her.

"Too slow...I don't know why Sakura always goes on about how quick you are." The voice whispers as if she were right next to her.

"Slow? I'll show you who's slow!" Chaeyeon sees a shadow darting around and speeds after it. The two figures dash around the forest, in combat. The dark figure isn't as fast as Chaeyeon, but she's definitely skilled. They come to blows at several points, but neither side is backing down. They eventually end up in an open clearing. Chaeyeon was starting to feel fatigued, but didn't let it show.

"Enough cat and mouse! Show yourself!" She yells.

"Sure, Chaeyeon, but you're going to regret it." The girl steps out of the shadows, revealing Jurina. "I'm impressed you've lasted this long, but it's time to finish this."

Jurina...I have to tell the others. Why can't I get through to Sakura? She thinks to herself.

It's because this frequency is blocked, I'm afraid. A voice answers in her head.

Wait, what? Who are you and where's Sakura? She demands.

Another person appears from the forest, Chowon. "She's a little preoccupied. You should really stop thinking about her so much so we can get actual important information." Chowon could read minds, but Chaeyeon was not aware that she could block telepathic communication too. That's the thought that comes to her second after she tries to hide the blush on her cheeks. "Yah, watch your mouth!"

"Hmm? I didn't know you liked her that way, Chaeyeon. I'm afraid that's more reason for me not to allow your team to win." Jurina says with a sly grin on her face. Before she could rebut what she'd just said, she hears movement behind her and speeds out of the way just in time as a supersonic boom passes by her. Goeun's now appeared as well, and Chaeyeon was effectively surrounded. She led me into a trap.

"Am I going to have to knock you out harder this time or will you just yield?" Jurina asks

"That's the last thing I'm thinking of doing." Chaeyeon grits her teeth and dashes towards Jurina again, but like the last time, she simply steps back into the shadows and disappears.

Goeun sets her feet and lets out another screech, soundwaves barreling towards Chaeyeon. Well, they always say light is faster than sound. Time to see what I'm made of. At that, she gathers all the stamina left in her and makes a mad dash away from the sound wave. Goeun smirks, thinking she had the upper hand. Running away again? I'll blast you off your feet like I did Sakura. She directs her supersonic shriek in the direction Chaeyeon runs to, but in a blink, she darts off in another direction. Goeun too determined, shifts her aim after her to the alarm of her teammate, Chowon, who is effectively knocked out by the intense attack. Goeun stops, stunned at what she'd done, and Chaeyeon takes it as an opportunity to attack. She dashes towards an unsuspecting Goeun and slams into her. She then runs quick circles around her, creating her own mini-cyclone with Goeun in the epicenter. When it dissipates, she's dizzy and knocked out as well. Now that...was fast. Chaeyeon thinks to herself.

Her moment of triumph was short-lived though, as a dark force grabs hold of her. Jurina was back. "I'm impressed, Chaeyeon, I really am. But I've let this go on for too long." She then proceeds to make the dark serpent coiling around Chaeyeon squeeze harder and harder, slowly engulfing her in the darkness.

Just as Chaeyeon was losing sight of the light, a large tree comes alive and grabs onto a very surprised Jurina. Its own branches wrapping around her as Chaeyeon drops to the ground, out of breath.

"Unnie! We came just in time!" It was Nako and Hitomi. They didn't look worse for wear at all she observed absentmindedly. "Good thing you got Goeun-unnie to yell a lot or we wouldn't have known where to go!" Chaeyeon smiles to herself, she didn't know who would come, but she knew that the loud screeching would attract one of her teammates.

"Wait...is that...the flag?" Chaeyeon rubs her eyes in disbelief. She doesn't know if she was just exhausted or something, but in Nako's hand was a bright red flag.

The two nod energetically. "Yeah, unnie! We'll explain more later, but right now, we have to take care of her." Hitomi points at Jurina trapped in the grasp of the large pine tree. "Let go off me!" She yells.

"Sorry, Jurina-san, but we have to win. This is a competition after all." Nako says bluntly.

"If you knew why we were really here, you'd be on my side, shorty!" Nako's expression shifts into one of irritation at what she hears.

"What'd you just call me?" Nako then hands Chaeyeon the flag. "Unnie, do you still have the energy to run this across the line?"

"Uh, sure, Nako. I'll try."

"Oh, thank you, unnie!" Hii-chan and I will take it from here!" Nako was such a cheery person, it was endearing, but Chaeyeon definitely didn't want to get on her bad side seeing how scary her face looked when Jurina insulted her height. She makes a mental note to never joke about that, and runs off.

----------

Nako and Hitomi had a similar experience as Wonyoung and Yujin when the connection snapped, grabbing their heads like they'd just run into a brick wall. Luckily for Nako, her super strength came with extra durability so she was quicker to recover.

"Hii-chan, you okay?" She asks

"Yeah, I think so. What do you think happened?" Hitomi, although cheery like Nako, was more docile and soft-spoken. She wasn't an icy cold presence like Hyewon, but she also tended to speak more with her actions than her words. She'd originally disliked having her name shortened by Nako, but got used to it as they'd gotten to know each other over the past few days. Nako was a forward and very happy person, very nonchalant most of the time with how she goes about her day. Hitomi really admired the shorter girl's positive vibe.

"Do you think Saku-chan is okay?" Nako had gotten used to shortening her Japanese teammate's names for convenience-sake, and the other two didn't have the heart to voice their displeasure and just went with it.

"No, I don't." Hitomi says as a matter of fact. "But I think the best way we can help is by getting the flag. We have our own problems to deal with right now.

"Ah, you're right, I just ran through those two, didn't I? I think it was a setup to get Sakura off guard." Hitomi was surprised at how quickly Nako had deduced the opponent's plan. She was definitely more than a free spirit.

"Alright, let's go get that flag!" Hitomi says.

After trekking for a while, they'd noticed many changes. The most obvious being how the sky had darkened and a huge snowstorm had built up in their territory. Despite this, the two trusted their teammates and focused on their roles.

As the two were approaching a clearing, they noticed several figures standing in the distance, six in total, and on a large stone, a red flag was planted. "This doesn't make sense, why would they all be on defense?" Nako whispers to her companion.

"I think the better question is how there are six people when we know for a fact that our friends are in combat as well." Hitomi responds.

The two girls slowly creep around the clearing's edge, but one of them accidentally steps on a fallen branch, causing one of the figures to look over. "Well." Nako says disappointedly. "Stealth was never one of my strong points. Hi, Yunjin!" Hitomi tries to hold Nako, who's waving at her roommate, back whispering 'Are you an idiot? We're going to get creamed!', but it was too late as the other figures take note of them.

Yunjin had a very confused look on her face. Compared to Nako, she was, at least on the physical side, the complete opposite of her despite being the same age. While Nako was one of the shorter trainees, barely five feet tall, Yunjin was one of the taller ones along with her older companion, Gaeun, both as tall as Nako's younger teammates, Wonyoung and Yujin. Those two were known as the giraffes of the facility for how tall, pretty, and elegant they were. "You can stop with the charades, Yunjin. Just hand us the flag before you get hurt." Nako says nonchalantly as she approaches the group before looking back at Hitomi. "Still skeptical, Hii-chan? Fine, I'll prove it to you." Hitomi didn't exactly know what Nako intended to prove, but was shocked as Nako walked right through Goeun and Chowon like they were mirages.

"You're the only one who reacted when I stepped on the branch, Yunjin. You should've at least kept one teammate with you." Nako chides.

Yunjin smiles, raising her hands in an exaggerated act of defeat. "Alright, I surrender, you got me. There isn't much I could've done though, Nako. Jurina was very confident in her plan, she didn't think I'd need any muscle back here." She explains. Hitomi is observing this exchange dumbfounded, the two acting like this wasn't a huge confrontational test. Then again, with Yunjin, if you knew the illusions were there, it was over. She'd probably do the same as her in retrospect. She raises a hand and a root grows out of the ground ensnaring the flag.

"Wait, Nako, Hitomi. Could you maybe bind me too, so it doesn't look like I just let you guys waltz out of here with the flag?" Hitomi obliges and has vines wrap around Yunjin tightly. "Aish, Hitomi, you didn't need to be that serious, you know?"

"You wanted it to be believable, didn't you?" She says bluntly.

"Well, I guess so. Just win this already, so I can get out of here. Oh, and a word of advice, you better check on your friends right now. Gaeun and Jurina-unnie get really serious in these games." The Japanese nod and go on their way.

----------

It wasn't long till they heard loud shrieking in their vicinity, and made their way to Chaeyeon, where they quickly trapped Jurina.

After Chaeyeon had left, Nako goes closer to Jurina, who's being constricted by the pine-tree branches. "What did you mean by us being on your side if we knew?" She asks in a serious tone.

"Ask your friend, Sakura. She's your teammate after all." A disgruntled Jurina responds. "But if you really think this is some diplomacy mission by the prime minister, you're naïve." And with that, Nako knocks her out with a swift punch.

"That's for calling me short..." She says after.

~~~~

"Yujin!" Wonyoung shouts into the blizzard. "Yujin, where are you!" The storm had built up even more since she'd left, as if two powerful forces were grappling with one another. The wind was harsh and the snow was frigid, Wonyoung was getting really worried about her roommate.

As she wades into the storm, she hears two distinct voices, yelling against each other. She recognized Yujin's immediately and pressed onward. The other voice sounds like Gaeun-unnie. She thinks to herself. She's probably behind this storm, I need to find Yujin soon.

~~~~

"You're doing well, young one." Gaeun says.

"I could say the same to you, old woman." Yujin barks back, something Gaeun didn't appreciate. The two had been locked in combat for a while now with neither side letting up.

"That new trick you have is impressive, but it won't be enough!" Gaeun then raises both hands creating a mini-tornado in them and aims it at Yujin. She tried to get the snow to block it, but she still wasn't used to how solid water moved. It wasn't as malleable as regular liquid. The tornado easily breaks through and slams right into Yujin who falls from the tower of snow she'd made.

Wonyoung sees this all unfold with a frightened expression, but it was quickly replaced by rage. "Yujin!" She yells. She then glares at Gaeun levitating high in the skies. If looks could kill, she'd be a goner.

"Come to take a crack at me too? Don't you think that's too tall an order for you? You're even younger than your companion." Gaeun chides, a blue flag slowly rising to her hand.

Seeing this, Wonyoung reaches out and uses her telekinesis to take hold of the flag. The two were now engaged in a fierce tug-of-war. Gaeun having enough of it, raises her free hand and conjures another tornado in it. "You can't grab onto something that isn't solid, Wonyoung." She says as she hurls the tornado at her.

"Maybe I can't, but I can still grab you!" She lets out a loud yell and forces her hands forward. Like an invisible hand, her force blows right past the tornado and latches onto Gaeun, the flag falling back down to earth. "Don't you ever hurt Yujin again!" She yells again as she pulls Gaeun towards the ground, slamming her into it.

When the dust settles, Wonyoung sees Gaeun knocked over, covered with snow. At the same time, the darkness that had enveloped the room dissipated and the virtual sun had returned. She then makes her way frantically to where she'd seen Yujin fall. She sees the crater and desperately digs into the snow yelling Yujin's name over and over.

Suddenly a voice perks up from behind. "Don't tell me you missed me that bad, Wonnie" It's Yujin, a little banged up, but otherwise fine with a smug grin on her face,

"Yah!" Wonyoung yells back. "I was just checking if Gaeun-unnie buried you in the snow well enough! Also don't call me Wonnie!"

"Aish, don't act like you weren't just screaming my name worriedly five minutes ago." She retorts.

Wonyoung then gives Yujin a smack in the shoulder. "Ouch! What was that for? I defended the flag as well as I could-" Yujin was interrupted by Wonyoung giving her a big hug. She blushed hard, but tried her best to hide it as Wonyoung let go. Yujin looks at her, all awkward and unsure. Cute. She thinks.

Wonyoung slowly gathers herself, clearing before saying, "L-listen. Don't you ever worry me like that again." She says quietly.

Yujin smiles again. "Excuse me. What did you say? I didn't quite catch that."

"Yah, I said, you shouldn't have left me to carry out your job in the end!"

"Sure, you did, Wonnie."

"Ah, young love..." Both girls turn to see Chaeyeon smiling brightly with the opponent's flag in her hand. "You two are just sooo cute together, you know." She says as she pinches Wonyoung's cheeks. "You better take care of her, Yujin!" She scolds.

"Yah!" They both yell at the same time. "It's not like that!" Wonyoung says, flustered.

"Yeah, we're just friends." Yujin says with a forced laugh. "Yah, unnie, don't go around assuming things like that. Don't you have your own love life to attend to?"

"Chaeyeon likes someone? Really? Who is it?" The two younger girls had not realized Sakura was along with Chaeyeon, who gives a death glare at Yujin. "Ah, no, Sakura. There's nothing like that going on." She waves her arms frantically. "Oh, I see." Yujin thinks she saw a semblance of a smile on Sakura's face, but quickly dismissed it. Sakura doesn't smile often.

Not long after, Nako and Hitomi arrived on the scene and the team celebrated. The opposing team was already lined up, ready to congratulate them. "Wait, where's Yunjin?" Gaeun asks.

"Oh, my bad" Hitomi says with a laugh and goes over with Chaeyeon to bring a very disgruntled Yunjin over.

When both teams were gathered, they shook hands, respecting each team's effort. These teams were comprised of several roommates after all. Even Jurina begrudgingly congratulated them.

"I'm impressed with how you guys fared, especially your youngest companions." Gaeun says as she gestures to Wonyoung and Yujin who smile proudly at the compliments.

"Well, this match definitely ended more civilized than the other bracket." A new voice says. Representative Lee Seunggi had made his way to the middle of the room, now back to pure white as the simulation had ended. "Sportsmanship and respect are as important in this line of work as pure strength. Both teams did very well, but the team of Lee Chaeyeon will advance." He then looks over to Gaeun's team. "And don't you guys worry, there is still a third-place match as well."

~~~~

At dinner, a new announcement was made over the speakers, representative Lee's voice echoing through the dinner hall. "Congratulations to the teams who have made it to the final round! The finals will be held three days from now to give each team time to recover and strategize. To all the trainees, you are free to observe the event as well. Improvement doesn't just come with physical training. It is also beneficial to see how others perform and move as well. In the Produce facility, there is no such thing as lagging behind. Each trainee moves at her own pace, and improvement comes with hard work and commitment. Don't be discouraged by earlier results, and use them as motivation for the future. Have a good night, everyone!"

As the speakers faded out, all eyes were on the two teams who had made it to the finals. Both had their share of strengths, but they came with weaknesses as well. Sakura observes the other team, noticing a cast on one of their members', Eunbi, shoulders. To give each team time to recover. She remembers the announcement saying. Is that going to heal in time?

The two teams were already quite familiar with one another because, like Gaeun's team, they were roommates in different dorms and groupmates in training. Did they purposely put the stronger trainees together? Sakura wonders. It'd make sense for them to do that. After all, they did want to make the strongest team. This is going to be interesting.