Rebooting the Arena

Chapter 13: First Scrimmage

The hours of individual training and practicing team combos had finally brought Phoenix Reborn to a critical moment: their first scrimmage against another team. This wasn't a high-stakes tournament or an official ranked match—just a chance to put their skills to the test against real opponents. But for Kai and the rest of the team, it was a moment that would show just how far they had come—and how far they still needed to go.

The opposing team was another amateur group known as The Ember Fangs—a mid-tier team with decent coordination and solid mechanics. They weren't pushovers, but they weren't the elite, either. Exactly the kind of challenge Phoenix Reborn needed to gauge their progress.

Kai sat at their desk, scanning the team roster. Each player was online, ready and eager. There was a palpable energy in the team chat as they prepared for the match, a mixture of nerves and excitement.

"Alright, team," Kai said, keeping their voice steady. "This is our first real test. Everything we've worked on—our individual mechanics, our team combos, our synergy—it all comes together here. We're playing to win, but remember, this is still practice. We'll learn more from this match than any training session. So, no pressure, but let's show them what we've got."

Tariq's voice came over the mic, confident as ever. "Let's do this. I'm ready to smash some heads."

Lena laughed, though there was a note of nervousness in her tone. "As long as I can actually land my spells, I'm in."

"Just keep me alive and we're good," Alex added quietly, his usual mix of caution and optimism showing through.

Nina, as always, was brief. "We've got this."

Kai smiled to themselves. The team had come a long way since their early days of frustration and disarray. They weren't perfect yet, but they were growing, learning to trust each other—and that made all the difference.

The match was set in Spires of Thaloria, an arena filled with vertical platforms, narrow bridges, and sudden elevation changes. It was a challenging map—perfect for testing a team's coordination and adaptability. Phoenix Reborn would need to use the terrain to their advantage, while also sticking to the strategies they had practiced.

The countdown began, and the team dropped into the arena. The tension in the air was thick, but Kai's focus was razor-sharp. They quickly assessed the enemy team's composition—The Ember Fangs had a standard setup, with a tank, healer, and three DPS, meaning Phoenix Reborn would have to play smart, especially when it came to controlling the flow of battle.

"Stick to the plan," Kai said as the team moved into position. "Tariq, you initiate. Lena, stay behind him and control the zone. Nina and I will flank, and Alex, keep Tariq up as long as you can."

"On it," Tariq grunted, his avatar, Ironclad, taking point as the team moved cautiously through the twisting corridors of the Spires.

The first encounter came quickly. As the two teams spotted each other near one of the central platforms, Tariq charged forward, slamming into the enemy tank with a powerful shield bash.

"Stun's in!" Tariq called out.

Lena immediately followed up, unleashing her chain lightning that arced through the enemy front line, dealing solid damage. But The Ember Fangs weren't going to go down easily. Their own DPS responded quickly, landing several hits on Tariq, and for a moment, the tank's health bar dipped dangerously low.

"Alex, heal!" Kai shouted.

"I'm on it!" Alex replied, casting a massive healing field around Tariq, stabilizing him just before he dropped below half health.

With the frontline secured, Kai and Nina moved in for their flank. Hidden in the shadows, both assassins waited for the perfect moment to strike. The enemy healer was exposed, just within range.

"Now!" Kai ordered.

Ghostfire and Wraithblade leapt out of the shadows, daggers flashing. They both landed critical strikes on the enemy healer, but just as they were about to finish the kill, the enemy DPS turned and unleashed a powerful crowd control spell, locking both Kai and Nina in place.

"Crap!" Kai hissed, unable to move as their health bar dropped rapidly. The enemy team had predicted the flank, and now both assassins were vulnerable.

"Nina, can you break out?" Kai asked quickly, trying to think of a way to turn the fight around.

"Already on it," Nina replied calmly, using her escape ability to vanish into the shadows just before she was taken out.

But Kai wasn't so lucky. Ghostfire fell to the enemy DPS, and for a moment, the tide of the battle seemed to shift in The Ember Fangs' favor.

Ghostfire has been slain.

"Hold the line!" Kai called out as they respawned. "Tariq, keep them busy. Lena, keep up the damage. We're still in this!"

Tariq, now fully healed, absorbed hit after hit, his shield taking the brunt of the enemy's attacks while Lena fired off spells from behind him. The enemy team was starting to falter under the constant pressure, and soon enough, Tariq saw an opening.

"I'm going for their DPS!" Tariq shouted, charging forward.

"Tariq, wait!" Kai tried to rein him in, but it was too late. Ironclad surged ahead, leaving Lena and Alex exposed to the enemy flank.

The enemy DPS capitalized on the moment, launching a barrage of attacks on Lena. Her health bar plummeted.

"Lena, fall back!" Kai shouted, respawning just in time to see her in danger.

"I'm trying!" Lena called out, panic creeping into her voice. She scrambled to reposition, but the damage was too much. With a final hit, Thunderstrike fell.

Thunderstrike has been slain.

The fight was turning against them, and for a moment, it seemed like Phoenix Reborn was about to crumble. But then, Nina reappeared, slipping through the chaos to land a perfect strike on the enemy healer.

Wraithblade took down the healer, and just like that, the momentum shifted.

"Healer's down!" Nina announced.

Kai saw the opening and immediately took charge. "Alright, push! We've got the advantage now. Tariq, hold the front. Alex, keep him healed. Nina and I will clean up."

The team rallied. With the enemy healer gone, The Ember Fangs couldn't sustain their frontline. Tariq held his ground, absorbing damage while Nina and Kai systematically picked off the remaining DPS.

One by one, the enemy team fell.

Victory.

The screen flashed the bright, satisfying word, and for a moment, the entire team was silent, processing what had just happened.

They had won. It hadn't been perfect, and they had made mistakes, but Phoenix Reborn had won their first scrimmage.

"Nice work, everyone," Kai said, finally breaking the silence. They couldn't help but feel a rush of pride. "That wasn't easy, but we pulled through."

Tariq let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Man, that was close. I thought we were done for when I pushed too far."

"You definitely overextended," Kai agreed, though there was a hint of humor in their voice. "But we held it together. That's what matters."

"I panicked when I went down," Lena admitted, "but I think I'm getting better at reading the fights. That crowd control almost wiped us."

"It was close," Nina said quietly, "but we adjusted. We're getting better."

Alex, who had been quiet for most of the match, finally spoke up. "I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of healing under pressure. That was intense."

Kai smiled. The scrimmage hadn't been perfect, but it had shown them what they were capable of. There were still plenty of things to work on—Tariq's over-aggression, Lena's positioning under pressure, and the need for tighter coordination between the assassins—but the progress was undeniable.

"Alright, let's review what went wrong and what went right," Kai said, keeping the team focused. "We won, but we made a lot of mistakes. If we want to win consistently, we need to tighten things up. Let's break it down."

As the team gathered to discuss the match, there was an undeniable sense of achievement. Phoenix Reborn had come together, fought through adversity, and secured their first victory as a team.

It wasn't just about the win—it was about proving to themselves that they were capable of rising to the challenge. And from here, the only way forward was up.

Kai couldn't help but smile as they logged off for the night. Phoenix Reborn had survived their first real test, and though the road ahead was long, they were more determined than ever to see it through.

This was only the beginning.