🌤️ Morning Buzz
The second day of Regionals began with more than just stretching and breakfast—today, the full team was finally complete.
Buses from Iriga Valley arrived before sunrise, and with them came the rest of the players now merged with Gubat: sharp-eyed tennis players, tall volleyball hitters, steady badminton pros, and five basketball boys who looked like they trained in thunderstorms.
Clarisse Valerio stepped off the bus with her bag slung over one shoulder, unmistakable in her confidence. The ace of Iriga's badminton team. The girl who had beaten Alona in the provincial finals. And now, her doubles partner.
Alona spotted her immediately.
Clarisse gave a nod. "Ready to redeem yourself?"
Alona raised an eyebrow. "We're on the same side now."
Clarisse smirked. "Doesn't mean I'll go easy on you in practice."
Yumi, from the sidelines, whispered to Nina, "Rival-to-teammate arc unlocking."
Nina scribbled, "Potential fireworks. Watch closely."
🏸 Badminton: Synchronized Chaos
With the full team now present, the coaches reorganized the matches. For badminton, the lineup had shifted:
Boys Singles and Girls Singles rotated between Iriga aces and Gubat's steady hands.
Doubles featured Clarisse and Alona.
Mixed Doubles saw Mira from Gubat teaming up with an Iriga player named Jiro, who played like he was born with a racket.
Coach Cely clapped her hands. "You've got one day to sync up. Learn how they breathe."
The first match between the Clarisse-Alona pair and a powerhouse duo from Sorsogon began tense. They moved like two planets in different orbits—sharp, but not aligned.
Clarisse's smashes were brutal. Alona's drop shots were delicate. But halfway through, after a heated rally and an accidental collision, something shifted.
They started laughing.
And from there, they flowed. Alona covered the net. Clarisse handled the back. The crowd gasped as they swept the second and third sets.
"Guess we're not so different," Clarisse said, tossing her towel over her shoulder.
Alona smiled. "Just needed a rhythm."
⛹️ Basketball: Fast-Paced Friendship
The boys from Gubat and Iriga were slowly figuring each other out. Dane passed a clean alley-oop to an Iriga player named Amon, who returned it with a perfect assist.
"Alright," Karl muttered, nodding. "I can work with this."
Coach Dan yelled from the bench, "No fighting over who gets to dunk! You're on the same team!"
🏐 Volleyball & 🎾 Tennis: Building Chemistry
Coach Leia's full Gubat lineup meshed with three Iriga players who'd brought intense serves and blocking finesse. Clarisse's cousin Ira, a volleyball libero, dove for every ball like her life depended on it.
Meanwhile, Mira and Jomar from Gubat joined a full squad of Iriga Valley tennis players. Mira still refused to talk to her doubles partner, but their synergy was undeniable.
Tonton whispered to Coach Dan, "She doesn't like him, but she wins with him. I call that progress."
🏁 Closing Whistle
As the sun dipped low and Day 2 wrapped up, the joint team was finally clicking into place. There were still rough edges—late calls, minor stumbles, cultural confusion over snack choices (Iriga brought spicy squid, Gubat brought dried mango)—but the bond was forming.
Under the light of the gym's high beams, Clarisse and Alona packed up their rackets together.
"No promises," Clarisse said, "but I think we might win this."
Alona nodded. "We will. As long as we don't kill each other first."
They laughed. Somewhere behind them, Yumi was scribbling again.
"Enemies to besties," she muttered. "Potential spin-off."