Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

And before Klaus could notice, the day of the trip to the NIST Tournament finally arrived.

Since all the competitions needed to take place in one place and most of them promised to draw a lot of attention, especially since they had the biggest talents in the country, it needed to take place in a place that could support the high demand of public and sports arenas without hindering the dynamics of the city.

Therefore, the place that best fit all these minimum requirements was Los Angels, California, a city used to many events and many people.

New York was certainly a good choice too, but weather and traffic were determining factors for Hónghé Holdings and NIST choosing not to host the event there.

So Klaus and all 500+ New York State Special Program students who were going to compete or be part of the organization had to travel to the other side of the country to compete.

Klaus, who had already traveled to Los Angels once to compete in a championship, wasn't bothered by the trip, but David, although older, had never even traveled by plane and had to be calmed down throughout the trip by Klaus, Nathan and Andrew.

Unfortunately, Ashley didn't get the same flight as Klaus because she had to go early to organize a lot of things.

Twelve hours later, counting waiting for boarding and all the other problems, Klaus, Nathan and Andrew arrived in Los Angeles with David finally calming down after the turbulent first plane ride. Luckily, almost everyone on the plane was also from campus and they were greeted by several representatives from NIST and Hónghé Holdings, who briefed them on the details of the tournament and drove them to the hotel where they would be staying during the event.

Clearly, this event was something very well organized and thought out.

The hotel was filled with competitors from all over the country, all excited and nervous for the upcoming competition. The corridors were bustling, and the conversations were full of excitement and anticipation. There were some famous people from the Special Program, people who stood out even before they were admitted to NIST, and these drew gasps from many people as they entered the front door.

However, Klaus did not care about all that. He just wanted to compete and make his family proud, who also traveled to Los Angels a few days earlier.

After settling in at the hotel, Klaus and the other students of the Archery Department, including Lara, Carrie and Benito attended an orientation meeting, where they received information about the rules of the individual and team category tournament, the schedule and the facilities.

Isabella Nairn, the Archery Department Coordinator, would be arriving in a few hours and would also show them the place where they would be competing, to familiarize themselves. innr𝚎𝚊𝚍.𝚌𝚘m

Moreover, as Klaus could not be in two orientations at the same time, Lucas, from the Fencing Department, sent him a message where he had all the information about the schedule and rules of the category.

During the afternoon, Isabella Nairn arrived at the hotel and met with the students from the New York Archery Department. She was a middle-aged woman, experienced and respected. Her inspiring presence brought a sense of confidence and determination to all the competitors.

Isabella conducted a brief presentation about the venue where the archery competitions and a few others would take place, the Staples Center. With a capacity of almost 20,000 people, the Staples Center was a state-of-the-art sports arena, with advanced equipment and technologies to ensure a real spectacle for these competitions.

Besides, archery was not a category that drew much attention, not as much as the basketball department at least, so there was no need for a bigger place than that, like a stadium. Still, Ms. Nairn made sure to cheer up the group she was in charge of.

"I want you to understand that you are here because you are some of the best shooters in the country. You have the talent and ability to shine in this tournament, so trust yourselves and do what you do best. I trust you, I trust your potential, and I believe we can bring the champions trophy home, and the bonus of course..." said Isabella enthusiastically.

"That's it!" Everyone shouted at her and then realized what she said. "Wait, bonus?!"

Either way, the determined looks on the students' faces reflected the confidence Isabella had instilled in them. The team was united and ready to face the challenge.

After the orientation, Klaus and his friends went to explore a bit of the city and familiarize themselves with their surroundings.

Los Angeles was a bustling and diverse metropolis, and they took the opportunity to see some sights and sample the local cuisine. Most of the people in the Archery Department hadn't even been resting properly for the past few days, especially Klaus, who had so many things to take care of. So this was a day for them to deal with the pressure and ease their minds.

The night before the tournament was ending, and Klaus could hardly contain his anxiety. He mentally went over his strategies, reviewed his techniques and prepared for the next day. However, the first day was a team tournament, so he would not be participating with the Archery Department, but with the Fencing Department.

Finally, the morning of the tournament arrived. Klaus woke up early, feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiety, but no nerves.

The corridors were full of competitors and their teams. Some looked at each other with haughtiness, anger and even admiration. No doubt this was a sporting environment, which made Klaus a little more agitated than usual, because it had been a long time since he last felt this energy.

After having a quick breakfast with his friends, he went to the meeting place of the Fencing Department, which was staying in another hotel nearby.

The Fencing Department team consisted of eleven people at the hotel, but several of them chose not to compete, either because they didn't feel capable enough or because they were so nervous in public that their hands were shaking. For this reason, Lucas called Klaus to complete the team and accepted him so easily into the department, even though Klaus was a complete novice.

Upon entering the hotel lobby, Klaus saw Riley, who will be running the fencing team at the competition, talking to Lucas. Klaus raised his right arm and was going to catch both of their eyes, but suddenly he looked harder and realized there was someone else with Riley and Lucas, a girl with beautiful hair.

'Emma?!'