Chapter 6 Inter regional trials

The day of the Inter-Regional Trials dawned with storm-colored skies.
Thunder grumbled far in the distance, casting long shadows over the Shiratori Flight Academy's launch field. Clouds like bruises rolled overhead, and the horizon flickered with lightning. But there was no delay. The competition would proceed, weather or not.
Yuto stood beside his glider, suited up and calm. For once, the wind didn’t feel like a warning—it felt like a challenge he was finally ready for.
Riku walked over, his eyes scanning the sky. “Storm cell will pass east. We’ll catch tailwind on the climb.”
Yuto nodded. “Got it.”
There was no tension this time. Not like before.
Riku paused. “You flew well yesterday.”
Yuto blinked. That was as close to a compliment as Riku had ever given him.
“Thanks,” Yuto said. “Let’s win this.”
Coach Amano gathered the team. “You all know the rules. Five teams. Each will launch from different coordinates and complete a route through ten check-gates. Fastest time with highest air rating wins. No contact, no crashing. You break formation, you lose points.”
Sora, flying with another teammate in the second glider, bumped fists with Yuto. “Don’t let the clouds eat you alive.”
Yuto laughed. “Only if they fly faster than me.”
The countdown began.
10. 11. 
8...
Yuto exhaled slowly, staring down the glider rail.
This is it.

---
The Launch
The winch yanked the glider into acceleration, and Yuto and Riku shot forward, slicing through the air like silver lightning. The wind howled as they pulled up into the low-hanging clouds.
Yuto controlled the ascent. Riku adjusted trim tabs and wind angle.
We’re moving like one.
The first gate marker appeared: a neon blue flare set in digital space, anchored by GPS coordinates.
“Gate 1 cleared,” Riku reported.
They soared higher, entering a crosswind. A second team appeared in the periphery, already struggling to maintain altitude.
Yuto adjusted slightly.
“Careful,” Riku warned. “Don’t mirror them. Fly our path.”
Yuto corrected course.

---
Gate 4: The Descent Spiral
The fourth segment was infamous: a vertical spiral descent through turbulent layers of wind.
Yuto’s pulse quickened.
This is the one that broke me, two years ago.
Riku said nothing—only tightened the harness.
Yuto gripped the controls. The glider dove.
Wind screamed. Rain splashed the canopy.
He kept the spiral smooth. Counted rotations. Watched the variometer.
The sky blurred into streaks—gray, white, stormblue.
Gate 4 passed.
They pulled up. Riku exhaled behind him.
“That was clean.”
Yuto smiled. “I remembered the rhythm.”

---
Final Gate: Skyflare Loop
By the ninth gate, only three teams remained.
But the final maneuver required both gliders to perform a synchronized loop through twin rings hovering above the coastline.
Sora’s voice crackled on radio. “Yuto. We’ll lead. You mimic our loop.”
“Understood.”
They approached in perfect symmetry.
Four gliders. Two loops. One sky.
At the apex of the climb, lightning flashed. The wind broke.
Yuto’s glider veered.
For a breath, everything faltered.
Then he felt it—his own instincts, clean and pure.
He corrected the path without hesitation.
Riku followed instantly.
They soared through the final gate as the storm behind them cracked open.

---
Results:
Back on the ground, the sky wept rain.
The judges reviewed data. Scoring screens blinked.
Coach Amano stood silent, arms crossed.
Then—
“Shiratori Academy: First Place.”
Cheers erupted.
Sora hugged Yuto. Even Riku cracked a smile.
But Yuto just looked up at the sky.
I flew without fear.
And that was worth more than any trophy.