It was the sixth day.
Not the first. Not the last.
The day that felt like standing on the edge of a cliff—knowing the leap was coming, but not knowing if they'd fall or fly.
🏀 Basketball – The Final Buzzer
The gym was packed beyond capacity. Opposing schools screamed. Banners flew. The air was thick with heat and tension.
Dane's jersey was drenched before the whistle even blew. The Iriga additions to the Gubat core had long stopped being "extras." Now, they were part of the machine.
And it was a game for the ages.
Fast breaks turned into turnovers. Blocks became fouls. Karl got elbowed. Dane rolled his ankle and kept playing.
Every point was blood, breath, and grit.
"Last quarter," Coach Dan barked during timeout. "You've got four minutes. Give me your hearts."
And they did.
Dane stole a pass and charged. Karl cleared the lane. The ball soared—
Swish.
Buzzer.
And then—silence.
No one screamed at first.
They just stood there, blinking.
Randy, from the stands, whispered, "Did we… win?"
Coach Leia, who had no business crying over basketball, sniffled loudly.
Gubat-Iriga: Champions.
Then the sound returned in a tidal wave—screams, sobs, stomps. Karl threw his head back. Dane didn't say a word. He just hugged his teammates.
🏸 Badminton – Eyes on the Net
Alona had barely caught her breath before she was on the court again.
She and Clarisse faced a brutal doubles team from Naga. Long rallies, merciless drop shots. Clarisse wasn't saying much, but her eyes blazed with focus.
Alona was tense, uncertain. Until Clarisse finally murmured:
"You've improved."
"Was I that bad before?"
"You were green. Now you're sharp. Dangerous."
Alona's heart pounded.
They won by a mere two points in the last set. But it felt like climbing a mountain with bare hands.
And when they hugged at the end, it wasn't friendly.
It was earned.
🧠 Chess – Checkmate and Clarity
Randy sat alone, facing his final opponent—a girl from CamSur who played like her brain ran on quantum mechanics.
He joked.
"If I win this, I'll retire and raise goats."
She didn't laugh. But someone else did.
He turned. Eri. Watching from the crowd. Laughing.
At his joke.
The rest of the Gubat team froze. Mira whispered, "Did… she just?"
But Randy didn't let it distract him.
He remembered Daet. The night before the quarterfinals. The two times Dane destroyed him so badly, he couldn't even look at a chessboard without hearing checkmate in stereo.
This time, he didn't crack.
He countered. He pressed.
He won.
And for once, he didn't make a sound. He just exhaled.
🎾 Tennis – The Final Rally
Tasha and Noel fought tooth and nail in mixed doubles. Mira and Jomar had already won their category earlier.
The team was on fire.
"Don't get cocky," Coach Tonton had warned, hiding his nerves behind dark shades and coffee.
But it was a fight from start to finish.
Iriga's calm. Gubat's chaos.
And the winning point came not from power—but a soft drop shot Noel had barely practiced. It rolled over the net and kissed the floor.
They screamed. Tasha tackled him.
"You genius!"
"You told me that was a stupid shot yesterday!"
"It's only stupid when it doesn't work!"
🏐 Volleyball – The Storm
Coach Leia had barely spoken all day. But her eyes did the yelling.
Gubat's six were cracked. Bruised. Exhausted. The three Iriga players were fresh, agile, ready.
And they all brought it.
Dives that scraped the floor. Spikes that echoed.
In the final set, it was tied 24–24.
Then Mila screamed for a set, and Clarisse's sister, Lyra, sent the ball flying like thunder.
25–24.
The final point landed like judgment day.
Coach Leia jumped four feet into the air. Shoes were thrown. Someone cried into a towel.
"We won?" Mila asked, dazed.
"We won," Coach Leia confirmed. "Now cry properly."
🌊 The Confession
That night, after the medals and the chaos, the sea called.
Dane found Alona alone by the beach, clutching her racket like it was the only thing tethering her to Earth.
"Hey," he said softly.
"Hey."
He sat beside her. The waves whispered. Their shoulders brushed.
"I should've said this before," Dane murmured. "But… I like you. A lot. Not just on the court. Not just during rallies. I mean—"
"I know," Alona said. "I like you too."
"You do?"
"Even when you lose at chess."
He laughed—and leaned just slightly closer.
"So what now?"
"Now we wait for—"
WHSSST—!
Bushes rustled.
From behind the rocks: Coaches Dan, Tonton, Leia, and Cely were crouched, holding snacks and a notepad.
"Pay up!" Coach Leia whispered, triumphant.
"₱500," Coach Dan grumbled, handing over the bill.
"I told you he'd finally say it after the finals!" Coach Leia grinned.
"I thought he'd choke," Tonton added.
"I thought Alona would choke him," Coach Cely said matter-of-factly.
The two teens stared.
"...Did that really just happen?" Alona muttered.
"Yes," Dane said, sighing. "Yes, it did."
But the sea didn't care. And neither did the stars.
They held hands anyway.