In the advanced training hall, the Inter-Academy team ran their final full coordination drill of the pre-competition period.
Seraphina called the formation and watched it execute. Better than it had been two weeks ago. Significantly better than it had been a month ago. The gap between Liam's instinct to lead and William's precision in creating openings had closed into something that was starting to look like genuine complementarity rather than two fighters who happened to be adjacent.
Mira had returned to full capacity. Her shadow manipulation moved through team formations with the quiet efficiency of someone who understood tactical space — covering gaps before they were gaps, supporting without needing to announce the support. Seraphina had assessed her early as the team member most likely to be underestimated by opposing academies and had been right.
