Astra’s Rebirth: Underdogs Unleashed

The Training Room

Alex stood at the front of the rented training room, staring at the mismatched group of players in front of him. The room smelled faintly of sweat and overheated electronics. A row of computers hummed quietly along the walls, their screens glowing with the loading screen of Glory, the game that had once been Alex's entire world.

This wasn't a fancy esports facility. It wasn't even close. The chairs were cheap, the desks wobbled if you leaned on them the wrong way, and the internet connection was already threatening to lag. But it was the best Alex could afford, and right now, it had to be enough.

He glanced at the team again, trying to gauge their mood. Sofia was lounging in her chair, spinning idly from side to side as if she couldn't care less about being here. Jae-Min sat perfectly upright, his arms crossed and his expression unreadable. Raj was tapping away on his phone, grinning at whatever he was watching, while Lina sat silently in the corner, her headset already on, her face as cold and distant as always.

Alex cleared his throat. No one looked up.

"Alright," he said, louder this time. "Let's get started."

---

The Team's Reactions

Sofia immediately spun to face him, grinning. "Finally. Thought you were just gonna stand there and stare at us all day, boss."

Raj snorted, not even looking up from his phone. "Honestly, he looked kinda nervous. You good, Astra? Need a pep talk or something?"

Alex's jaw tightened, but he forced himself to stay calm. "I'm fine. Just trying to figure out how to turn this...chaos into a team."

That got their attention. Raj raised an eyebrow, Jae-Min leaned forward slightly, and even Lina glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Sofia smirked.

"Chaos, huh?" she said. "You're not wrong."

Alex took a deep breath. "Look, I know we're not going to click right away. That's fine. But if we're going to compete in the qualifiers, we need to figure out how to work together. And the only way to do that is by playing."

Sofia cracked her knuckles, a gleam of excitement in her eyes. "Now we're talking."

---

The practice room hummed with energy as Team Astra logged into the "Glory" private training server for the first time. Alex had spent the previous night analyzing their team's strengths and weaknesses, and now it was time to see if the theory translated into practice.

"Alright," Alex began, standing at the front of the room. "Today's focus is coordination. We'll start with a raid dungeon. It's not PvP, but it'll force us to communicate and work as a unit. The boss mechanics will test our ability to follow a plan."

Sofia cracked her knuckles. "Sounds simple enough. Tank in the front, everyone else supports me. What's the catch?"

"The catch," Alex said with a small smile, "is that this boss punishes lone wolves. If one of us messes up, the whole team pays for it. Stick to the plan, and we'll be fine."

Raj grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Famous last words."

---

The Raid Dungeon: Frost Revenant's Lair

The dungeon loaded, revealing a sprawling, frost-covered cavern filled with jagged ice formations and eerie blue light. At the far end of the room stood the Frost Revenant, a towering, undead warrior encased in icy armor, wielding a massive frostblade. Its glowing blue eyes stared down the team as it let out a guttural roar.

Alex's voice came through the comms. "Here's the strategy: Sofia, you'll hold aggro. Lina, stay on high ground and focus on ranged DPS. Raj, you're on flank duty—take out the Revenant's support mobs when they spawn. Jae-Min, keep Sofia alive and dispel any debuffs. I'll assist where needed. Clear?"

"Got it," Jae-Min said curtly.

"Sounds like fun," Raj added.

Sofia rolled her shoulders. "Let's do this."

Sofia as the frontline tank, charging into fights and absorbing damage.

Raj as the assassin, flanking and picking off enemies.

Lina as the sniper, holding back and taking precision shots.

Jae-Min as the tactician, playing a hybrid support role and calling the shots.

Alex as the captain, filling in the gaps and managing the overall strategy.

The match started, and within minutes, it became clear just how much of a disaster this was going to be.

Sofia charged in too early, leaving the team exposed.

"What the hell, Blitz?" Jae-Min snapped. "You're supposed to wait for the call!"

"The call?" Sofia shot back. "I saw an opening and took it. You're welcome, by the way."

Meanwhile, Raj was off doing his own thing, completely ignoring the plan.

"Specter," Alex said, his voice sharp. "Stick to the strategy!"

"Relax," Raj replied. "I've got this."

He didn't.

Lina stayed silent, but her frustration was obvious in the way her shots started to miss. She wasn't getting the cover she needed, and it was throwing off her precision.

By the time the match ended, their screen flashed DEFEAT in bold letters, and the team was dead silent.

---

The Fallout

The silence in the room was suffocating. Sofia leaned back in her chair, arms crossed and a scowl on her face. Raj drummed his fingers on the desk, avoiding everyone's gaze. Jae-Min stared straight at Alex, his expression cold.

"Well," Sofia said finally, breaking the silence. "That was a trainwreck."

"Because you couldn't wait two seconds before diving in," Jae-Min shot back.

Sofia sat up, her scowl deepening. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Perfect. Maybe if you weren't so busy overthinking everything, we'd actually get somewhere."

Jae-Min's eyes narrowed. "Overthinking? You're the one who doesn't think at all."

"Enough!" Alex's voice cut through the argument, sharp and commanding.

Everyone froze, turning to look at him. Alex took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. His hands were shaking slightly, and he shoved them into his pockets to hide it.

"Look," he said, his voice quieter now. "I get it. This is frustrating. None of us are used to playing together, and we're all coming at this with different styles. But if we don't figure out how to trust each other, we're not going to make it past the qualifiers. Hell, we won't even make it to the qualifiers."

His words hung in the air, heavy and raw.

For a moment, no one spoke. Then Sofia sighed, leaning back in her chair again. "Fine," she muttered. "I'll...try to hold back. A little."

Jae-Min raised an eyebrow but nodded. "And I'll try to adapt faster. But only if everyone else sticks to the plan."

Raj grinned, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Guess I'll play nice. For now."

Lina didn't say anything, but she gave Alex a small nod, her expression softening just enough to show she was listening.

---

Alex's Self-Doubt

The tension eased, but Alex could still feel the weight of their expectations pressing down on him. This was his team, and he was supposed to lead them. But after that match, he wasn't sure if he could.

As the others started to pack up for the night, Alex stayed behind, staring at the empty training room. He replayed the match in his head, analyzing every mistake, every missed opportunity, every moment where he should have stepped in and didn't.

His thoughts drifted to his old team, to the arguments, to the way everything had fallen apart.

What if I screw this up again?

The thought made his chest tighten, but he pushed it aside. He didn't have time to doubt himself. Not now.

---

A Flicker of Hope

The next morning, Alex called the team back to the training room. This time, he had a plan.

They started with drills—small exercises designed to build trust and coordination. Alex made them swap roles, forcing them to see the game from each other's perspectives. Sofia grumbled about being stuck in the backline, but by the end of the session, she had a newfound respect for Lina's patience.

They played another match, and while it wasn't perfect, it was better. There were moments—brief, fleeting moments—where they moved as a unit, where the chaos started to take shape.

After the match, Alex glanced at the team, and for the first time, he saw something other than frustration in their faces. He saw determination.

It wasn't much, but it was a start.