⚠️ Long chapter ahead ⚠️

Our opponents proved why they were the runner-ups of the previous championships, but us, The Conquerors, gave them a tough fight.

The first two rounds proved exhausting, but in the third round, we bagged the win. HuntersX taught me how even the smallest of the spaces could be filled, and their rhythm was both energetic and calm.

They were disappointed after losing to us, but following the ethics of the dance battles, they congratulated us and encouraged us to strive harder for the trophy.

Thanks to the qualification for the next round, our crew started getting more attention than it already had. The other reigning crews kept a close eye on our movements, and I felt like I was in a real war zone.

All of our captains gave us a treat in the evening to celebrate our first win, and I instantly went to check on the list of my next rivals. There were two b-girls that I needed to be careful of. Their dance styles were very trend-oriented, so I was worried if the judges would give preference to that aspect.

Keeping my worries aside, I focused on the practice. As the next crew qualifiers were one day later, my team was having a group discussion regarding our next choreography and studying every crew's strengths and strategies, while I checked out some new songs that could be used by the DJ the next day for my solo battles.

There were a lot of new songs, and some lyrics were really hard to understand. I glanced at my team, wondering if I should disturb them to help me.

Then, I spotted a flop of silver blonde hair bouncing up and down outside our practice room.

What is this idiot doing?

I went to check what Axel was doing, and I regretted doing so. He was posing for multiple phone cameras that were lined in front of him. A lot of girls from other crews and the academy were treating him like a model and clicking his pictures.

"Hello, Small Bean, came here to join my fan club?" he asked me proudly.

I shot him a disgusted look and returned back to the practice room. After a few minutes, Axel also arrived, and I wasn't surprised when he started showing off his dance skills, attracting attention from everyone.

He was purposely disturbing the space I was using, and if I hadn't kicked him, he would have annoyed me till death.

"Why are you pushing yourself so hard?" he asked me in fake concern. "Your loss is inevitable, so please have mercy on TJ and give up because he is already very tired because of you."

"Do you like my boyfriend, Axel?" I asked him threateningly.

He made a horrified face. "How could you even ask that, Bhoomi? Isn't it obvious?"

"You better be joking, or else I will make you bald for real this time."

He glanced at Tejas, keeping a hand on his heart.

"If I was a girl, I wouldn't have let a small bean like you become TJ's girlfriend. Look at me; I am perfect for him," he said like a soap-opera's heroine.

His life was saved because he ended up blowing up his act and kept laughing at my enraged expression. Because of him, I even forgot the demo routine I had planned in my mind.

"You are useless," I cursed him. "Why did you come alone here? You should have at least brought Faith, Claire, and your friends with you. You are annoying me."

He was unaffected. He told me that Faith and Claire were preparing for their graduation, while Hanz and Matt had gone to their hometowns for the vacation.

"Small Bean, you can't get rid of me in this lifetime," he said and swiped his hair back. "Even if I tell you to quit, I will actually be ashamed if you lose since my image is also connected with you now. As your most valuable friend, I offer to help you. Thank me later."

I put my hands on my waist. "What the heck will you help me with? You will break your neck if you even try doing a backflip."

"Hey, hey, hey, I am a professional, okay? So what if I don't breakdance? I can, absolutely, help you improve your weak points for sure."

"Fine. Why don't you first help me understand what these singers are even singing in these songs?" I told him.

"That's what you are struggling with?!" he asked loudly.

Just when I nodded, Axel's laughter boomed in the whole room. Like shown in cartoons, he started running here and there, telling each of my teammates how I was trying to win the championships when I couldn't even understand the songs.

I signalled my team, especially Tejas, to not say anything to Axel. When the giraffe returned in front of me, I gave him a good dose for messing with me.

I could have just read the lyrics of those songs, but it was very time-consuming, and even after listening to them a few times, some verses were still confusing. I needed to be familiar with latest soundtracks to avoid any setbacks.

Axel gave me some tips to just follow the beats in case of confusion and not to lose my momentum. I could possibly get any song that I had no idea about, so I could only do whatever I understood. Anyways, dancing freestyle was one of my major strengths.

With my friends' help, I got over my remaining insecurities and doubts and faced my next opponents.

I couldn't believe myself when I kept defeating my rivals one after another, and by Ganapati Bappa's blessings, I landed in the finals. When I defeated the previous first-runner up, the feeling was out of the world, but after realising that I was just one step away from winning the championships, I was overwhelmed with emotions.

Also, under the efficient leadership of our captains, our crew had reached the semi-finals after an amazing winning streak; the feeling of joy and pride was doubled, but for my solo finals, my thoughts were running helter-skelter. More than the happiness of reaching the finale, the fear of losing and disappointing my countrymen scared me.

My finals were on the same day as our crew's semi-finals, and I wasn't worried about the crew battles at all. There was this solid confidence in my team that I was completely sure that we would win - as for me, I was hiding in a corner of my room, my head hurting as I kept imagining the Doom's Day.

"Bhoomi Didi, stop hiding," my female teammate, Ovi, scolded.

Similarly, other teammates also told me to stop being so negative and just believe in myself like I did till now. I understood their concern, but it was useless.

"I will call TJ bhaiyya," Spintop aka Richa threatened. "I am tired of watching her act like a maniac."

With that, she slammed our hotel room's door, and within seconds, Tejas was in front of me. My roommates left us alone, sighing in relief after seeing Tejas assure them that he would solve the matter.

"TJ bhaiyya, please do something, or our semi finals will be ruined," Richa yelled before she closed the door.

I dug myself deeper into the corner when Tejas crouched in front of me and tried to look into my eyes.

"Hamster, are you really okay?" he asked worriedly. "Your expressions' change is spookingly fast."

I looked at him helplessly. "I can't stop these thoughts. Win, loss, embarrassment, celebration, pride, happiness, defeat, surprise... everything is happening in my head simultaneously. If I step out of this room, I might start dancing and won't stop."

Tejas chuckled but pursed his lips when I pouted.

"Of course, this is funny for you," I complained. "You are used to these types of championships. It is my first time, and I reached the finals. I still can't believe it. Is it real? Am I dreaming? Am I hallucinating? Yes, of course, I am. There's no way, I can achieve something like this. The semi-finals didn't happen. Yeah, that's what happened, right?"

Tejas pulled me out of the corner and pressed his thumbs on my temples.

"Do you trust me?" he asked softly.

"Yes," I replied, my eyelids automatically drooping as he massaged my head.

"Then whatever I will say now, you have to believe it."

I nodded. "I will."

"You have reached here all because of your own hardwork, and you have to respect that. It wasn't just luck or a fluke that you reached the finals on your first try itself. It shows how much potential you have, Bhoomi. And, I am saying this not only as your boyfriend, but as a fellow dancer. Up until now, whatever obstacles you faced and the wins you gained, that's all yours. Don't panic about the finals because my Hamster is going to rock it no matter which stage she steps her foot on."

I leaned towards him and ended up bumping my head on his chin. I apologized, but he didn't scold me.

"It is okay," he said. "You can take out your frustration on me."

I snapped my head up to look at him, and this time, he saved his chin from getting bruised by my sudden action.

"I will never take out my negative feelings on you," I said firmly. "Thank you for your words. My mind is a lot at peace now."

"Will you sleep, or will you again go out for rehearsals in the middle of the night?" he asked me in an accusing tone.

I shot him a sheepish smile. "I will really sleep tonight. You also go and rest. You have more responsibility than me."

He pecked my cheek and left only after I was tucked inside my blanket. Soon, my roommates also arrived, but I fell fast asleep before I could properly talk to them.

The morning felt amazing, though I didn't know why everyone was avoiding me. They were keeping distance from me.

"Bhoomi, what's with the stupid expression?" Rehman asked me.

"What's your problem with me?" I argued.

Ronit narrowed his eyes at me. "Bhoomi Di, Rehman bhaiyya is just telling the truth. Are you possessed? Why are you smiling like a psycho since morning?"

"It is creepy," Richa and Sam said in unison and high-fived.

Varun, Ijaz, Ovi... even the juniors were siding with my friends. Akshay stretched my cheeks and shook his head at others.

"This piece is broken, guys," he said gravely.

What's wrong with everyone? I guess they are just trying to distract me. They care for me so much.

"Don't worry, everyone. I am totally okay," I announced.

No one believed me, so I ignored them. Our captains arrived in the dining area, and when Tejas also looked at me as if he had seen me for the first time, I checked my reflection in the glass table top. I didn't see anything weird.

"Tejas, what happened? Why are you also staring at me like this?" I asked him.

He glanced at others and looked at me.

"Bhoomi, is the breakfast that delicious that you are making such a face?" he asked and took a bite from my plate. "It tastes bland."

Vibhan observed me and whispered to Tejas. Hriaan eavesdropped, and soon, everyone nodded in sync. They told me to not bother with them and just focus on the day ahead. It was going to be very strenuous for me.

And my team was right. I was now standing against my rival, Tera‌, the last two years' breakdancing champion, and the one who had complete knock-outs since the start. Her score was always 3-0, and when she took the spot opposite me, I actually felt goosebumps all over my body.

There was something in her gaze that unsettled me. It wasn't the first time I experienced that predatory glare, but her confidence was oozing out like an eternal fountain. She acted like she owned the stage.

"First round of Tera vs Bhoomi begins now!" the host announced.

My eyes kept widening as Tera devoured the music track as if it was made for her only. I was awestruck to see her perform from so close.

Bhoomi, she is your rival right now. Don't even think of giving up. If she has reached finals, so have you.

But she is two times champion. If this is what I will face, then she will easily get a hat-trick. She is on a whole nother level.

Then show her your level.

When Tera finished, I was filled with gallons of confidence. Instead of thinking about losing and winning, I thanked Ganapati Bappa for helping me reach till here. This kind of opportunity could have been once in a lifetime one, so I had to just dance.

The music dropped, and I smiled to myself because it was a completely new and strange track that I had heard. I remembered Axel's advice and inserted myself in the rhythm.

I scrunched my face when Tera was already celebrating as all three judges raised their hands for her.

She got all three when we have just started.

She looked at me, mimicked a plane flying with her right hand and did Namaste. I didn't like how she was mocking me, but I didn't react, though my annoyed expression made her happy.

She finished her turn of the second round effortlessly and then pointed at the champion trophy. The cheers of "Tera, Tera!" increased so much that the host had to tell the audience to calm down.

I glanced at my friends in the audience, and Axel signalled me to finish my rival off. I felt scared for my friends because they were shooting me all kinds of murder signs. I hoped they wouldn't get kicked off. My gaze found Tejas, and he was the only one who didn't signal me to kill Tera. I read his lips.

"I... am... proud... of... you," he mouthed. "I... love... you..."

I smiled but bit my lips anxiously when I read his next words.

"Finish... her..." he mouthed. "I.. am.. waiting."

Wow, everyone thinks that I can defeat her, so let's try it, shall we?

I began my second round, the random music choice no longer a concern. Naturally, the moves followed the beats, and then it lead to me scoring a round against Tera. And this time, I also got all three judges' points in my bag.

Tera fisted her hands, her glare intensifying. But after a few seconds, her anger dissipated.

"Creating drama, I see," she said and glanced at the host and judges. "These guys always complicate things. I won't let it happen again though."

The most anticipated third round began, and Tera jumped in celebration when I finished my turn after her, but the scores on the display screen matched evenly, turning our battle into a draw.

Not just her, but I was also surprised. I was not expecting a draw at all. I instinctively glanced at Tejas, and he had a satisfactory expression on his face. He nodded at me.

I need to keep the game going on.

Due to this ambition of mine, I and Tera kept drawing out even after the nine rounds. None of us was giving up; while I was excited for the unpredictable, Tera was losing her patience.

"What's going on here?" she cursed. "Are they doing this on purpose to fuck with me?"

I couldn't get what she meant. Since our first draw, she was continuously cribbing about the host and judges. I ignored her as my body was really fatigued. The adrenaline was working, but I knew what was going to happen if I pushed my limits.

"Can we please get a small break?" I asked the host.

He looked at the judges, who exchanged glances and nodded. They gave us a five-minute break.

"I don't need a fucking break!" Tera yelled.

"I do," I said and sat down on the stage.

I thanked the judges, who told the audience that the dancers' health was more important, and the score was a draw as it is, so taking a break wasn't going to mess up the end result in any way. The agitated fans of Tera calmed down after agreeing with the judges, but Tera kept pacing around like a wounded tigeress.

I closed my eyes and started meditation after drinking water. The moment I opened my eyes, I felt as if I had shed my old skin.

I got up, once more showed my gratitude to the authorities for the much-needed break and took my position. As for Tera, her eyes were locked on me like a target. I didn't feel any fear at all.

The host announced the start of the tenth round, wishing it to be the end. Tera moved first when the music track began, and I didn't move even if it was already decided that I was going to go first. I had sensed her motive, so I utilised the time to conserve my energy.

Tera threw me a mocking glance when she confidently moved back to her spot, tying her shoelaces and adjusting her cap, acting like the show was already finished.

I smiled at her, and the moment the first sound of my track drummed my ears, my body absorbed the upcoming beats. I could feel the music play around, doing a duet with me.

The soundtrack finished, the judges raised their hands, the score changed, and the winner was...

"Bhoomi is our new champion!" the host screamed his lungs out.

"India, India!" the cheers erupted in the whole stadium.

"Bhoomi Devarkar from India has made history! It is her first time on the international stage, and she defeated the two-times champion. She has ended Tera's reign," the host added dramatically.

The happiness just kept increasing, and I looked at my friends. I was frozen, so I wanted to see them to make sure that I wasn't dreaming.

My whole crew was yelling my name, my friends hugging each other in celebration. Tejas pulled his cap downwards, while Hriaan hugged him tightly.

He is crying, so it means I won. Yes, I believe him. I won the World Dance Championships!