Unix and The Emperors are merging?!

I didn't watch the news on the YouTube and directly went to The Emperors' studio. To my surprise, there were lots of people gathered with mic and cameras. All of them were journalists that covered news regarding dance and other arts.

I spotted Vibhan and the rest of my crew arriving in the waiting area, and soon, Tejas and his crew also arrived. When his gaze landed on me, he shot me a quick smile and started the press conference.

I felt betrayed, so I sat in the back and observed how my own crew discussed about their future plans and the deal with The Emperors. The plan had been undergoing for a few months, and it was recently finalised in order to participate in one of the most prestigious international competitions.

The reporters asked a lot of questions, and both Vibhan and Tejas answered all of them professionally. Then, The Emperors' captain revealed the title of the new mega crew, and I pouted as I wasn't a part of it at all.

"Our new crew will debut as The Conquerors," Tejas announced, and Vibhan nodded.

The Conquerors... that's a nice name. I am sure he didn't tell me anything about the deal because it is none of my business. All of them are b-boys, and I have always participated in the unofficial crew battles with Unix, so no one ever belives that I am also a part of my crew.

Moreover, this is confidential stuff, and I know how rival crews take advantage of the littlest of information. Still, at least, my friends could have given me a hint. Did they not tell me because they wanted to annoy me, or because they didn't want me to get overexcited? Anyways, I am happy for all of them.

Are you really happy, Bhoomi? Where is this burning smell coming from?

Shut up. I am not jealous. Now that I know the breaking news, I will take my leave.

"Everyone!" Hriaan shouted in the mic and shot me a sly smile. "Don't leave until the celebration is over. After this press conference ends, please move towards the cafeteria. There are lots and lots of delicious snacks waiting for you."

At the same time, my stomach growled, but I ignored it. I began leaving, but Hriaan shouted again.

"Oh my god! Look who's there, everyone!" he pointed at me as if he had seen a unicorn. "That's our biggest fan. Please give her some space, so she can take our autographs."

Soon, the cameras were pointed at me, and I put on a smile. It was true that I considered myself the biggest fan of The Emperors, but Hriaan was going to die because of his stunt.

I slowly moved forward, and when one of the reporters asked me detailed questions about how I became The Emperors' fan and who was my favourite member, Rehman snickered. I glared at him and glanced at Tejas.

"Her favourite member is of course me," Hriaan said proudly.

Tejas ducked his head, hiding his smile, but the moment Rehman started laughing, others couldn't control themselves too.

The reporters asked them what the joke was, and I looked at Hriaan.

"You are the joke," I mouthed to him. "And you are dead after this."

He wasn't affected. He told the boys to shut up, and acted like a skilled spokesperson with years of experience under his belt.

"I already said she is our fan, so of course she likes every member. To show our gratitude, our captain will give her special fan service," Hriaan said, his smile stretching up to his ears as he looked at Tejas. "Right, Captain?"

Tejas didn't say anything, and I wondered if he was actually considering Hriaan's suggestion.

"I am glad to meet them, so there's no need for any fan service. They are already doing a lot - let's not put unnecessary pressure on them," I said this to the reporters, who didn't like my answer but nodded.

I began leaving, but Tejas grabbed my wrist, and my eyes widened when I saw the mischievous expression on his face.

"I will love it if our biggest fan accepted our fan service," Tejas said, making the cameramen start adjusting their lenses.

I had watched enough TV serials and news channels to know that they were going to zoom in from every angle. Before they could create anything scandalous, I told Tejas that he could just give me a hug.

"Okay," he replied and wrapped his arms around me.

"Don't hug me so closely," I whispered to him.

He increased his hold.

"Why shouldn't I hug my girlfriend like this?" he asked loudly.

"Girlfriend?" the reporters questioned in surprise.

I was frozen. I knew how sensitive Tejas was regarding his privacy, and even if he was so popular, he always kept low about his personal life. Only our friends and close acquaintances knew about our relationship - I wondered if he was sure to announce it to his fans.

"Tejas, are you sure?" I asked him in a low voice.

He squeezed me. "Didn't you say you will kiss me even if there are lakhs and thousands of people in front of us? Currently, there are only about fifty heads here, so you won't have any complaints regarding less audience, right?"

I chuckled at his trick. "Let's reserve that special fan service for later, okay?"

He broke the hug and confirmed the reporters' doubt.

"Can you please tell us your girlfriend's name? Where did you both meet? Are your fans aware of your relationship? Since when are you dating?" the reporters asked curiously.

"Her name is Boomer," Rehman announced, and I kicked him in the shin.

The whole room erupted in laughter, until one reporter suddenly stopped and mentioned about that viral video of me when I had helped Ronit and the boys by cosplaying as Boomer.

Soon, comments like "You are actually Boomer?!", "Boomer is a girl?", "I told ya all already.", and "We will reuse that viral clip along with this news." starting flooding.

"Rehman, you don't need to be a jerk every time," I cursed him and pulled his ear.

"Chill, Boom Boom Boomer, any publicity is a good publicity," Akshay told me.

"And as it is, Boomer is damn popular than you are, so you can cash on it instead of whining," Yasir said.

"Now you can officially debut as Boomer, Shorty," Hriaan said.

I fisted my hands. "Why don't I make a new viral clip of me murdering all of you?" I threatened.

Hriaan shifted back. "Come on, Shorty, act like our fan."

Tejas concluded the press confrence as I had started beating up my friends. The reporters left for the cafeteria, some still having their cameras rolling as I kicked Rehman and Hriaan one after another.

Before I unleashed my wrath on the ones laughing, Tejas grabbed me and stuffed an energy bar in my mouth.

"You should have eaten something first," he told me.

"Why didn't you tell me anything about the deal?" I complained to him.

He cupped my face and grinned.

"I wanted to surprise you," he replied.

"Like this?!" I pointed at the guys snickering about how Rehman had revealed my secret identity.

Tejas scratched his chin. "That wasn't in the plan actually, but I guess there is no need to hide that you are Boomer. You have shown how skilled you are whenever you have used that identity."

"Okay, if you say so, but I am still sad," I said.

By his expressions, I sensed that he already knew what I was thinking, but still he asked me what was bothering me.

"I am happy that Unix merged with The Emperors under a new title, and it will operate independently too just like your crew, but what about me? Was I left out because I am the only girl? Are the members finalised? Is there no chance for me to join? I can audition too."

Tejas caressed my cheeks. "Rehman and Hriaan will beat me up for revealing their plan, but I can't see you sad like this. Don't tell them I told you."

I nodded, and when he told me that I was also on the new team, I jumped at him in excitement.

"Thank you, Tejas! I won't disappoint you," I squealed.

"Big bro, you betrayed us!" Rehman yelled from the distance. "Why did you tell her so soon? I had planned to tease her so much."

"Bro, I can't trust you any more," Hriaan said and shook his head while eating a donut and momo simultaneously.

"Ignore these idiots," I told Tejas. "What kind of competitions are you aiming at? Am I really going to be the only b-girl on the team? Can we please recruit more girls? I can't tolerate watching their faces," I pointed my thumb at our friends, "every day."

At that moment, Vibhan arrived and handed me a plate of snacks.

"I have already selected some new members for Unix, so they will be under your care, Bhoomi. Train them the best," Vibhan told me. "And yes, they are b-girls."

My eyes lit up. "Really?! Thank you, Vibhan. Now I can finally have my own gang."

Both him and Tejas furrowed their eyebrows.

"What do you mean by your own gang?" they asked me in suspicion.

I moved away from them. "I will make my own only girls' crew with the new members and compete against both of you."

"You traitor!" Vibhan knocked me on the head.

"Are you serious?" Tejas asked me.

"Maybe?" I teased him. "The plan sounds tempting. I should start working on it asap."

I ran away when Tejas and Vibhan exchanged glances. On my way to the cafeteria, I punched Rehman and Akshay because they were discussing about how their plan of making me cry had failed.

After the important announcement, both captains got busy with the new crew formations and training schedules, while I and my fellow team leaders for Sarthak's tour finalised our choreographies and got them approved by Sarthak and other mentors.

The next four months were really hectic but full of fun as Sarthak held his dance tour throughout our country's major cities plus some villages that he had received requests from. The time we spent touring was priceless. Our whole team received lots of love and praises, and thanks to Sarthak always giving credits to the choreographers, I secured some fans too.

Also, thanks to Rehman's blunder at that press conference, everyone kept calling me Boomer and renacated my dance moves from that earlier viral video clip. I had stopped getting annoyed because like Akki had said, any publicity was good publicity, and according to my always-right boyfriend, Boomer's popularity worked in my favour.

After Sarthak's tour was over, we returned to our homes, and he gave us a long break before he announced his next project. So, while balancing college's fifth semester, me and my new crew started the preparations to qualify for one of the most popular international dance competitions and that was none other than World Dance Championships.

As Vibhan had promised, he recruited some b-girls for our crew, and I was surprised to see some familiar faces. I had met two out of four trainees before in the dance club Hriaan had introduced me to.

While three girls were breakdancing for a good amount of time, the fourth one had started just one year ago, so she was a bit nervous. I was given the responsibility to train them, and I was going to turn all of them into beasts.

The Conquerors had four captains that were in-charge of various departments. While Tejas and Vibhan retained their titles as Captains, Hriaan and Pratik stepped up as fellow captains to manage the big team. While a few other experienced dancers like Joy, Akshay, and Yasir took charge of handling the members that were completely new to all of this.

Since everyone was busy with their tasks, I focused my energy on my b-girls, and everyone was training in The Emperors' studio.

It was the second week of our basic training when some guests surprised us with their arrival. DayZ and Kile arrived to check what we were upto. DayZ told Tejas and Vibhan that she wanted her student, Spintop, to train with us. Spintop was thrilled after Vibhan and Tejas approved training her, but when she learned that I was going to be her mentor, her face fell.

Her reaction was hilarious. DayZ scolded her because she was whining and asking any other member to train her, but in the end, she ended up in my den only. While the captains entertained the guests, I went back to practice with my small group. One of the girls was showing her routine when Kile knocked on our room's door.

"Please come in, Kile," I told him.

He gave me lots of usefull tips to take into account while handling different kinds of dancers, and when he checked everyone's progress, he gave more suggestions, and then it was time for him to leave.

But before he left, he gave me an advice plus encouragement.

"Bhoomi, audition for the b-girl championships too," Kile told me.

"But I am already so busy, and it is World Dance Championships we are talking about. They won't even check my audition tape," I said.

He gave me a flat look. "If you are so scared, then why are you even a part of The Conquerors? Just quit, or else you will bring the whole team down."

"Are you provoking me?" I asked. "I am not alone. My whole crew is with me. Moreover, Vibhan, Tejas, Hriaan, and Joy are leading, so I got nothing to worry."

"What about you? Are you freewheeling?"

I opened my mouth, but closed it again. I had no comeback.

"Bhoomi, I am not kidding. You got the potential, that's why I am suggesting you to audition for the solos - TJ must have already told you that my attention is really hard to get, right? What are you afraid of?"

I scratched my head. "Okay, I accept I am afraid of going on the international stage, but apart from it, I have a medical condition that springs up whenever I take lots of stress. It is annoying."

"Is this why TJ was holding you back during our dance battles? You still challenged us well though."

"I don't know... Now that you have said it, I am itching to try out the solo auditions. But if Tejas gets to know that I am again putting too much on my plate, he won't forgive me this time," I said.

"He is your boyfriend, and I know he cares a lot about you, but I am also sure that you know it too that he will never come between your progress. He has a solution for everything, so you just need to ask him for help. Wait, I don't think you even need to ask," he teased.

"I know he is the best," I said.

"You can gush over your boyfriend, but first, think seriously about what I told you. I believe you can do it. In case you need any help, feel free to reach out to me. I will take my leave now; I got a meeting to attend. Bye, Bhoomi," he said and left.

"Bhoomi Didi, why are you smiling like this?" one of my trainees asked me worriedly. "You are scaring me."

Spintop told the others to ignore me, and all of them started playing around as my mind was continuously repeating Kile's words.

Solo auditions... World Dance Championships... International battles... Big stage...

"Everyone, keep practicing what we learnt, and you may leave early today. We will carry on tomorrow," I told the trainees, and they were really happy after being excused.

I went to meet Tejas as I wanted to discuss about my current issue at the earliest. DayZ and Kile had left, so the captains were again busy in their meeting.

I slowly went inside Hriaan's cabin, and waited till I saw an opportunity to disturb them.

"Tejas, are you available right now?" I asked him.

"He is always available for you," Hriaan commented and wiggled his eyebrows.

I sighed because Hriaan never left the chance to tease us. Vibhan asked me what the matter was, and I shot him an awkward smile.

"I wanted to ask for some advice about a thing that I recently got interested in," I told him.

"And what is it?" Joy asked me curiously.

Tejas was silently observing me, and when I glanced at him hopefully, he let out a deep breath.

"Kile..." he grumbled. "I knew he was upto something. Can't believe he didn't even give me any warning."

"What the heck are you mumbling about?" Hriaan asked him.

Tejas got up from his chair and told others to continue their meeting. He excused us, and Vibhan narrowed his eyes at me as we left Hriaan's cabin.

Tejas locked his office's door once we were inside and told me to tell him what was bothering me because his blood pressure was rising by worrying about what was going in my mind.

"Don't worry, Tejas," I told him. "Kile told me that I should try solo auditions."

"So you are going to bail on me?" Tejas asked seriously.

"No, why will I leave the crew? I am confused about it, that's why I wanted to ask you if I will be able to do both."

His sullen expression instantly turned into an adorable blush.

"You trust me so much?" he asked.

"The most," I replied and pulled his cheeks.

He kissed my palms and looked at me seriously.

"Even if I guide you, you are the only one who has to take the final decision, okay? Kile didn't show confidence in you because you are my girlfriend, but because you are you. You are capable of achieving everything, but there should be no carelessness regarding your health," he said.

"Of course," I said. "Why will I worry when I have you?"

He smiled, but his smile vanished soon. I asked him what happened.

"Well, I will take your side as much as I can, but you gotta convince Vibhan yourself," he said.

He is right! Vibhan is already very scary, so I wonder how much he will beat me up when I will tell him about my plan. I hope he and the rest of the guys are as much understanding as Tejas.

Oh well, who am I kidding? They are my friends - since when have they acted sensible? Anyways, I don't have any other option. It is time to face my captain. Ganapati Bappa, save me.